04-03-2018

UNITING PEOPLE EVERYDAY
SuNDAy, DHAKA, MARCH 4, 2018, FAlGuN 20, 1424 BS, JAMADI-uS-SANI 15, 1439 HIJRI
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina waiving her hand at a rally at Khulna Circuit House on Saturday.
Quader warns
BNP against
violence in name
of movement
DHAKA : Road Transport
and Bridges Minister and
Awami League General
Secretary Obaidul Quader on
Saturday warned BNP that
the law enforcement agencies
would take necessary
measurers if the party carries
out any sort of violence in the
name of movement.
"We would face BNP's
strategy of movement politically,
if it remains political. If
the party carries out violence
and sabotage in the name of
movement, the law enforcement
agencies would take
necessary actions to protect
the life and property of people,"
he told newsmen while
conducting a leaflet distribution
campaign in the city's
New Market area.
The campaign is going on
since March 1 to make successful
the Awami League's
public rally at the historic
Suhrawardy Udyan on
March 7 marking the
anniversary of the landmark
speech of Father of the
Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh
Mujibur Rahman delivered
at the Race Course (now
Suhrawardy Udyan) on the
day 47 years back in 1971.
The minister said: "We are
stepping forward for holding
the next general election in a
free, fair and neutral manner
in line with the constitution
so that it can be acceptable to
all."
Palindromo Meszaros Captures the Aftermath
of Hungary’s Worst Toxic Spill
INTERESTING NEWS
In October 2010, the small town of
Ajka, Veszprém County, in western
Hungary, witnessed an environmental
disaster that is considered the worst in
the country’s history. The wall of a waste
reservoir in an aluminum factory collapsed,
releasing around a million cubic
metres of toxic waste. The two meterhigh
red toxic mud slide flooded several
nearby localities, burying buildings, poisoning
fields and killing nine people. It
took nearly a week to contain the spill
and several weeks thereafter to cleanup.
But every where the sludge touched, it
left behind an indelible red line.
Bangladesh improved
in graft ranking: PM
KHULNA : Prime
Minister Sheikh Hasina
on Saturday said
Bangladesh's position has
improved in the world corruption
index as the government
took various
steps to eliminate corruption,
reports UNB.
"After coming to power
in 2009, the government
tried to eliminate corruption
from Bangladesh.
Now Bangladesh got its
recognition, Bangladesh
advanced two steps in
removing corruption," she
said.
Sheikh Hasina was
speaking at the 58th
Convention of the
Institution of Engineers,
Bangladesh (IEB) at
Khalishpur here.
During the BNP-Jamaat
regime, she said,
Bangladesh was on top of
the world corruption
index for five consecutive
years.
Hasina said the government
has taken steps so
that the rule of law could
be established.
"We've taken proper
steps so that people can
get benefits of the rule of
law," she said.
The PM also said the
government has taken
various measurers against
militancy, terrorism and
drug abuse.
Recently, Transparency
International in its corruption
perceptions index
said Bangladesh has progressed
by two positions
and ranked 143rd out of
180 in the ascending order
on the list of the most corrupt
countries in the world
in 2017. The country
placed 17th on the
descending list.
The Berlin-based organisation
also revealed that
Bangladesh scored 28 on
scale of 0 to 100.
According to the data,
Bangladesh ranked 15th,
13th, 14th, 16th, and 13th
in 2016, 2015, 2014, 2013,
and 2012 respectively.
The Prime Minister
urged the engineers to play
more proactive role with
their professional competence,
honesty and sincerity
to implement the development
plans of the government.
"The main responsibility
of implementing the
development activities of
the government is entrusted
upon you."
She urged the engineers
to devote themselves to
the development of innovative
strategies and technology
to invent alternate
energy, energy efficient
technology and low-cost
homes considering
resource constraint.
Hasina also urged them
Six months after the incident, Spanish
photographer Palindromo Meszaros
decided to document the effects of the
massive spill through this set of photographs
entitled “The Line”. Mészáros
creates these images by lining up the tip
of the red stains with the horizon line in
each photograph making it look as if
someone had painted the town red on
purpose.
"Sometimes people think that it is a
conceptual installation when they start
watching," Meszaros says. "It's an effect I
was definitely looking for — something
could seem beautiful and evocative
somehow but at the same time make
people understand how terrible it was."
to give importance to environment-friendly
infrastructure
and technologies
used to minimise losses of
earthquake and disasters
to make the development
works sustainable.
Prime Minister Sheikh
Hasina assured of extending
all support to the EIB
saying the Awami League
government always
remained beside them.
