01-03-2021

monday

Dhaka : March 1, 2021; Falgun 16, 1427 BS; Rajab 16,1442 hijri

www.thebangladeshtoday.com; www.bangladeshtoday.net

Regd.No.Da~2065, Vol.17; N o. 318; 12 Pages~Tk.8.00

InternatIonal

India launches 19

satellites into space

>Page 7

sports

Tigers aim to

break NZ jinx

>Page 9

art & culture

Dighi, Yash

in web film

'Shesher Chithi'

>Page 10

Police to be deployed

at army's abandoned

camps : Kamal

DHAKA : Home Minister Asaduzzaman

Khan Kamal yesterday said that

police will be deployed in camps

abandoned by the army in three hill

districts to maintain law and order,

reports BSS.

He made the remarks after a meeting

on Chattogram Hill Tracts Affairs

withlaw enforcement agencies at his

ministry conference room here.

"Temporary army camps, which are

now vacant, will be police camps. We

willdeploy police in these three districts

to maintain peace and law and

orderthere," Kamal said.

Mentioning that some unexpected

incidents have taken place recently in

thethree hill districts, he said, "The

Prime Minister has instructed us to

payattention to these hill districts."

Kamal said his ministry has got a

report on the latest situation of

thethree hill districts where some recommendations

have been made for

improvingthe law and order there.

"We have talked to all stakeholders

concerned including those who havebeen

deployed for maintaining law and

order in hill districts. We have alsodiscussed

the matter with upazila chairmen,

public representatives, lawmakersand

common people," Kamal added.

Responding to a query, he said

police with modern equipment will

bedeployed in temporary army

camps, which are vacant, to maintain

peace in hilldistricts.

BNP to boycott

upcoming UP

elections : Fakhrul

TBT RePoRT

Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP)

has decided not to participate in the

forthcoming Union Parishad elections

in the country, said party's Secretary

General Mirza Fakhrul Islam.

The decision was announced yesterday

at a virtual meeting of the BNP standing

committee. "BNP had decided to take

part in the local government elections

despite extreme adversity as it believes

in democracy. But we saw in the recent

elections that this Election Commission

failed to conduct free and fair polls,"

Mirza Fakhrul alleged.

He further said, "Implementing the

agendas of the current government is the

prime task of EC. Besides, BNP always

opposed the decision of party-based

nomination in the local government elections.

So in these circumstances, we have

decided not to take part in any upcoming

union parishad elections."

Zohr

05:07 AM

12:15 PM

04:22 PM

06:06 PM

07:20 PM

6:20 6:02

Riot police officers fire teargas canisters during a protest against the military coup in Yangon,

Myanmar, Sunday.

Photo: AP

Seven dead as Myanmar

junta intensifies crackdown

on anti-coup protests

YANGON: Myanmar security forces

shot dead atleast seven protesters

Sunday in the bloodiest action so far to

smotheropposition to the military coup

four weeks ago, reports BSS.

The junta is battling to contain a massive

street movement demanding

ityield power and release ousted civilian

leader Aung San Suu Kyi, who wasdetained

along with top political allies at

the start of the month.

Police and soldiers had already fired

rubber bullets, tear gas and watercannon

on demonstrations in recent weeks

in an effort to bring the civildisobedience

campaign to heel, with live rounds

used in some isolated cases.

Large numbers were again mobilised

on Sunday morning to scatter crowds

inseveral parts of the country, after

online calls for protesters to once againflood

the streets.

Three men were killed and at least 20

others injured when security forcesmoved

on a rally in the southern coastal

hub of Dawei, a volunteer medic anda

media outlet based in the city said.

Rescue worker PyaeZaw Hein said

the trio were "shot dead with liverounds",

while the injured were hit by

rubber bullets.

"More wounded people keep coming

in," he told AFP.

Two teenagers were also gunned

down in Bago, a two-hour drive north

ofcommercial capital Yangon.

Ambulance driver Than Lwin Oo told

AFP he had sent the bodies of the 18-

year-olds to the mortuary at Bago's

main hospital. The deaths were confirmed

by media based in the town.

Officers in Yangon began dispersing

small crowds minutes before the slatedbeginning

of the day's protest, with one

23-year-old shot dead in the city'seast.

Local lawmaker NyiNyi who was

ousted from his parliamentary seat by

thecoup, confirmed the details of the

death in a Facebook post.

Elsewhere in the city, protesters took

up positions behind barricades andwielded

homemade shields to defend

themselves against the onslaught, withpolice

using tear gas to clear some rallies.

One man in Mandalay was taken to

hospital in critical condition after aprojectile

pierced his helmet and lodged in

his brain.

Vested quarter trying to fish in troubled

water over Mushtaq's death: Quader

DHAKA: Awami League General

Secretary and Road Transport and

Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader yesterday

said a vested quarter is trying to fish

in troubled water centering the death of

writer Mushtaq Ahmed, reports BSS.

He was addressing the inaugural function

of Bangladesh Road Transport

Authority (BRTA)'s service week virtually

from his official residence here.

Terming writer Mushtaq's death in jail

as very sorrowful, Quader said a probe

body has already been formed and investigation

is underway to unearth the reasons

of his death.

The minister said, in one hand, digital

safety is needed for a Digital Bangladesh,

on the other hand, the government

remains alert so that the act cannot be

misused. Noting that the government

believes in freedom of expression,

Quader said freedom of speech does not

mean that a person can get absolute right

to say anything he or she wishes.

"The government remains alert about

the use of the act so that no individual or

agency can misuse it," he said.

Turning to providing driving licenses,

the minister said the work started in full

swing from today and it will begin at divisional

levels within several days.

The license issuing institution will have

to work by maintaining the maximum

level of professionalism, he said.

Quader said the government has created

the scopes to receive vehicles' fitness

certificates from any circle offices in the

country to ease the services for recipients.

Mentioning that the people still have to

face hassle to get services from BRTA, the

minister asked the concerned officials to

develop BRTA as a proper service-oriented

institution.

He said the people's suffering in getting

services from BRTA is lessening due to

use of technology.

Govt to fix fees for

healthcare services at

pvt hospitals : Minister

DHAKA : The government will soon

fix the fees of healthcare services at

different private hospitals as per

their service standards in a bid to

reduce the harassment of patients,

said Health Minister Zahid

Maleque on Sunday, reports UNB.

"Various charges at different hospitals

are the causes of harassment

for people. That's why the government

has taken an initiative to fix

the charges of medical services at

private hospitals.

A step will be taken soon in this

regard after a meeting with representatives

from private hospitals,"

he said.

The minister came up with the

remarks while talking to reporters

after a meeting at the secretariat.

"We see a mushroom growth of

clinics everywhere in the country.

Although some of those are providing

good services but many others

are unable to do that.

Even they don't have adequate

medical equipment," said the minister.

Zahid Maleque said the government

will soon set service standards

for clinics and those will soon be

shut which will fail to maintain that.

Health secretary Abdul Mannan,

DGHS DG Prof Dr ABM Khurshid

Alam, president of Bangladesh

Private Medical Association Mubin

Khan and representatives from private

hospitals, among others, joined

the meeting.

Bangladesh's recognition

as developing nation to

be retained: PM

DHAKA : Prime Minister Sheikh

Hasina on Sunday said the government

is committed to sustaining

Bangladesh's recognition as a developing

country through the expansion

of education and building skilled

workforce and worthy citizens,

reports UNB.

"Bangladesh today is a developing

country. We've to maintain the recognition

we've got, and for that we need

to expand our educational facilities,

build a skilled workforce and worthy

citizens," she said.

The Prime Minister said this while

inaugurating a programme of distributing

stipends, tuition fees, admission

assistance and treatment grants

among poor and meritorious students

from the PM's Education

Assistance Trust at the Ministry of

Education.

Sheikh Hasina joined the programme

virtually from her official

residence Ganobhaban.

Hasina said

the government

is firmly committed

to building

skilled and

worthy citizens.

"To make

B a n g l a d e s h

free from

poverty, education

is needed

most. We think,

like the Father

of the Nation,

that spending

on the education sector is not an

expense at all. We do consider it as an

investment and that's the investment

for the future generation," she said.

The Prime Minister said the government

is setting up various universities

across the country considering

the demand for the modern world.

She mentioned that the government

has established Maritime

University and Aviation University

considering the requirement of a specific

area.

The Prime Minister also mentioned

that science and technology-based

education along with vocational one

is most needed as these could create

employment opportunities both at

home and abroad.

She said the government is setting

up 100 special economic zones across

the country where huge technical

persons and skilled manpower will be

needed as both local and foreign

investments are coming there.

HC rules over forming dedicated

body to probe money laundering

DHAKA : The High Court (HC) yesterday

issued a rule asking the authorities concerned

to explain in four weeks as to why

it shall not pass an order to form a dedicated

probe team to investigate instances

of money laundering, reports BSS.

The court in its rule also asked the

authorities concerned to explain why

their inaction in bringing back the money

seized at different Swiss Bank accounts

and why the High Court shall not pass

orders to initiate investigations against

the people, whose names came on The

Panama Papers and The Paradise Papers.

A High Court division virtual bench comprising

Justice Md Nazrul Islam Talukder

and Justice Mohi Uddin Shamim issued the

rule with direction after holding hearing on

a writ filed in this regard.

"The court directed the official concerned

to submit the list of Bangladeshis

who have accounts at Swiss Bank, and

report on actions taken against them. The

court would hold hearing of separate

rules issued in this regard, concurrently.

The court also set March 30 to hold hearing

on the matter," Deputy Attorney

General AKM Amin Uddin Manik told

BSS.

Advocate Abdul Quyum Khan and

Advocate Subir Nandi Das took part in

the hearing for the writ petition. The two

Supreme Court lawyers on February 1

had filed the writ.

A coal-laden

cargo vessel

sank in the

Pashur

River at

Ismailer

Char near

Sundarbans

in Mongla

upazila of

Bagerhat

district on

Saturday

night.

