08-03-2018

UNITING PEOPLE EVERYDAY
ThuRSDAY, DhAKA, MARCh 8, 2018, FALguN 24, 1424 BS, JAMADI-uS-SANI 19, 1439 hIJRI
Today's Awami League rally caused a serious setback in the Dhaka metro's traffic management system. People are
seen waiting in queues for a long period of time in order to board on a bus in Shahbag area. Photo : TBT
BD, Kuwait to formulate
deal on manpower
DHAKA : Bangladesh and Kuwait have agreed to
formulate Cooperation Agreement on
Manpower (2000) and form a Joint Working
Group under the aegis of the deal, reports UNB.
"Both sides have also agreed to work together
to establish centres of excellence for Kuwaitbound
workers in Bangladesh," said State
Minister for Foreign Affairs M ShahriarAlam.
He made the disclosure after a meeting with
Hend SB Al Subaih, the Minister of Social
Affairs and Labour and the Minister of State
for Planning and Development of Kuwait, at
Kuwait parliament on Tuesday.
At the meeting, the Kuwait side also assured
of addressing various challenges being faced by
the Bangladesh community in Kuwait.
The state minister urged the Kuwait government
for hiring more Bangladeshis, particularly
professionals, skilled and semi-skilled workers.
The Kuwaiti minister assured the
Bangladesh side of looking into the matter positively,
according to a handout received here on
Wednesday. Shahriar Alam deeply appreciated
the government of Kuwait for hosting a
large number of Bangladesh workers in
Kuwait and for recruiting the increased number
of Bangladeshis in the last two years.
He thanked the Kuwait side for the ongoing
general amnesty declared by the Kuwait government
which will give an opportunity to regularise
the irregular migrant workers.
About the recent media report on imposing
Akademgorodok
Siberia’s Silicon Valley
INTERESTING NEWS
Tucked away in a remote forest of birch
and pine in the heart of Siberia, 3,000 km
away from Moscow, at a place where winters
are six months long with temperatures
dropping to minus 40 degree
Celsius and summers are swaddled with
mosquitos, is a city built for scientists and
researchers. This frozen wasteland is
more suited for polar bears than scientific
endeavors, but Nikita Khrushchev felt
the distance from Moscow was necessary
so that the country’s sharpest scientific
minds could work together on fundamental
research away from the prying eyes of
bureaucracy. This is Akademgorodok, or
“Academic Town”—the Soviet Union’s
answer to America’s Silicon Valley.
Akademgorodok is situated in the middle
of a forest 30 km south of Novosibirsk
city. It is one of several Akademgorodoks
built between the late 1950s and mid-
ban on recruitment of workers from
Bangladesh, the Kuwaiti minister clarified that
there is no ban or restriction on any category of
work visa those are processed by the Labour
Ministry of Kuwait.
However, the Interior Ministry issues visas
for domestic helpers in favour of Kuwaiti individuals
which is known as category 20 visa.
As gathered, Kuwait authorities have
observed some irregularities in this sector and
imposed temporary restriction on issuance of
such visas to review and streamline the sector.
The state minister appreciated the leading
role of Kuwait in extending humanitarian
assistance to the forcibly displaced Rohingya
people who took shelter in Bangladesh.
Hend, within her capacity as the Minister of
Social Affairs and the State Minister for
Planning and Development, assured of
increased assistance to Bangladesh through
the charitable organisations of Kuwait working
in Bangladesh and through the Kuwait Fund
for Arab Economic Development.
Earlier in the morning, the State Minister
had a meeting with the Director General of the
Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development
at its headquarters in Kuwait City while they
agreed to finalise the loan agreement for
financing the Urban Infrastructure
Improvement Projects for 51 municipalities in
the northern area of Bangladesh at the soonest
possible.
1970s in Siberia; the Akademgorodok
outside Novosibirsk is the most successful
one. Located within Akademgorodok
is Novosibirsk State University, 35
research institutes, a medical academy,
apartment buildings and houses, and a
variety of community amenities including
stores, hotels, hospitals, restaurants and
cafes, cinemas, clubs and libraries. Less
than two kilometer away is an artificial
beach created by dumping hundreds of
tons of sand along the edge of the Ob
reservoir.
At its peak, Akademgorodok was home
to 65,000 scientists and their families. It
was a privilege to live there, and many
scholars in the 60s escaped to the frozen
hinterland as a sort of voluntary exile in
order to be far from the totalitarian rule of
the Soviet capital, and lured by the
promise of new housing and professional
advancement.
Muhith wants
closure of
BJMC
DHAKA : Finance Minister
Abul Maal Abdul Muhith on
Wednesday said that the
Bangladesh Jute Mills
Corporation (BJMC) should
be shut down and a jute cell
could be opened in the ministry
instead.