She said Bangladesh is
no longer lags behind in
the areas of science and
technology. "Bangladesh
is now a role model of
development with 7.28
percent growth last fiscal
year."
The Prime Minister also
sought support of everybody
to build Bangladesh
as a country free from
poverty and hunger.
She also conferred
AMIE degree on 97 successful
students of engineering
professional
course.
EIB President Kabir
Ahmed Bhuiyan presided
over the function while its
General Secretary
AbdusSabur and its
Khulna centre Chairman
Abdullah Sadik and president
of convention
preparatory committee
MoniruzzamanPolash,
among others, spoke on
the occasion.
Road to 7th March'
concert to enthrall
Khulna fans Monday
DHAKA : Leading youth platform
Young Bangla will stage
'Road to 7th March' concert at
Khulna circuit house ground on
Monday marking the anniversary
of Bangabandhu's landmark
7th March speech.
Popular rock musical bands
Mechanix and Nemesis will
perform in the concert to mesmerize
the fans with rock
music. No ticket or prior registration
is required to enter the
concert venue as it is open for
all.
This is the first time the
Young Bangla is taking its
annual immensely popular live
musical show 'Joy Bangla
Concert' outside Dhaka with
the title 'Road to 7th March".
The youth network under the
auspicious of Center for
Research and Information
(CRI) has been organising the
concert annually since 2015.
This year, the celebration is
more significant for the country
as the United Nations
Educational, Scientific and
Cultural Organisation
(UNESCO) has recognised the
landmark speech of
Bangabandhu as a world documentary
heritage.
The main concert will be
staged at the Bangladesh Army
Stadium on March 7 as leading
musical bands Powersurge,
Arbovirus, Shunno, Nemesis,
Cryptic Fate, Lalon, Chirkutt
and Artcell will perform.
Photo : PID
Islamic Foundation
creates 1.59 lakh jobs
DHAKA : Two projects of
Islamic Foundation have created
employment facilities for
1,58,702 people, an official said
yesterday. The projects are titled
mosque-based child and mass
education programme and education
and resource centre proggramme,
reports BSS
Assistant project director of
the mosque-based child and
mass education programme
Alman Hossain told BSS that a
total of 81,067 people got job
under the mosque-based child
and mass education programme,
while 77,635 people
have been employed under
education and resource centre
programme. He said under the
mosque-based child and mass
education programme, children
were imparted education on different
subjects including
Bangla, Mathematics, English,
Arabic to make them skilled
workforce with moral values.
An exciting colorful water rally with 100 traditional boats was held in the capital's scenic
Hatirjheel.
Photo : Star Mail
Employment growth
drops in RMG
sector: CPD
DHAKA : Claiming that the
employment growth in Ready
Made Garments (RMG)
enterprises somewhat decelerated
in recent years, Center
for Policy Dialogue (CPD) on
Saturday said that the percentage
of female workers in
the enterprises is also declining,
reports UNB.
Dr Khondaker Golam
Moazzem, Research Director
of CPD came up with this
information at a dialogue
over his research work
'Ongoing Upgradation in
RMG Enterprises:
Preliminary Results from a
Survey' arranged by CPD in a
city hotel.
Dr Moazzem conducted a
research on 193 enterprises
and 2270 workers and found
it out that 47.37 per cent of
large enterprises and 25 per
cent of medium enterprises
use advanced technology and
female workers are proportionately
less knowledgeable
about operating different
Election campaign thru' social
media likely to be restricted
Dhaka : The Election
Commission has drafted the
code of conduct for the
upcoming parliamentary
polls banning election campaign
on social media and
electronic displays, reports
UNB.
The Commission incorporated
the new provision in
the draft code of conduct for
political parties and candidates
in the national election
as a number of political parties
suggested the EC to contain
social media rumor and
propaganda joining the EC's
dialogue in the last year.
According to the section
7(Ka) of the draft code, no
candidate, supporter or
political party can conduct
any campaign on social
media, including facebook,
twitter and viber.
The same section also says
no electronic and display
board can be used in the
election campaign.
The EC's Committee for
Legal Reform, headed by
Election Commissioner
Kabita Khanam, drafted the
code of conduct last week
brining some changes to the
existing code of conduct of
2008, which was subsequently
amended ahead of
the 2014 national election.
The Committee, at a meeting
last week, decided to
place the draft code of conduct
at the Commission's
meeting to get its clearance,
said EC officials preferring
not to be quoted.
machines compared to their
male peers which might be
the reason behind the
decrease of female workers in
this sector.