Photo:

Star Mail

monDAY, mArch 1, 2021

2

New hope in Covid

crisis as US approves

third vaccine

WASHINGTON : The Covidbattered

United

Statesauthorized Johnson &

Johnson's vaccine for emergency

use Saturday, offering

aglimmer of hope as Britain

said farewell to fundraising war

veteran CaptainTom Moore

who died of the virus earlier this

month, reports UNB.

US President Joe Biden

hailed his country's announcement

of its thirdavailable vaccine

but said the nation's battle

was far from over.

"This is exciting news for all

Americans, and an encouraging

development inour efforts

to bring an end to the crisis,"

Biden said in a statement, butwarned

Americans "cannot let

our guard down now or

assume that victory

isinevitable."

The single-shot J&J vaccine

is highly effective at preventing

severe Covid-19, including

against newer variants, the US

Food and Drug

Administration(FDA) said

before giving it a green light.

The news comes following

passage in the House of

Representatives of a vast$1.9

trillion package - including

$1,400 payouts to most

Americans andbillions of dollars

to boost vaccine delivery,

help schools reopen and fundlocal

governments - which will

now move to the Senate.

Small good deeds can be big

things: Rahat Hussain

Mominur Rahman: Evening did not fall in

Ramna Park of the capital. The light is dimming.

The birds are preparing to return

home. At that moment, the conversation

started with the media worker and organizer

Rahat Hussain. His nature is like the

clear water of a calm lake. He spoke very

neatly. This young man

lacks the slightest sincerity

in human service.

That is why the social

organization National

Friendship Society has

also built a crowd of professional

engagements.

He is also the founding

president of the organization.

Asked about the organization's

work, Rahat

Hussain told the correspondent,

"We started

our journey with the slogan

'Friendship for the

Welfare of Humanity'." With a bunch of

young friends from all over the country.

Those who have devoted themselves day

and night to human service. The organization

has been playing a positive role in various

social activities including blood donation,

providing assistance to street children,

tree planting program, awareness against

adulterated food, hygiene program, debate

competition for student leadership development.

However, my path could have been easier,

he said, adding that we work for the

good of the people. I try my best to finance

myself from the place of humanity. But

there is no one to stand by us. I have discussed

the organization with them.

Everyone just gave assurances with

applause.

Even then, Rahat Hussain did not give

up. Hundreds of storms have turned

around saying 'nothing happened'. On the

occasion of Durga Puja, the organization

has distributed clothes

among the floating

footwear workers (cobblers).

He also gave winter

clothes to the people

and cleaners. Besides,

every year on Eid-ul-

Fitr, Eid cloths and

Semai sugar are distributed

to the floating people.

Friends of his organization

have also created

night schools for working

boys and men.

Rahat Hussain feels

that friends of the neighborhood

or school-college-university

can do small good deeds for

the welfare of the nation and humanity if

they want. All that is needed is the development

of thought and human understanding.

We can hold small meetings and seminars

against violence against women and

children. Friends can celebrate the tree

planting program together. From small

good deeds to big ones.

At the end of the interview, the young

organizer said, the country is mine and

yours. So let us stand by the people as well

as the government. I think like my own

family, they are also our relatives. Only

then will you see that there will be no curse

called 'problem' in the society-state.

Iran, allies could be behind Israeli ship blast: newspaper

TEHRAN : The "resistance axis" of Tehran and itsregional

allies may have been behind an explosion that hit an Israeliowned"spy"

vessel four days ago, an ultraconservative Iranian

newspaper saidSunday.

The MV Helios Ray, a vehicle carrier, was travelling from

the Saudi portof Dammam to Singapore when the blast

occurred on Thursday, according to theLondon-based Dryad

Global maritime security group. Citing unnamed "military

experts," Kayhan, Iran's leadingultraconservative daily, wrote

in a front-page report that "the targeted shipin the Gulf of

Oman is a military ship belonging to the Israeli army".

Corrigendum to Invitation for Tenders (International)

GD-335/21 (6x4)

636

Invitation for Tender (OTM.NCT)

GD-337/21 (10x4)

GD-331/21 (12x4)

MONDAY, MARCH 1, 2021

3

Milestone College has organized the prize distribution of the 'Bangabandhu Centenary'

cricket tournament on the occasion of the birth centenary of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur

Rahman recently.

Photo: Courtesy

Call for raising

allocations in

education,

health sectors

DHAKA: General Economics

Division (GED) member of

the Planning Commission Dr

Shamsul Alam yesterday

suggested raising allocations

in the education and health

sectors in line with the 8th

Five Year Plan, reports BSS.

"In the 8th Five Year Plan,

we've targeted to raise the

budgetary allocation to 4

percent (of GDP) from the

existing 2.6 percent. To

compare with international

standard, we need to raise

our allocation in education

to 6 percent. But, if we could

raise it to 4 percent, then it

would be a big jump," he

said.

The Planning Commission

member was addressing as

chief guest a webinar titled

"Right to health and

education: the impact of

COVID-19 and challenges to

implement SDGs".

The webinar was jointly

organized by the Action for

Social Development (ASD)

and the Development

Journalist Forum of

Bangladesh (DJFB) under

the sponsorship of Germanbased

Bread for the World.

Dr Shamsul Alam said the

current allocation in the

health sector is 1.6 percent

and it would also be a big

jump if the allocation could

be raised to 2 percent in line

with the 8th plan.

Suggesting

the

policymakers to keep eyes

whether the budgetary

allocations are implemented

accordingly to the plans, he

said, "All concerned will

have to remain alert so that

the budgetary allocations are

properly utilized in line with

the plans…….if there is no

such good integration

between planning and

budget, then those would

not yield good results."

The GED member opined

that some people are

receiving allowances under

various social safety net

programmes although they

do not need such

allowances, on the other

hand, some deserving

people are also being left out

of such programmes.

Mentioning that there is

misuse and mis-targeting to

some extent in the social

safety net programmes, Dr

Alam said that the

government wants to

include all poor people

under the social safety net

programmes by 2025. He

said that there is some

regional disparity in the

country in the fields of

health services, poverty and

education as the poverty rate

in Narayanganj is 3 percent,

which is much higher in

Rangpur. "For this, we've

kept a set of measures in the

8th Five Year Plan," he

added.

The GED member said

Bangladesh has gone up the

ladder of higher economic

growth, although it was

deterred to some extent due

to the pandemic.

Prize distribution ceremony of

Bangabandhu Centenary Cricket

Tournament held at Milestone College

Milestone College has organized the prize

distribution of the 'Bangabandhu Centenary'

cricket tournament on the occasion of the

birth centenary of Bangabandhu Sheikh

Mujibur Rahman, the father of the nation

and best Bengali personality for thousands of

years, a press release said.

Member of Parliament for Dhaka-18

constituency and Member of the Standing

Committee on the Ministry of Jute and

Textiles Alhaj Mohammad Habib Hasan was

present as the Chief Guest at the award

ceremony. Founder and adviser of the

Milestone College Colonel Nurun Nabi

(retd.), Principal of Milestone College Lt.

Colonel Mustafa Kamaluddin Bhuiyan

(retd.), Principal of Permanent Campus

Professor Md. Shahidul Islam and Principal

of Milestone Preparatory KG School Mrs.

Rifat Alam were attended the event as a

special guest.

In the prize distribution phase, Chief Guest

Alhaj Mohammad Habib Hasan MP handed

over the champion trophy to the winning

team captain and director of administration

of Milestone College Md. MasudAlam.

Director of Education Abdul Hannan

received the trophy on behalf of the runnersup

team.

The pleasant award ceremony was held at

the permanent campus grounds of Milestone

College at Diabari on 28 February 2021.

Teachers and officials of Milestone College

took part in the cricket tournament, which

was organized in compliance with the health

rules due to the covid epidemic. The main

objective of organizing this tournament was

to deepen the consciousness of Father of the

Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur

Rahman.

The full panel of candidates backed by the Unani-Ayurvedic Physicians Council

won the election for the post of departmental member of the Bangladesh

Board of Unani & Ayurvedic Systems of Medicine by a huge margin. Marking

the occasion reception ceremony was held at the auditorium of TibbiaHabibia

College building in Bakshi Bazar on Friday.

Photo: Courtesy

Climate change in Bangladesh to

'impact int'l security': Muniruzzaman

Dhaka: President of Bangladesh Institute of

Peace and Security (BIPSS) Maj Gen (retd)

ANM Muniruzzaman on Sunday talked

about the risks Bangladesh faces as a

frontline state in the face of "climate changeinduced

insecurity", noting that this will

become a regional security issue impacting

international security, reports UNB.

"This won't just be a concern of our

national security but will become a regional

security issue impacting international

security," he said while addressing a Policy

Café called 'Coffee@BIPSS' as keynote

speaker.

According to estimates, Muniruzzaman,

also Chairman of the Global Military

Advisory Council on Climate Change

(GMACC), said sea-level rise will likely

inundate 20 percent of Bangladesh

landmass and trigger a climate refugee

population of 25 to 30 million people.

BIPSS hosted their Policy Café called

'Coffee@BIPSS' at a city hotel with the theme

'Inundated and Unstable: Understanding

the Security Implications of Climate

Change.' The event was attended by many

dignitaries, including diplomats, climate

change experts, scholars, journalists and

youth activists.

Ayesha Kabir, Consulting Editor of

Prothom Alo (English), moderated the

event. Muniruzzaman began his address by

emphasising the serious and existential

security threat climate change poses to all

nations. "The major impacts will be on the

nexus of food, water and energy security," he

added.

Muniruzzaman also said that the most

destabilising effect of climate change would

be the mass human displacement and

migration that would occur and trigger a

huge climate refugee population.

"This is especially true for low-lying states

and island states. Rising sea-levels will cause

a major security threat to nations," he said.

Muniruzzaman also highlighted that

climate-induced events like extreme weather

and disasters are a cause of concern as they

can destroy property and take many lives.

Ayesha Kabir echoed the sentiments of

Muniruzzaman and asked the chairman

some very inquisitive questions.

"How do assess Bangladesh's climate

change vulnerability?" she asked.