"In the present situation
there is no place for
Bangladesh Jute Mills
Corporation (BJMC). It
should be shut down fully
and there can be a cell on jute
at the ministry. I officially
told them but they don't
oblige. They are under the
grip of BJMC,' the minister
said while unveiling a publication
- Proyash-2018 - at
the secretariat yesterday.
Muhith's hard stance on
BJMC came within two days
of an allegation brought
against him by State
Minister for Textiles and
Jute Mirza Azam at a city
programme.
Mirza Azam on Monday
alleged that it has not been
possible to recognise jute as
an agricultural product due
to the negative attitude of
Finance Minister AMA
Muhith. "The Finance
Minister has a negative attitude
towards jute. This has
also affected the entire
Finance Ministry, hampering
the development of jute,"
he said.
4 police officials
among 6 suspended
in Brahmanbaria
BRAHMANBARIA : Six
police personnel, including
two sub-inspectors and two
assistant sub-inspectors, of
Kosba Police Station were
suspended on Tuesday night
over allegedly hiding the
information of drug recovery,
reports UNB.
The suspended policemen
were identified as sub-inspectors
- Shyamal Mazumdar and
Monir Hossain, assistant subinspectors
- Faruque Hossain
and Salauddin and constables
- Shahjahan and Kashem.
Police sources said the suspended
police personnel
recovered drug and seized two
private cars on Tuesday morning
from T-Ali interjection of
Kosba upazila. Later, they
hided the information of those
recovery.
Following the matter, allegations
of irregularities and negligence
of duties were raised
against them and they were
suspended temporally, said
Md Mohiuddin, officer-incharge
of Kosba Police Station.
A probe body, headed by
additional superintendent of
Brahmanbaria police Md Iqbal
Hossain, was formed to look
into the matter, he added.
Bangladesh on right track of
economic success: Experts
ISAS-Cosmos Foundation Dialogue held in Singapore
SINGAPORE : Experts from
Bangladesh and Singapore stressed on
how consistent Bangladesh's economic
growth has been and advised more on
what needs to be done for further development.
This was part of a joint panel discussion
between Singapore's Institute of
South Asian Studies (ISAS) and
Bangladesh's Cosmos Foundation at the
Ballroom of the city's Orchard Hotel on
March 5.
The panel discussed the key challenges
which are relevant not only to
Bangladesh, but also to the South Asian
region and the rest of the world, reports
UNB.
It also shared its perspectives on various
economic opportunities offered by
the country.
Enayetullah Khan, Chairman of
Cosmos Foundation, cited from his
interview with the Chinese Foreign
Minister, who said that Bangladesh is the
bridge between China and India - which
correctly defines Bangladesh's role in
Asia.
"At a point in time, when Bangladesh
is powering ahead across a broad spectrum
in socioeconomic activities, a lot
remains to be done," he said.
He also added that the panel discussion
is an icebreaker on the issue of
Bangladesh as an investment destination.
"The result of the discussion should
be an excellent example what we can
achieve together."
In his opening remarks, ISAS
Chairman, Ambassador Gopinath Pillai,
recollected memories of being part of the
Singapore State Trading Corporation
group which had established a garment
factory in the early 1980s in Bangladesh,
being one of the first foreign organizations
to do so.
Drawing the anecdote of Henry
Kissinger terming Bangladesh as a "bottomless
basket", he said that although
such declarations affected investors,
Bangladesh stood up to the occasion.
"Last year, I had visited Bangladesh
with a few of my colleagues and had
noticed a stark difference from what I
had witnessed back in the 80s," he
added.
In order for Bangladesh to step up and
develop further, he advised that the
country's vast population must be
empowered, fed and educated. "The
infrastructure calls for further improvement,
and the nation's intellectual
resources must be channeled in the right
direction."
Md Mustafizur Rahman, High
Commissioner of Bangladesh to
Singapore, marked how Bangladesh's
economy had made remarkable progress
in the last decade.
"The growth has been accompanied by
a significant decline in poverty rate,
increase in employment and greater
access to health and education, and
improvement in basic infrastructure," he
commented.
The high commissioner attributed this
success to the RMG industry and sustained
inflow of remittances.
"Bangladesh today is the 33rd largest
economy in the world, in terms of purchasing
power parity," Mustafizur
added, "other social indicators such as
gender equality, women empowerment,
mortality rate and such, are remarkably
better compared to its other neighbours."
He furthered that some challenges still
persist, such as the population size,
resource constraints, vulnerability to climate
change, the Rohingya refugee crisis
and others.