The survey report shows
that high level of genderimbalance
in the management
profession has been
continued as managers of the
factories are overwhelmingly
male.
Though the size of RMG
enterprises, in terms of number
of workers, has getting
marginally bigger, overall
gender balance among production
workers in RMG
enterprises has become less
female dominated.
The report reveals that
share of female employment
in upper and middle grades
are slowly rising in case of
middle grades like grade III,
IV and V, but female workers
remain scant in top grades
such as Grade I and II.
According to the survey
results, difference between
Then the code of conduct
will be sent to the Law
Ministry for vetting before
the EC finalises it, the officials
said.
Kabita Khanom could not
be reached over phone
despite repeated attempts by
the UNB correspondent for
comments.
Besides, a provision has
been proposed in the code of
conduct that no live animal
(jibontoprani) can be used
as election symbol during
the polls campaign.
Following a brief hearing,
'electoral enforcement officers'
will be able to award
punishment to any candidate
or supporters of any
candidate for violating the
code of conduct before the
election.
The provision has been
proposed aiming to take
prompt action against the
violation of the code of conduct.
The 'electoral enforcement
officer' is a new terminology
which has been used
here instead of probe committee
as such jargon has
also been used in the draft
Representation of Peoples
Order.
Any aggrieved or political
party can seek remedy to any
election anomaly from the
electoral enforcement officer
or lodge complaint with the
officer.
Besides, if the Election
Commission deems any
complaint as objective, it
may send the complaint to
male and female wages is
about 3 per cent which indicates
gender-wage gap,
though at limited level.
Though female workers in
lower grades receive higher
wages, those of middle grades
are paid lower than their
male counterparts on average.
As per the survey, workers'
monthly wage is on average
Tk 7,270 for male workers
and Tk 7,058 for female
workers excluding bonuses.
However, the speakers and
participants of the dialogue
identified lack of technology
training and social security
for female workers, the number
is going down.
A representative from
Bangladesh Mukto Sramik
Federation said, female
workers are now mostly preferred
in production and finishing
floor only in the factories,
while the male workers
are preferred for the other
sections.
the officer concerned or the
electoral enforcement officer
for looking into the anomaly.
In addition, if any anomaly
somehow comes to the
notice of the Commission, it
can send the matter to the
officer concerned or electoral
enforcement officer for
investigation, or give directive
to the returning officer,
the presiding officer and law
enforcement agencies to
take instant actions against
any anomaly.
In the draft code of conduct,
Zila Parishad chairmen
have also been termed as
'very important persons
enjoying the government
benefits'.
In the existing code of conduct,
the Prime Minister, the
Speaker, ministers, the chief
whip, the Deputy Speaker,
the Opposition Leader, the
Deputy Leader of the House,
the Deputy Opposition
Leader of the House, state
ministers, whips, deputy
ministers and any other person
enjoying the equivalent
status, MPs and city corporation
mayors are defined as
very important persons.
To arrange a rally during
the election, it will require
permission from the proper
authorities over the day,
time and venue of the rally,
and the authorities will have
to inform its decision within
24 hours after receiving the
written application in this
regard, according to the
draft code of conduct.
Dhaka ready to
welcome Vietnamese
President Sunday
DHAKA : President of
Vietnam Tran Dai Quang
awaits a rosining reception
as he arrives here on a threeday
state visit on Sunday,
reports UNB.
The Vietnamese President,
who arrived in New Delhi on
Friday evening on a threeday
visit, is coming here at
the invitation of his
Bangladesh counterpart
Abdul Hamid when the two
countries are looking for a
broader trade and investment
ties.
President Abdul Hamid
will receive Tran Dai Quang
as he is scheduled to arrive at
Hazrat
Shahjalal
International Airport at 4pm
on Sunday by a special flight,
an official told UNB.
Cabinet members, including
Foreign Minister AH
Mahmood Ali, are also
expected to remain present
on the occasion.
A smartly turned out contingent
comprising members
of Bangladesh Army, Air
Force and Bangladesh Navy
will give guard of honour to
the Vietnamese President.
He will be welcomed with a
21-gun salute.
Acting Editor & Publisher : Jobaer Alam, Advisory Editor: Advocate Molla Mohammad Abu Kawser, Managing, Editor: Tapash Ray Sarker, News Editor : Saiful Islam, printed at Sonali Printing Press, 2/1/A, Arambagh 167, Inner Circular Road, Eden Complex, Motijheel, Dhaka.
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