Muniruzzaman replied, "All impacts of

climate change can be felt in Bangladesh

already. We're at a Ground Zero Climate

Security Scenario."

She further asked if Bangladesh could

leverage its position to help solve the crisis.

General Muniruzzaman replied

optimistically and said it was definitely

possible. He gave an example of BIPSS

Research Fellow Shafqat Munir where he

engaged in dialogue with special US

Presidential Envoy on Climate John Kerry at

the special edition of the Munich Security

Conference very recently.

Marine fisheries

policy designed

for proper sea

fish production

Dhaka: The government has

drafted the national marine

fisheries policy for the

sustainable conservation,

management and extraction

of marine fish in the

country's vast sea areas,

reports UNB.

This was conveyed at the

15th meeting of the

Parliamentary Standing

Committee on Fisheries and

Livestock Ministry on

Sunday. The meeting was

held at the JatiyaSangsad

Bhaban with chairman of

the committee Dhirendra

Debnath Shambhu in the

chair. The main objective of

the policy is to attain the

desired growth in tapping

the potential of marine fish.

At the meeting, the

committee was also

informed that the ministry

has taken short-, mediumand

long-term action plans

to strengthen the country's

blue economy.

It was said that the marine

fisheries management plan

has also been drafted under

a sustainable coastal and

marine fisheries project.

The parliamentary body

was informed that a pilot

project has been taken to

collect tuna and other large

pelagic fish commercially

from the deep sea of the Area

Beyond National Jurisdiction

outside the Exclusive

Economic Zone (EEZ). The

committee recommended

assisting small-large farmers

to boost fisheries and animal

resources and thus create jobs

for the young generation. The

parliamentary watchdog

suggested promoting the

real entrepreneurs in the

fisheries and livestock

sectors.

Committee members

Fisheries and Livestock

Minister SM Rezaul Karim,

Choto Monir, NazmaAkther

and ShamimaAkter

Khanam attended the

meeting.

The inaugural and fund handover ceremony of 'Jibika Chandpur-3

Project' organized by Daffodil Foundation was held on Sunday.

Photo: Courtesy

BIDA, BBF join hands to boost FDI

Dhaka: Bangladesh Investment

Development Authority (BIDA) has

joined hands with Better Bangladesh

Foundation (BBF) , a non-profit

organization, in a bid to attract more

foreign direct investment (FDI) into the

country, reports UNB.

As their first joint initiative, they will

organise a virtual Bangladesh-Italy

investment summit in April, aiming to

strengthen the bilateral trade relations

between the two countries and promote

investment.

Besides, the two organisations will

continue to implement a wide range of

programmes, including road shows,

seminars and conferences in different

countries, to encourage more foreign

investments in Bangladesh in the coming

days under an agreement signed

recently.

The two sides signed a Memorandum of

Understanding (MoU) at the BIDA

headquarters on Wednesday.

Mosharraf Hossain, BIDA Executive

Inaugural and Fund Handover

Ceremony of 'Jibika Chandpur-3

Project' held

The inaugural and fund handover ceremony

of 'Jibika Chandpur-3 Project' organized by

Daffodil Foundation was held on Sunday

(February 28), a press release said.

Presided over by Dr. Md. Sabur Khan,

Chairman, Daffodil Family, the program was

addressed by Dr. J R WadudTipu, Senior

Vice President of Chandpur District Awami

League, Mr. Zillur Rahman Jewel, Mayor of

Chandpur Municipality and Mr. Asadullah

Kahaf, Project Director of Jibika Chandpur

Project. Under the Jibika Chandpur project-

3 A total of Tk. 62 lakh will be provided

among 1000 families in the year 2021.

Dr. Md. Sabur Khan said that Jibika

Project is managed through a new and

effective concept out of the traditional

practice of helping people. The method is not

only to provide financial aid to the helpless

people, but also to provide them with

employment. Many people have been

permanently supported by this project since

2003. Jibika project has set an example in

society, said Dr. Md. Sabur Khan. At the

same time, he argued to the wealthy people

of Chandpur to learn from the JibikaProject.

Dr. Md. Sabur Khan also said that many

students have completed their studies with

the help of JibikaProject in the last 8 years

Member, and Prof. Masud A. Khan,

Founder Chairman of Better Bangladesh

Foundation, inked the MoU on behalf of

their respective sides.

BIDA Executive Chairman Md Sirazul

Islam, BBF executive director

NahimaAktar and BIDA Executive

Members, Directors and BBF officials,

among others, were present at the

ceremony.

The partnership is expected to utilize the

BBF 's networks at home and abroad to

target high value, hi-technology and high

impact investments in different priority

sectors including agriculture, ICT,

electronics, light engineering, renewable

energy, power and health care, said a

press release.

The first virtual investment summit in

April will showcase the collaboration

potential between Bangladesh and Italy

and highlight the emerging strategic

opportunities. Policymakers,

bureaucrats, entrepreneurs and other

professionals from both the countries will

and now they have joined as BCS cadre,

university teachers and other respectable

professions of the society. Today, the

children of those who received financial

support from the JibikaProject will one day

take charge of the whole of Bangladesh, he

said. Md. Sabur Khan. He said that the

constitution of the Daffodil Foundation has

been framed in such a way that all projects

will continue even after his death.

While addressing on the program Mr.

Zillur Rahman Jewel, Mayor of Chandpur

Municipality said that the Daffodil

Foundation's JibikaChandpurProject has

changed the lives of many people. Those who

used to live helplessly are self-reliant today.

The students who could not study due to lack

of money are now BCS cadres, some are

university students. So there is no doubt that

the JibikaProject is a commendable

initiative. He wished more success to the

JibikaProject. He also said that Chandpur

Municipality is always beside the Jibika

Project. Because it is a social initiative.

Chandpur Municipality has always been and

will continue to be beside of such social

initiatives. If a we can provide benefits to a

person from such an initiative, that will be

our pride and satisfaction, he added.

join the virtual event.

Addressing the event, the BIDA executive

chairman said Bangladesh's vision to

become a middle income country by

2024 and a developed one by 2041

largely depends on foreign investment.

Several of the government investment

promotion organizations like BIDA have

been working to attract and facilitate

investments here, he said.

"I expect the partnership between

BIDA and the BBF will play a

significant role in attracting more

foreign investments. Public-private

partnerships is more important now as

we have set a goal to overcome the

challenges of Covid-19 and utilize new

opportunities," he said

BBF Chairman Prof. Masud A. Khan

said, "We have to promote the positive

image of Bangladesh in a greater way

which will play an important role in

attracting foreign investment. We will do

our best to attract foreign investment

through our BBF Global Network."

Former Justice of Bangladesh Supreme Court Md Abu Tariq as the chief guest handed over an honorary

crest to BTL Group Chairman KhaledaSinthia Parvin at Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy

recently.

Photo: TBT

moNdaY, maRCh 1, 2021

4

West Bengal elections are a prestige fight for the BJP

Acting Editor & Publisher : Jobaer Alam

e-mail: editor@thebangladeshtoday.com

Monday, March 1, 2021

Bangladesh touches

a milestone as

developing country

Bangladesh has qualified to graduate into a

developing nation status from a Least Developed

Country (LDC) after 45 years. The United Nations

Committee for Development Policy (UNCDP)

recommended the graduation in its final evaluation on

Friday.

Bangladesh is scheduled to officially become a full

fledged developing country in 2026 as the UN

committee recommended that the country should get

five years, instead of three, to prepare for the transition

due to the impact of the Covid-19 on its economy.

The happy news is notwithstanding this change in

status, until 2026, Bangladesh will continue to enjoy the

trade benefits as an LDC. This is a big advantage because

on changing status, Bangladesh would be otherwise

'suddenly' required to forego exceptionally low tariffs

and other preferences it received so far as an LDC.

However, the extension period of five years will now give

us enough time to 'adjust' to newer or higher tariffs as a

developing country while escaping the jolts arising from

a sudden transition.

The recommendations will be sent to the United

Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) for

endorsement in June and the UN General Assembly is

scheduled to approve the proposal in September. The

development comes when Bangladesh gears up for

celebrating the golden jubilee of its independence next

month.

Bangladesh was recognized for making remarkable

progress in reducing poverty, supported by sustained

economic growth. Based on the international poverty

line of $1.90 (using 2011 Purchasing Power Parity

exchange rate) a day, it reduced poverty from 43.8

percent in 1991 to 14.8 percent by 2016.

Life expectancy, literacy rates and per capita food

production have increased significantly. Progress has

been underpinned by steady growth in GDP.

Bangladesh reached the lower middle-income country

status in 2015. In 2018, Bangladesh fulfilled all three

eligibility criteria for graduation from the UN's Least

Developed Countries (LDC) list for the first time and is

on track for full graduation in 2024.

Sustained economic growth has created an increased

demand for energy, transport and urbanization.

Insufficient planning and investment have resulted in

infrastructure bottlenecks, congestion and pollution. To

become an upper-middle income economy, continued

sound macroeconomic management, financial sector

stability, structural reforms, investment in human

capital, higher female labour force participation, and

global integration will be important. Improving

infrastructure as well as the business climate would

allow new productive sectors to develop and generate

quality employment.

Bangladesh is considered both an inspiration and a

challenge for policymakers and practitioners of

development. While the country recorded strong

performance in income growth and human

development, Bangladesh faces daunting challenges

with an increased level of vulnerability with about 39

million people still living below the national poverty line.

The COVID-19 pandemic will deepen the challenges

including a decline in exports, lower private investment,

and job losses. Investment and exports are likely to

continue to suffer amid uncertainty about the recovery

of global demand. The poor and vulnerable are more

impacted with income loss and poverty may rise. The

implementation of the government's COVID-19

response programme will remain a paramount priority.

Creating more and better jobs for its youth remains a

critical priority for Bangladesh to turn around and

achieve its development vision. To do so, Bangladesh

will need to remove the barriers to higher investment

posed by limited availability of serviced land, uncertain

and complex business regulation, among others.

Challenges related to COVID-19, rapid urbanization and

climate change need to be addressed through long-term

planning.