Mustafizur concluded by stating
Singapore is a potential source country
to attract Foreign Direct Investment
(FDI) and for doing business.
"The impending visit of Prime
Minister Sheikh Hasina to Singapore will
add a new impetus to our existing bilateral
relations," he said.
Dr Iftekhar Ahmed Chowdhury, a former
caretaker government adviser and
Principal Research Fellow at ISAS, said
that Bangladesh had successfully been able
to negotiate preferential market access
based on norms of spatial and differential
treatment at major trade organisations like
the World Trade Organisation (WTO) for
its manufacturers.
Dr Chowdhury, who presided over the
programme, said that Bangladesh transformed
its economy over time from an
agricultural one to a mainly manufacturing
one.
As a foremost exporter of garment and
pharmaceutical products, Bangladesh's
ever-spreading diaspora supports it with
high remittance figures as well.
The successes of microcredit, non-formal
education etc. emanated from the
Bangladeshi soil and spread its ideas
across the globe, Dr Chowdhury
observed.
In terms of challenges, he pointed out
the high population numbers and need
for skilled employment for the youth as
major blockades to development.
"Bangladesh is a country anxious to
move forward," he commented.
Dr Mashiur Rahman, Economic
Adviser to Prime Minister Sheikh
Hasina, said that any observer of
Bangladesh can easily notice
Bangladesh's sustained growth and its
acceleration of growth from 6 percent to
a little over 7 percent.
"In order to reach middle income status,
we have to increase that number further
to 8 percent, which can be possible
with efficiency improvement," he said.
"Tax revenue has steadily increased,
but the tax-GDP ratio is still low," Dr
Mashiur added. "But if you take into
account the size of the country's economy,
its informal economy and the generous
tax credits issued to businesses in the
country, it is significant."
Md Aziz Khan, Chairman of Summit
Group, finds Bangladesh to be a "golden
star" in terms of economic sustainability,
adding that there is much to learn from
Bangladesh's success stories.
"Bangladesh has provided the first
foundation and is an example in the
world about how sustained democracy
and free market economy can benefit a
country's economic development," he
said.
He stressed on more frequent publicprivate
partnerships (PPP) which will
benefit the country in the long run.
Rubana Huq, Managing Director of
Mohammadi Group, recalled how she
and her husband, late Annisul Huq,
had started off their entrepreneurial
careers in the RMG sector, and were
able to be part of the race to RMG
export supremacy.
"Transformative projects must include
the construction of social capital in
Bangladesh," she advised, "and the need
for more female entrepreneurs, which is
currently only a handful in number."
Md Abdul Halim, director general of
the Governance and Innovation Unit at
the Prime Minister's Office's, said that
the government is ensuring key elements
such as accountability of its departments
and offices, and initiating performance
review systems and reforms in the financial
management system for better
investment opportunities.
Mirza Fakhrul Islam led a delegation with him to meet with Khaleda Zia at the old central jail in
Nazimuddin Road on Wednesday afternoon.
Photo : TBT
2,980 Yaba tablets recovered
in Cox's Bazar
DHAKA : Three alleged drug
peddlers were held with 2,980
pieces of Yaba tablets from
hospital road area in Cox's
Bazar Sadar upazila on
Tuesday night, reports UNB.
The arrestees were identified
as Md Abdul Khaleque, 32,
son of late Mir Kashem of
Kolatali village in Cox's Bazar
Sadar upazila, Ron Barua
Rony, 22, son of Swuyenga
Barua of Purba Rajarkul village
in Ramu upazila, and Md
Anwar Hossain, 21, son of Md
Abdul Karim of Khurushkul
village in Sadar upazila.
On secret information of
Yaba trading, a team of Rapid
Action Battalion (Rab)-7, conducted
a drive in the area
around 9pm and arrested
them along with 2,980 pieces
of contraband Yaba pills worth
of Tk 11.92 lakh, said a press
release of the elite force.
The Rab men also recovered
Tk 5,615 from their possession.
The arrestees were handed
over to Cox's Bazar Sadar
Model Police Station.
30 acres forest land
recovered in Sylhet
SYLHET : Members of taskforce committee
on Tuesday recovered a total of 30
acres of land of Forest Department from
the possession of encroachers at Jaflong
in Goainghat upazila, reports UNB.
RSM Monirul Islam, a forest official
of Sylhet, said encroachers had occupied
30 acres of land for long.
A taskforce team, led by Executive
Magistrate Sumon Chandra Das, conducted a
drive at Guchchagram and Rahmatpur villages
in the upazila and evicted several
makeshift houses and 17 stone crushers from
the areas, he said.
The eviction drive will continue to
recover the land of Forest
Department from encroachers, he
vowed.
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