With the right policies and timely action, Bangladesh

can accelerate its recovery from the economic downturn

caused by Covid and continue to progress towards

upper-middle income status.

The election dates are out, the battle

lines are drawn in India. The next two

months are crucial not only for the 5

states where polling will be held, with

counting on May 2, but also for the

trajectory of national politics which has been

dominated by the BJP since 2014.

West Bengal is the big prize the BJP is

eyeing, with top ministers from the centre

and senior party leaders regularly visiting

the state for months now. The discourse has

already been fairly bitter and it's about to get

far worse.

Mamata Banerjee and her Trinamool

Congress are fighting to come back after big

wins in the state elections in 2011 and 2016.

But this time her main adversary isn't the

Left, which dominated Bengal politics for

decades. It is the Modi-Shah BJP, which has

seen a dramatic rise in the state at the cost of

the Left. The BJP won just 3 seats in the last

assembly election and zero seats in the one

before that. It's fortunes changed in the Lok

Sabha polls where it got 17% of the votes in

2014 which shot up to over 40% of the votes

in 2019.

It is a huge prestige fight for the BJP and

the RSS. And with 30% of voters who are

Muslim, polarisation will be at the heart of

the campaign. This is why Muslim votes are

so crucial for Mamata and why she isn't

happy about Asaduddin Owaisi's All India

Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM)

entering the poll fray.

Mamata Banerjee's perceived

"appeasement" of Muslims is what the BJP

Deadly consequences of indulging Iran's hostage diplomacy

The Islamic Republic of Iran was born

out of hostage taking, and it

continues to reap billions of dollars

by abducting foreign nationals and assets,

while holding entire nations to ransom.

Lebanon is one such hostage state. Iran

and Hezbollah are actively blocking any

kind of political formula for saving

Lebanon from catastrophe, until the

Biden administration caves into Tehran's

nuclear demands. Hezbollah and its allies

are deliberately obstructing Saad Hariri's

Cabinet-forming efforts with impossible

demands ("blocking thirds," additional

ministers, monopolies over specific

departments, and so on). Meanwhile the

economy disintegrates, sectarian tensions

boil, and even middle-class families are on

the brink of starvation.

Hezbollah also holds Lebanese citizens

hostage by leaving the nation perpetually

hanging on the brink of war with Israel.

While Hezbollah's leaders hide deep

underground, or in Tehran, citizens

become huma -shields, with weapons

factories, missile positions and

ammunition stores placed in densely

populated regions. Almost every day I

speak to Lebanese terrified that their

home next to the airport or other strategic

locations will be hit when conflict erupts.

Israel uses the same murderous logic of

holding Lebanese citizens hostage.

Defense Minister Benny Gantz threatened

that if fighting starts "Lebanon will be the

one to pay the heaviest of prices for the

weapons that have been scattered in

civilian population centers."

By keeping Yemen, Syria and Iraq in a

state of constant turmoil, these nations

are also hostages to Tehran's foreign

policy of ceaseless confrontation. Iranian

proxy missile attacks against American

bases are a blunt threat that if the US

refuses to compromise, Iraq will erupt in

flames. Biden's retaliatory strikes against

militia bases in remote Syria border

regions thus smartly sidestepped Tehran's

desire to see civilians killed in the

crossfire.

The ayatollahs discover over and over

again that crime pays - billions of dollars

at a time. Eye-watering ransoms can be

comparable to the annual sum with which

Iran subsidizes Hezbollah, estimated at

$700 million. For example:

Tehran is demanding over $500 million

owed by Britain from a Shah-era arms

deal in exchange for the release of British-

Iranian citizen Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe.

Barack Obama in 2015 dispatched $400

million in cash to Tehran, coinciding with

the release of five US hostages.

The Islamic Republic of Iran was born

BaRIa alamuddIN

dR P. R. daTTa

out of hostage taking, and it continues to

reap billions of dollars by abducting

foreign nationals and assets, while

holding entire nations to ransom.

An estimated $500 million ransom was

paid for Qatari royals kidnapped by an

Iranian proxy in Iraq. Quds Force's

Qassim Soleimani was personally

allocated $50 million.

Seoul is due to release $1 billion, part of

$7 billion in funds frozen by US sanctions,

as an "initial step" in releasing a South

Korean oil tanker hijacked by Iran.

The world first witnessed what sort of

beast Iran is when the US Embassy in

Tehran was overrun in 1979. Fifty

diplomatic staff were held hostage until

the Regan administration brokered a deal

by persuading Israel to export billions of

dollars' worth of arms to Tehran's

militantly anti-Israel ayatollahs.

Throughout the 1980s, dozens of

Westerners were taken hostage by

Hezbollah and exploited for Iran's

political gain.

No other state uses hostage-taking as

systematically as Iran. Innocent

individuals are detained on falsified

espionage charges meriting life

imprisonment or execution. Coerced

confessions are extracted by torture,

solitary confinement, or threats to family

members.

Iranian-Swedish researcher Ahmadreza

Djalali has been sentenced to death,

apparently in retaliation for

assassinations of Iranian nuclear

scientists, presumably by Israel. Arab-

Iranian activist Habib Chaab was lured

from his home in Sweden to Istanbul,

where he was abducted, and now faces a

death sentence in Iran.

Detained academic Kylie Moore-Gilbert

in 2020 was exchanged for three Iranian

terrorists jailed in Thailand for their part

in a botched bombing campaign. Iran

would usually leave its own citizens to rot,

but when Republican Guard terrorists are

at stake the ayatollahs are happy to

negotiate. Foreign Minister Javad Zarif

freely acknowledges such "hostage

diplomacy," saying that if Iranian

prisoners are released abroad "Iran is

ready to reciprocate."

The civilized world appears incapable of

responding, other than a recent Canadian

initiative against "coercive diplomacy,"

and France, Germany and Britain

summoning Iran's ambassadors in

protest. Such feeble measures only

encourage the morally bankrupt

ayatollahs to demand bigger ransoms.

Source : Gulf News

Eudaimonia, pleasure and Epicurean Happiness

What is real happiness, and what leads us

to live in this world? A Hungarian

psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi wrote

a book entitled Flow: The Psychology of

Optimal Experience in 1990 raised a salient

question about what makes life worth living

and what leads to happiness. He discussed

the nature of flow- a physical and mental

state when an individual becomes oblivious

of the universe as the person is fully engaged

and focused on the job at hand. According to

Csikszentmihalyi, there is a time when

individuals feel a sense of ownership, peace

in mind, a sense of euphoria or delight, and

become unaware about the whole universe

that is an optimal experience. The time we

feel happy, we all cherished it for a long-a

moment of joy and relaxation.

Pleasure and happiness are not the same -

one is depending on the external conditions

and while the other derived from an internal

state of mind. Only a peaceful, calm and

purified mind is the source of true happiness

free from any extreme desires and external

materialistic forces. The world is with many

destructions and millions of influencing

factors. The current world we are living in is

the most chaotic and full of worldly desires.

It is impossible to attain peace and harmony

in such a situation unless a person can

conceive all desires like rivers enter into

ocean and ocean is still ready to absorb more

without having any problems and losing its

dynamism. An oceanic consciousness of

has banked on to strengthen its base in

Bengal over the last couple of years. While

Owaisi has accused her of keeping Muslims

backward at the cost of her politics, political

analysts point to Mamata's pandering of her

Muslim supporters as a key factor in the

assertion of a Hindu identity in Bengal over

the last few years.

The BJP has upped its rhetoric on Durga

Puja and other Hindu religious symbols and

festivals, which has partly forced Mamata

Banerjee to tone down her own secular pitch

in over the last year or so.

But a polarised campaign may help both

the BJP and Mamata. For the BJP,

polarisation is a natural campaign strategy,

despite tall claims that the party wins on the

development plank. It explains why UP

Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, known as a

firebrand hard Hindutva leader, is a star

campaigner for the BJP, emerging as second

only to Prime Minister Modi, in all key

elections.

A shopkeeper displays campaigning

material of political parties for sale ahead of

the West Bengal state legislative assembly

Iranian-Swedish researcher ahmadreza djalali has been

sentenced to death, apparently in retaliation for assassinations

of Iranian nuclear scientists, presumably by Israel.

arab-Iranian activist habib Chaab was lured from his

home in Sweden to Istanbul, where he was abducted, and

now faces a death sentence in Iran.

realisation is essential to become happier.

However, there is a degree of happiness. Not

everyone in the world wants to feel more

comfortable somehow; some are truly

happy, while others are wrongfully happy.

Are we really happy? Everyone in the

world would like to be happy and live a

peaceful life. When I reflect on my

childhood, I feel a sense of joy. My childhood

was full of rejoicing, peace, excitement, and

happiness. I enjoyed every moment, despite

living in poverty. There was a massive gap

between now and then. Now, we live in a

digital era with all technological

advancement. With expanded middle-class

families and the pace of globalisation, we

have experienced enormous economic

growth and development that rapidly

changed our lifestyle and living ways. The

rural life was very different from what we are

experiencing in urban or peri-urban life,

although life was tough in Bangladesh's

rural areas in the 1960s or 1970s. People

mostly depended on agriculture and

associated activities. However, in the quest

for better education, employment,

healthcare prospects, there has been a rapid

move from villages to major cities and towns

that looks set to continue. Even peri-urban

communities are fast being swallowed up

into urban conurbations of cities such as

Dhaka, Chittagong, Cumilla and other major

cities.

Cities afford regular employment in

NIdhI RazdaN

elections in Kolkata on February 26, 2021

Image Credit: AFP

The shrill, divisive rhetoric may be good

politics most of the time but it has done

lasting damage to the country's social fabric.

We have seen nakedly communal rhetoric

over the years. In the Bihar election of 2015,

The shrill, divisive rhetoric may be good politics most of the time

but it has done lasting damage to the country's social fabric. We

have seen nakedly communal rhetoric over the years. In the

Bihar election of 2015, voters were told that if the BJP loses the

election, fire crackers will go off in Pakistan.

voters were told that if the BJP loses the

election, fire crackers will go off in Pakistan.

The neighbouring country has been a

favourite enemy to rake up during election

campaigning, as we saw repeatedly in polls

over the last few years.

In the Gujarat assembly poll of 2017, even

former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh

was not spared, as it was suggested that he

had somehow colluded with Pakistan. The

rise of Hindu nationalism reached its peak

in 2014 with the BJP's massive election

victory in the General Election.

The contrast with the BJP's earlier politics

under Atal Bihari Vajpayee is clearly seen.

Hemmed in by a coalition, Vajpayee had to

put contentious issues like Article 370, the

Ram Temple and a Uniform Civil code

aside. Narendra Modi, with his

manufacturing, especially in the garment

industry and various manufacturing

concerns; the whole economy progressed

well over the past two decades. Bangladesh

is now a developing country, and very soon,

it will be one of the top 25 major economies

in the world. While we all cherish our

cultural traditions, we had to adapt and

change to a more interconnected world that

offers more opportunities, more income and

wealth, a path to worldly success for many.

We learn how to live a life with a promising

future at the cost of our emotions, feelings,

peace and harmony. We become more

pleasure-oriented day by day.

Unfortunately, this seems to be the case for

the entire world, in which profit

maximisation is the norm and ethos of

society.

Eudaimonia is a Greek word, and Greek

philosophers such as Plato and Aristotle

used the word Eudaimonia to emphasise the

true meaning of happiness. According to

Aristotle-Eudaimonia is a process, and

happiness is one of the most choice-worthy

activities, and this should be seen as the

outcome of the actions. Achieving the best

conditions for a human being is the primary

purpose of Eudaimonia in Greek

Philosophy: happiness plus meaningful life

that includes morality, virtue, principles,

dignity and ethics. How can we become

better people? How can we fulfil our unique

potential? These are the fundamental

overwhelming majority, is not hampered by

those concerns and has delivered on his

'Hindu Hriday Samrat' image for the BJP.

But polarisation hasn't always worked. In

the Delhi polls last year, the protesters of

Shaheen Bagh were the targets of much of

the hateful political rhetoric, since they were

painted largely as Muslims.

In one rally, Yogi Adityanath famously

spoke of Pakistan 8 times in 48 seconds. But

the AAP won, though importantly, Arvind

Kejriwal deliberately steered clear of

contentious issues like the Citizenship Act or

the Delhi Police action against students at

Jamia Milia Islamia University.

In fact, it is the reluctance of party's like

the AAP to robustly stand up for India's

secular credentials which has also lead to

growing polarisation in the country.

Political parties like the AAP and even the

Congress, are wary of being seen as

'pandering' to Muslims, which is why we saw

Rahul Gandhi suddenly discovering the

virtues of being a devout Hindu before key

elections. Which is why the Congress

seemed utterly confused on Article 370. And

that is why the AAP has stayed away from

contentious issues like CAA.

Religious faultlines that have always

existed have been brought to the fore. And if

the election campaigns of recent years are

anything to go by, fasten your seat belts. The

next two months will be bitterly ugly.

Political parties may move on. But will we?

Source : Arab News

underlying principles of the concept. To

achieve such Eudemonic happiness, we all

need to work hard, cultivate our virtue,

accept the current circumstances, and

balance our actions with the right wisdom.

In Eudemonic terms, as a genuine

individual and moral citizen in society, we all

must excel at focusing our moral strengths

such as doctors should excel at healing

patients, Government should excel at

serving the people, civil servants should

excel at providing better services to the

service receivers.

In eudaimonia, happiness is not about the

things we own; it is not all about pleasure,

status, or anxiety to become something we

all aspire to; it is all about how we live our

lives irrespective of our circumstances,

being satisfied with the current situations

and avoiding anxieties about what is not yet

achieved. Pleasure or utility all are monistic

concepts; eudaimonia is the opposite of it.

The ancient Greek philosophers and

philosophy such as Aristotle, Plato and

others have viewed happiness (attainment

of eudemonia) is the ultimate goals of

human life, and ethics is the cultivation of

wisdom. Therefore, it is an essential

precondition for happiness that human

possesses an ethical and morally responsible

lifestyle.

Executive Chair, Centre for

Business & Economic Research, UK

mOnDaY, marCH 1, 2021

5

COVID-19 vaccine promises ring hollow

Julien CHOngWang

Almost 130 countries are yet to receive a single COVID-19

vaccine dose, as ten high-income countries secure the

majority. This week, the first COVID-19 vaccine doses from

the United Nations-led COVAX initiative arrived in Africa.

This is a long-awaited piece of good news in a climate where

vaccine procurement for developing countries has been

hampered by empty promises, delays, infrastructure

challenges and prejudice.

While many richer countries have begun vaccinating their

populations in earnest, the world's poorest have been left

behind in the global vaccines arms race. This disparity was

highlighted by Henrietta Fore, executive director of Unicef,

and Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, World Health

Organization (WHO) director general, in a joint statement.

While ten countries had secured 75 per cent of the 128

million administered doses, "almost 130 countries, with 2.5

billion people, are yet to administer a single dose," they said.

Those differences are not a coincidence. The ten countries

that have dispersed the highest number of doses so far are

developed countries that account for 60 per cent of global

gross domestic product, according to the WHO.

These countries, according to global research and data

analysis outfit Our World in Data, are the United States,

Canada, China, the United Kingdom, Israel, the United Arab

Emirates, Italy, Russia, Germany and Spain. Canada has

acquired enough doses to vaccinate every citizen five times.

In contrast, most of the countries where no vaccine doses

have been administered also report the highest levels of

poverty. They are located mainly in Sub-Saharan Africa,

Latin America and South-East Asia.

Health specialists now warn vaccine disparity in the

developing world could threaten progress against SARS-

CoV-2 in the global North, even as wealthy countries look set

to immunise their populations by 2022.

"Fragmented and preferential access to the COVID-19

vaccine suggests human life is not the same across the

world," said Joachim Osur, technical director at Amref

Health Africa and dean of the School of Medical Sciences at

Amref International University in Nairobi.

"It boils down to a moral and ethical question [rather] than

a medical or economic one, as vaccine nationalism seems to

override equity globally,". Osur argues it could be

counterproductive for the global North to overlook vaccine

progress in poor countries.

"We live in a global village, as it were, and by ignoring

humanity interconnectedness, governments are ultimately

rendering a disservice to their own people, those they seek to

protect," said Osur. To address these challenges, the WHO

and partners established the COVAX initiative, a global

Delivery of COviD-19 vaccines in moquega, Peru, escorted by the army.

alliance to accelerate the development of COVID-19 vaccines,

and to guarantee fair and equitable access for every country

in the world. COVAX aims to secure doses for at least 20 per

cent of populations in more than 180 countries.

Despite its optimistic objectives, several specialists say that

COVAX will have limited impact if there is no incentive for

international cooperation to balance access to vaccines. At

the G7 Early Leaders' Summit (19 February), governments

announced a doubling of funding for COVAX, including

about US$1.2 billion from Germany and about $600 million

from the European Union, plus $2 billion from the United

States for 2021.

"A global vaccination campaign is the only road out of the

pandemic," said Germany's economic cooperation and

development minister, Gerd Müller. "It must not fail for lack

of financing. Both for humanitarian reasons and in our own

interest. Because it will not be enough to control the spread

of the disease only within Europe. Otherwise it will come

back - possibly in even more dangerous form."

From the perspective of developing countries, these and

additional vaccine pledges from the UK and France are

Photo: Contraloría de Perú.

positive news, said Agathe Demarais, global forecasting

director at the Economist Intelligence Unit.

"[B]ut they will probably represent only a drop in the

ocean. Most poor countries will rely on COVAX to access

coronavirus vaccines, but so far the programme has proved

disappointing," said Demarais. With a few exceptions,

developing countries have been left behind in the

procurement, distribution and administration of COVID-19

vaccines.

In Egypt, the health minister announced that vaccinations

would begin by the second or third week of January after

receiving 50,000 doses from AstraZeneca. But not a single

dose has been allocated to the public so far and only 1,300

doses had been administered to medical teams by 29

January. The latest announcement from authorities was that

the roll out would begin in March.

In Argentina, president Alberto Fernández publicly

promised that ten million people would be vaccinated by

February. But as of 17 February, only 633,975 doses have

been distributed, with less than 392,000 people receiving the

required two doses. In Kenya, the national COVID-19

immunisation programme has been put off several times

since December. The government announced on 12 February

that it would roll out the AstraZeneca vaccine by mid-

February through the COVAX facility, but due to supply

backlog by the manufacturers, vaccines have not arrived yet.

A leaked confidential government document circulating in

local media indicated Kenya may have to wait until the

second quarter of 2022 to received its first doses.

A similar pattern has emerged in South-East Asia. Aside

from Indonesia and India, the region has yet to begin

vaccinating its population. Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and

the Philippines are the laggards in the region, as they do not

have clear schedules for when immunisation programmes

will begin.

Delays in the arrival or distribution of jabs are just one part

of the problem. Many countries have already faced the

challenge of receiving far fewer doses than they require.

This is the case in Mali, where the government announced

on 21 January that it had placed an order for 8.4 million

doses of vaccine (in addition to 1.5 million doses from the

COVAX initiative), but that the first deliveries are not

expected until the end of March.

According to the Mali authorities, this quantity will

vaccinate 4.2 million people with two doses each - just 20 per

cent of the country's 20 million inhabitants. This is the

general trend across Africa. In French-speaking Sub-Saharan

Africa, the Democratic Republic of the Congo has the lion's

share with seven million doses, for a population of around 84

million. Cameroon and Côte d'Ivoire, with a combined

population of around 25 million, will receive two million

doses. "We are seeing this in a lot of countries - the

uncertainty of constantly receiving contradictory messages

or, for example, amounts of doses that are promised, which

in the end don't arrive," Cristian Castillo, a professor of

economics and business studies at Spain's Universitat Oberta

de Catalunya (UOC). "Part of that uncertainty is caused by

the pharmaceutical companies, which have not yet reached

firm and real commitments as to the quantities they will be

able to produce." On 4 February, Matshidiso Moeti, the

WHO regional director for Africa, announced that the free

distribution of vaccines through COVAX would begin in

February with 90 million doses, enough to immunise only

three per cent of the African population. The aim to vaccinate

20 per cent of African citizens will be possible by the end of

2021. But, Léopold Gustave Lehman, immuno-parasitologist

at the Faculty of Sciences of the University of Douala in

Cameroon, says that the COVID-19 vaccine is not the priority

for some countries in Sub-Saharan Africa now. "Our

priorities would be to put the money intended for the

purchase of this vaccine in the fight against malaria and other

infectious diseases.

Breast cancer: the world's mostly

commonly-diagnosed cancer

studies coming out on the impact of covid-19 point that food security is under an immense

threat.

Photo: Collected

Impacts of COVID-19 in food security

kurnia DWi agustina

Various policies have been implemented

in all countries to prevent the spread of

COVID-19, such as the policy of

practicing physical distancing, enforcing

lockdowns and export restrictions. The

pandemic outbreak and the policies

afterward have affected various aspects

of life. One aspect that is also affected by

these policies is the food security sector.

In Indonesia, the direct and indirect

impacts have been felt by the community

and will continue if they are not

addressed well. In particular, the export

restriction policy practiced by many

countries could "hurt food security in

importing countries", according to the

World Bank.

Food security could be achieved when

all people, at all times, have physical,

social, and economic access to sufficient,

safe, and nutritious food that meets their

dietary needs and food preferences for an

active and healthy life. The four pillars of

food security are availability, access,

utilization, and stability.

This is a dynamic risk and is currently

being added to the impact of a pandemic

outbreak with various policies that can

further affect food security. In the FAO's

latest report, there is an additional 83 to

132 million people who will face food

insecurity due to the pandemic. The

indirect impact of COVID-19 is still to

unfold. According to an article published

by FAO on the Impacts of COVID-19 on

food security and nutrition published in

September 2020, there are significant

disruptions to the food supply chain as

the lockdown policy affects food

availability, prices, and quality. The rapid

phone survey conducted by the World

Bank also shows that the widespread

impact of Covid-19 has decreased many

people's incomes. The disruption of food

availability and quality, inflation, and a

decrease in many people's income lead to

food insecurity and malnutrition,

especially in countries with low- and

middle-income and developing

countries.

Meanwhile, in the agricultural

productivity aspect, supply disruption

and inflation has caused food production

insecurity. As the spearhead of our food

system, farmers are a group of people

who are vulnerable to the impact of

COVID-19. Based on a survey conducted

in Indonesia by Prisma, a development

partnership between the Government of

Australia and the Government of

Indonesia to accelerate poverty reduction

through promoting inclusive economic

growth found that 34% of respondents

experienced decreasing demand during

COVID-19, and 63% of respondents

experienced a decrease in the selling

price of farm produce. Both issues lead to

decreased farmers' household income.

Furthermore, farmers would reallocate

their budget, and about 30% of farmers

stated that they would reduce their

farming capital for the rainy season. The

survey was conducted in Central Java,

East Java, West Nusa Tenggara, East

Nusa Tenggara, and West Papua.

The World Bank, in a brief entitled

"Food Security and COVID-19",

concluded several "hot spots" that are

prone to be affected by food insecurity

due to COVID-19, namely (1) vulnerable

and conflict-affected countries that have

difficulties in logistics and distribution

even in normal circumstances, (2)

Countries with multiple impacts crises

such as extreme weather condition and

pests, (3) low-income and vulnerable

people, including 820 million people

who have previously faced food shortages

before COVID-19, and (4) countries with

depreciating currencies and which

experienced falling commodity prices.

In addition to the COVID, in Asia and

Africa, locusts' plague, the worst in

decades so far, is impacting food

manufacture across 23 countries. Some

of these countries, such as in Sub-

Saharan ones, also experience exposure

to the risk of rising domestic food prices

due to the fact they are net food

importers. The findings also show how

the world should gather more support for

smallholder farmers who often belong to

the vulnerable groups due to COVID-19

yet they are key actors of our food system.

Indubitably, the things we face today

must be urgently solved. All parties must

be actively involved with the first realistic

step: hand in hand to stop the spread of

COVID-19. The plan of distributing

vaccines will be a good step towards the

sustainability of all aspects of life.

Especially in food security, real efforts

should be made to facilitate farmers'

access to agricultural capital as they are

the spearhead of food security. The

welfare of farmers will significantly affect

the well-ordered course of food

production to ensure food security.

Simultaneously, the world can reinforce

the economic sector around the world

and avoid the risk of malnutrition.

DevelOPment Desk

The global cancer landscape is

changing, according to WHO

experts. Breast cancer has now

overtaken lung cancer as the world's

mostly commonly-diagnosed cancer,

according to statistics released by the

International Agency for Research on

Cancer (IARC) in December 2020.

So on World Cancer Day, WHO will

host the first of a series of

consultations in order to establish a

new global breast cancer initiative,

which will launch later in 2021. This

collaborative effort between WHO,

IARC, the International Atomic

Energy Agency and other multisectoral

partners, will reduce deaths

from breast cancer by promoting

breast health, improving timely

cancer detection and ensuring access

to quality care.

WHO and the cancer community

are responding with renewed

urgency to address breast cancer and

to respond to the growing cancer

burden globally that is straining

individuals, communities and health

systems.

In the past two decades, the overall

number of people diagnosed with

cancer nearly doubled, from an

estimated 10 million in 2000 to 19.3

million in 2020.

Projections suggest that the

number of people being diagnosed

with cancer will increase still further

in the coming years, and will be

nearly 50% higher in 2040 than in

2020.

The number of deaths from cancer

has also increased, from 6.2 million

in 2000 to 10 million in 2020. More

than one out of every six deaths is

due to cancer.

While changes in lifestyle, such as

unhealthy diets, insufficient physical

activity, use of tobacco and harmful

use of alcohol, have all contributed to

the increasing cancer burden, a

significant proportion can also be

attributed to increasing longevity, as

the risk of developing cancer

increases with age. This reinforces

the need to invest in both cancer

prevention and cancer control,

focusing on actionable cancers like

breast, cervical and childhood

cancers.

The COVID-19 pandemic has

exacerbated the problems of latestage

diagnosis and lack of access to

treatment. These occur everywhere

but particularly in low- and middleincome

countries. In addition to

having to cope with the disruption of

services, people living with cancer

are also at higher risk of severe

COVID-19 illness and death.

The findings of the survey have

been backed up by published studies

indicating that delays in diagnosis

are common, while interruptions to

and abandonment of therapy have

increased significantly. Meanwhile,

enrolment in clinical trials and

research output have declined.

All stakeholders are working to

respond. Some governments have

been enabling their populations to

seek cancer care safely. Health

professionals have adapted

treatment to meet the needs of their

patients, including through the use of

telemedicine, and civil society has

supported patients by helping them

coordinate their appointments and

complete their treatment plans.

World Cancer Day, with its slogan

"I can and I will", is also an

opportunity to show WHO's

commitment to other major global

cancer programmes, on cervical

cancer and childhood cancer.

The adoption of the Global

strategy to accelerate the

elimination of cervical cancer as a

public health problem and its

associated goals and targets by the

World Health Assembly in 2020

has provided added momentum to

cervical cancer efforts. Three

targets have been set for 2030:

90% of girls fully vaccinated with

the HPV vaccine; 70% of women

screened; and 90% of women

identified with cervical cancer

receiving treatment.

On International Childhood Cancer

Day, 15 February, WHO will be

releasing a "how-to" guide for policymakers

and programme managers on

strengthening childhood cancer

programmes; a new assessment tool

to facilitate harmonized data

collection and to enable expedited,

real-time interpretation of collected

data on cancer among children; and

an online community-of-practice

information-sharing hub for

childhood cancer.

Breast, cervical and childhood

cancers all have a high chance of

cure if diagnosed early and treated

appropriately. This World Cancer

Day, WHO is moving ahead with

our partners around the world in

WHO and the cancer community are responding with renewed

urgency to address breast cancer.

Photo: Collected

efforts both to prevent and control

cancer and also to provide support

to all people living with cancer,

wherever they live and whatever

their circumstances.

MOnDAY, MARCH 1, 2021

6

Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Dhaka Marathon 2021 was held on Thursday 10 am in

Banaripara.

Photo: S Mizanul Islam

Integrated efforts

to stop violence

against women

stressed

RAJSHAHI: Highlighting

the importance of freeing

the women and children

from all sorts of violence and

repression speakers at a

participatory discussion

today unequivocally called

for an integrated effort of all

government and nongovernment

entities

concerned to curb the

violence, reports BSS.

Role of all the respective

community as well as the

young generation is very

important towards

preventing the gender-based

violence against women and

children.

The discussants came up

with the observation while

addressing a workshop

styled "Prevention of

Gender-based Violence

against Women and

Children" in Rajshahi city.

Association for

Community Development

(ACD) and Brac jointly

organized the workshop at

ACD conference hall under

the project titled 'Promotion

of Gender Justice:

Strengthening Engage Men

and Boys Network for

Reducing Violence against

Women and Children in

Bangladesh'.

More than 50 Dalit and

Harijan community people

comprising parents, leaders

and young boys and girls

joined the advocacy

workshop. The participants

were sensitized on how they

can contribute to the field of

freeing their community

from gender-based violence

against women and

children.

Ward Councilor of

Rajshahi City Corporation

Rabiul Islam, District

Children Affairs Officer

Monjur Kader, Brac

Divisional Manager

Raihanul Islam and ACD

Project Manager Monirul

Islam Payel addressed the

meeting as resource persons

disseminating their

expertise on the issue.

Raihanul Islam gave an

illustration of the project

along with its aims,

objectives

and

implementation strategy

during his multimedia

presentation.

He also called for ensuring

a gender-balanced and

equity-based society

through halting all sorts of

repression and violence

against women and

children.

Other speakers viewed

that building social

awareness among the

community people,

especially parents and

teachers, has become an

urgent need for prevention

of gender-based violence

and substantial and

sustainable reduction of

violence against women and

children collectively.

The government alone or

any single organisation is

not capable of freeing the

womenfolk from violence

and repression, so

community participation is

very important in this

regard.

Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Dhaka

Marathon 2021 held at Banaripara

S MIZANUL ISLAM, BANARIPARA (BARISAL) CORRESPONDENT

Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Dhaka

Marathon 2021 was held on Thursday 25

February at 10 am in Banaripara. On the

occasion of the centenary of the birth of

Bangabandhu, Barisal Area Headquarters of

Bangladesh Army, 62 East Bengal under the

supervision of 6 Infantry Brigade and

Barishal, BanariparaUpazila officials,

journalists, leaders of various educational

institutions and sports organizations

participated in the overall management of

the district administration. The marathon

was led by Ripon Kumar Saha,

UpazilaNirbahi Officer. Captain Md.

Ashfanul Haque of 62 East Bengal, Assistant

Commissioner (Land) Nishat Sharmin,

Senior Journalist S Mizanul Islam and

others were present on the occasion.

Mango trees bloom abundantly

in Panchagarh

PANCHAGARH: The mango trees are in full

bloom in all five upazilas of the district this

season, reports BSS.

Thousands of mango trees have already

bloomed and took eye-catching look with

huge flowers. After seeing the huge

blooming at mango trees this time and if

the climate condition remains favourable

till harvesting period, then excellent

production is hoped to be found by the

growers and Department of Agricultural

Extension (DAE).

Mango trees started blooming in January

and continue till mid-March. Chief Scientific

Officer of Projonon seed center of Debiganj

Dr Mohiuddin said every year the new

BARI holds Field Day on

Flower and Vegetable Crops

SHAMSUL HAqUE BHUIYAN,GAZIPURCORROSPONDENT

The Floriculture Division of the Horticulture

Research Center of Bangladesh Agricultural

Research Institute (BARI) has arranged a

Field Day program on 'Expansion of

innovative varieties and production

techniques of flower and vegetable crops'

Sunday, at the Horticulture Research Center.

About 100 farmers participated in the field

day program which is financed by 'PBRG,

PIU-BARC, NATP-2' project.

BARI Director (Support & Services) Dr. S.

M. Sharifuzzaman inaugurated the field day

as chief guest. Director (Horticultural

Research Center) and the coordinator of this

project Dr. Abeda Khatun presided over the

function while Director (Tuber Crops

Research Center) and Principal Investigator

(Component-1) of the project Dr. Kabita

Anju-Man-Ara and Principal Scientific

Officer of the Olericulture Division and Co-

mango orchards like Amrapali, Bari mango-

4, harivanga varieties are increasing in the

district. The DAE is giving necessary advice

to the mango growers for boosting

production.

It has also given training to farmers on

modern technology for safe mango

production. Mango grower in

Debiganjupazila Abdul Malek said he has

mango orchard on 20 bighas of land as he

was getting economic benefit from last two

years.

Last year, he got Taka 10 lakh by selling

mango, he said, adding, "I am hopeful of

getting more profit from my mango orchard

this year".

Principal Investigator (Component-1) of this

project Dr. Md. Abdul Goffar were present as

special guests. Scientists and officials of

different divisions were also present on the

occasion.

Speaking as chief guest at the Field Day,

BARI Director (Support & Services) Dr. S. M.

Sharifuzzaman said there is a huge

opportunity to cultivate different types of

horticultural crops including flowers, fruits

and vegetables in open spaces and on

rooftops in urban areas in Bangladesh. As a

result, on the one hand, people will be able to

eat their own crops, on the other hand, it will

play a special role in the overall economic

development of the country as well as in the

protection of the environment in urban

areas.

I hope that through today's Field Day, the

participating farmers will get a better idea

about the various technologies invented by

BARI and will benefit from it.

The Floriculture Division of the Horticulture Research Center of Bangladesh

Agricultural Research Institute (BARI) has arranged a Field Day program on

'Expansion of innovative varieties and production techniques of flower and

vegetable crops'

Photo: Shamsul Haque Bhuiyan

Police killing

day observed

in Sundarganj

Rafiqul Islam, Gaibandha

Corrospondent: On the

occasion of Police Murder

Day, a discussion meeting,

Dua mahfil and financial

assistance program was held

among the families of the

victims at the Bamandanga

Investigation Center in

Gaibandha on Sunday. In

protest of the death sentence

of Jamaat leader Delwar

Hossain Sayedee on

February 28, 2013, Jamaat-

Shibir leaders and activists

staged riots all over

Sundarganj.

They cut down trees along

the road, set up barricades on

the road and set fire to the

Bamandanga railway station

and railway line, disrupting

rail communication. They also

vandalized the Bamandanga

police investigation center

and brutally killed four

policemen.

In memory of the victims,

like every year, a program was

held on the premises of

Bamandanga Police

Investigation Center on the

occasion of Police Murder

Day.

Superintendent of Police

Muhammad Touhidul Islam

was the chief guest at the

discussion meeting chaired

by Sundarganj Police Station

Officer-in-Charge Abdullah

Zaman. Additional

Superintendent of Police

Abul Khair spoke at the

meeting. Additional

Superintendent of Police (A

Circle) Awal Hossain,

Sundarganj Upazila Awami

League acting convener

Afroza Bari and others were

present.

Three day training for

journalists concludes

in Mymensingh

MYMENSINGH: A three

day training on investigative

reporting and foundation

course for journalists in

second batch has concluded

at Mymensingh Press Club

Auditorium here, reports

BSS.

Press Institute Bangladesh

(PIB) organised the training

programme in cooperation

with the Mymensingh Press

Club.

PIB Director General (DG)

Zafar Wazed presided over

the concluding ceremony

yesterday.

Chairman of Zila Parishad

Prof. Yusuf khan Pathan was

present as the chief guest

and distributed certificates

among the participants.

Major (Retd.) Mohammad Ali

receives Channel i "Best Social

Worker" Award

HM Didar: "Social workers Major (Retd.)

Mohammad Ali, Chairman,

DaudkandiUpazila Parishad, received the

Channel i Media Award-2020 "Best Social

Worker" in the category of Motivational

Personality.

His personal assistant Sunny Hasan said

that on Friday (February 26) at 6.30 pm,

Major (retd) Mohammad Ali was present on

Channel I Chetanachattar and received the

crest from Minister of State for Information

and Communication Technology Zunaid

Ahmed Palak.

Earlier, in his first term as Upazila

Parishad Chairman in 2017, he was elected

as the best Upazila Parishad Chairman of

Comilla District and the Best Upazila

Parishad Chairman of Chittagong Division.

It may be mentioned that Major (Retd.)

Mohammad Ali of Daudkandi is the

Chairman of the Upazila Parishad twice in a

row.

Major (retd) Mohammad Ali receiving the crest from Minister of

State for Information and Communication Technology Zunaid

Ahmed Palak.

Photo: HMDidar

Adopt latest technologies to

boost tea production: experts

RANGPUR: Experts at an on-field practical

training workshop have stressed on adopting

scientific methods and latest technologies in

tea cultivation on plain lands to further boost

its production, reports BSS.

Bangladesh Tea Research Institute of

Bangladesh Tea Board (BTB) organised the

event on 'Selection of leaves, fertilisation and

pests' management in tea plantation' for 65

tea growers at Buraburi union in

Tentuliaupazila of Panchagarh on Saturday,

a press release said today.

The workshop was arranged under the

'Expansion of Small Holding Tea Cultivation

in Northern Bangladesh Project' of BTB

following the 'Camellia Open Sky School

Model' to reach the latest scientific methods,

technologies and tea related services to

farmers.

Senior Scientific Officer (Entomology) of

BTB and its Project Director for the

Northern Bangladesh Project Agriculturist

Dr. Mohammad Shameem Al Mamun

moderated the workshop.

Development Officer at BTB's Panchagarh

Regional Office Agriculturist Md. Amir

Hossain delivered speech in the workshop as

a resource person.

Agriculturist Hossain discussed the

scientific plantation process, selection and

plucking of tea leaves, fertilisation,

integrated pests' management (IPM) and

pruning and tipping and other important

issues in tea plantation on plain lands.

Agriculturist Dr. Mamun said plain lands

on the Kartoa Valley ecological zone

comprising five northern districts of

Panchagarh, Thakurgaon, Dinajpur,

Nilphamari and Lalmonirhat are highly

fertile and favourable for tea cultivation.

"Commercial tea cultivation on small-scale

basis on plain lands has already unveiled a

new horizon of economic prospect for

farmers and common people speeding up

their economic development in the northern

region," he added.

He called upon farmers for expanding

small-scale tea cultivation on plain lands

adopting scientific and organic methods

ensuring proper agronomic management to

enhance production of quality tea and earn

higher profits in the northern region.

Superb litchi flowering makes

farmers happy in Rangpur region

RANGPUR: A superb flowering in litchi

trees continues amid favorable climatic

conditions this season making farmers

happy with a prospect of bumper

production of the juicy fruit in Rangpur

agriculture region, reports BSS.

Officials of the Department of

Agricultural Extension (DAE) said

some 85 percent of litchi trees in the

orchards and homesteads on around

1,800 hectares of land in all five

districts of the region have already

bloomed as the process continues

smoothly.

"The fabulous flowering in litchi trees

has created a real hope of bounteous

production of the juiciest, fleshy and

tasty seasonal fruit for farmers this

season in the region," Deputy Director

of the DAE at its regional office

Agriculturist Md. Moniruzzaman said.

After getting repeated bumper

production with excellent market

prices in recent times, farmers are

expanding commercial basis litchi

farming every year as many of them

have changed fortunes through litchi

cultivation in the last 12 years in the

region.

"Farmers are producing litchi in the

tune of 15,000 to 17,000 tonnes worth

about Taka 150 crore on an average

adopting latest technologies with the

DAE assistance every year in the region

during the last 12 years," he said.

Farmers have already become busy

with agronomic management in their

litchi orchards to ensure better

production of the fruit though the

flowering process will continue till the

middle of March across the region.

Talking to BSS, bigger litchi farmers

Abdur Rahim, Shah Alam, ManikMian,

Aminur Rahman, Mokhlesur Rahman

and Echhahaq Ali of different villages

in Rangpur Sadar expressed

satisfaction over excellent budding in

their litchi trees.

Senior Coordinator (Agriculture and

Environment) of RDRS Bangladesh

Agriculturist Md. Mamunur Rashid

said outstanding blooming in litchi

trees amid favourable climatic

conditions predicts bumper production

of the fruit this time like in the previous

seasons.

"Farmers are mostly cultivating high

yielding, hybrid and local varieties litchi

like China-3, 'Bedana', Bombay,

'Muzaffarpuri', 'Madrazi' and 'Kanthali'

in their orchards to get better output

with lucrative markets prices," he said.

Litchi farming on commercial basis

has already become a profitable

venture and created a silent economic

revolution in the agriculture sector

bringing self-reliance to hundreds of

farmers in all five districts of Rangpur

agriculture region in the last 12 years.

"A brighter prospect is prevailing to

further expand litchi cultivation in the

region," Rashid said, and stressed on

establishing fruit-processing industries

to produce export quality products

from litchi for exporting abroad to earn

foreign exchequer.

Expressed his satisfaction over

excellent budding in litchi trees, Deputy

Director of the DAE for Rangpur Dr.

Md. Sarwarul Haque predicted a

bumper production of the seasonal

fruit this season.

He said field level agriculture officials

of the DAE are providing latest

technologies to farmers to assist them

in taking extensive care of blooming

litchi trees to get bumper production of

the fruit this season.

RCC starts implementing

Tk 3,000-cr mega project

RAJSHAHI: Rajshahi City Corporation

(RCC) has started implementing a mega

project involving around Taka 3,000

crore for improving living and livelihood

condition of its people, reports BSS.

The project titled, "Integrated Urban

Infrastructure Development in Rajshahi

City" is being implemented aiming to

promote the city's major need-based

sector. AHM KhairuzzamanLiton, Mayor

of RCC, revealed this while inaugurating

the

infrastructure development works

under the project in Chhotobangram area

today as chief guest. the project, a total of

88 roads and drains will be

constructed in the area at a cost of

around Taka 8.88 crore He said the

project will contribute a lot towards

building a modern city.

mOnDAY, mARCh 1, 2021

7

Five civilians killed

in Yemen port

bombardment

DUBAI : Five civilians

including a child werekilled

Sunday when their house

was bombarded near

Yemen's strategic Red

Seaport of Hodeida, the

latest violence in the

grinding civil war.

The Saudi-backed

government and Huthi

rebels traded blame for

thedevastating attack near

frontlines south of the

Huthi-held port.

"Five civilians, including a

woman and a child, were

killed in a mortarbomb

strike on their residence by

the Huthis," a government

military officialtold AFP.

But the Iran-backed

Huthis, according to the

rebel-run Saba news

agency,said the explosion

was caused by two air strikes

by the Saudi-led

coalition,which intervened

in the war in 2015 to back

the

Iran's impoverished southeast has been experiencing wide disruptions of internet services, experts

said, as unrest gripped the remote province after fatal border shootings.

Photo : AP

Internet disruption reported in

southeast Iran amid unrest

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates : Iran's

impoverished southeast has been experiencing

wide disruptions of internet services,

experts said, as unrest gripped the

remote province after fatal border shootings.

Several rights groups reported in a joint

statement that authorities shut down the

mobile data network in the restive

province of Sistan and Baluchestan, calling

the disruptions an apparent "tool to

conceal" the government's harsh crackdown

on protests convulsing the area,

reports UNB.

The reports of internet interference

come as Iranian authorities and semiofficial

news agencies increasingly acknowledge

the turmoil challenging local

authorities in the southeast - a highly sensitive

matter in a country that seeks to

repress all hints of political dissent.

Starting Wednesday, the government

shut down the mobile data network

across Sistan and Baluchestan, where

96% of the population accesses the internet

only through their phones, rights

groups said, crippling the key communication

tool.

After four days of unverified "localized

regional network disruptions" amid the

protests, NetBlocks, which monitors

worldwide internet access, confirmed a

new disruption to internet connectivity in

e-Tender Notice 01/2020-2021

GD-332/21 (4x3)

internationally

recognisedgovernment.

Hodeida, which lies some

145 kilometres (90 miles)

southwest of the rebel-held

capital Sanaa, is a lifeline

gateway for food, fuel and

humanitarianaid.

Recent study confirms

Sputnik V effectiveness

against COVID mutations

LONDON : Russia's Sputnik

V COVID-19 vaccine hasproduced

strong results against

new mutations of coronavirus,

including itsUK and

South African variants, Denis

Logunov, a deputy director of

Russia'sGamaleya National

Research Center for

Epidemiology and

Microbiology whichdeveloped

Sputnik V, told Reuters.

"A recent study carried out

by the Gamaleya Centre in

Russia showed thatrevaccination

with Sputnik V vaccine

is working very well

against newcoronavirus

mutations, including the UK

and South African strains

ofcoronavirus," he said

adding that according to the

Russian researchers"believe

that vector-based vaccines

are actually better for futurerevaccinations

than vaccines

based on other platforms."

Government of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh

Office of the Executive Engineer

DPHE, Narayanganj Disrtrict

e- Tender Notice

the province beginning late Saturday.

"This is Iran's traditional response to

any kind of protest," Amir Rashidi from

Miaan Group, a human rights organization

that focuses on digital security in the

Middle East, told The Associated Press

on Saturday. "Shutting down the internet

to block news and pictures getting out

makes (authorities) feel more comfortable

opening fire."

The week saw a series of escalating confrontations

between police and protesters.

Crowds with light arms and grenade

launchers descended on Kurin checkpoint

near Iran's border with Pakistan on

Thursday, Abouzar Mehdi Nakhaie, the

governor of Zahedan, the provincial capital,

said in comments carried by Iran's

semiofficial ISNA news agency. The violence

killed one policeman, he added.

Earlier this week, protesters attacked

the district governor's office and stormed

two police stations in the city of Saravan,

outraged over the shootings of fuel smugglers

trying to cross back into Iran from

Pakistan on Monday. The border shootings

and ensuing clashes killed at least

two people, the government said. Many

rights activists in the area reported higher

death tolls without offering evidence.

Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesman,

Saeed Khatibzadeh, vowed Friday to

investigate the deaths. Officials insisted

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that calm had returned to the streets.

The Iranian government previously

has cut off internet access and cellphone

service in tense times. In the fall of 2019,

for instance, Iran imposed a near nationwide

internet blackout as anti-government

protests sparked by an increase in

fuel prices roiled the capital of Tehran

and other cities. Hundreds were reportedly

killed in the crackdown nationwide.

Given that authorities targeted the

mobile network and not the landline in

Sistan and Baluchestan, the disruption

likely wouldn't appear on regular network

data, said Mahsa Alimardani,

researcher at Article 19, an international

organization that fights censorship. The

area already suffered from unreliable

internet connections.

"This targeted shutdown was very

intentional because they knew the realities

of this province," where people are

poor and use cheap phones as opposed to

computers, Alimardani said.

Sistan and Baluchestan is one of most

unstable and least developed parts of

Iran. The relationship between its predominantly

Sunni residents and Iran's

Shiite theocracy long has been fraught. A

low-level violent insurgency in Sistan and

Baluchestan involves several militant

groups, including those demanding more

autonomy for the region.

New York governor accused of sexual

harassment by second woman

NEW YORK : A second ex-employee of

powerful NewYork state Governor Andrew

Cuomo has accused him of sexual harassment,charges

the governor denied on

Saturday.

This time the allegations came from 25-

year-old former health adviserCharlotte

Bennett, who told The New York Times that

the governor sexuallyharassed her in the

spring of 2020.

According to Bennett, the 63-year-old

politician said in June that he wasopen to

dating women in their 20s, and asked her if

she thought age made adifference in romantic

relationships, the Times reported.

While Cuomo never tried to touch her, "I

understood that the governorwanted to

sleep with me, and felt horribly uncomfortable

and scared," Bennetttold the paper.

She added that she spoke to Cuomo's chief

of staff and legal counsel, whotransferred

her to another post in another building.

Bennett was happy withthe new job and

decided not to insist on an investigation.

Cuomo became a national star last spring

with his straight-talking yetempathetic

coronavirus briefings that contrasted

sharply with then-presidentDonald

Russia launches

its first Arctic

monitoring satellite

MOSCOW : A Soyuz rocket

blasted off from

theBaikonur cosmodrome

in Kazakhstan on Sunday

carrying Russia's first

satellitefor monitoring the

Arctic's climate, the

Roscosmos space agency

said.

Video published by the

Russian space agency

showed the Soyuz blasterlaunching

against grey

skies at 0655 GMT, carrying

an Arktika-M satellite.

Space agency chief

Dmitry Rogozin wrote on

Twitter Sunday that the

launchwas routine.

"The 'Arktika' hydrometeorological

and climate

monitoring space system

isdesigned to monitor the

climate and environment

in the Arctic

region,"Roscosmos said in

a statement.

The monitoring system

will need at least two satellites

to operateproperly,

the space agency said.

Philippines receives

first Covid-19 vaccines

from China

MANILA : The Philippines

received 600,000 vaccinedoses

from China Sunday,

kickstarting the country's

inoculation drive

despiteconcerns over the

Sinovac jab's effectiveness.

Top government officials

and health workers will be

the first on Monday toreceive

the Chinese-made vaccine

- called CoronaVac - just

days after thedrug regulator

approved it for emergency

use.

President Rodrigo

Duterte, whose government

has been under fire over

delaysin procuring vaccines,

oversaw the delivery of the

doses at a military airbase.

Around 525,000 doses of

the AstraZeneca jab were

also due to arrive Mondayas

part of the COVAX global

inoculation programme and

will also be offered tohealthcare

workers. The regulator

did not recommend

CoronaVac for healthcareworkers

due to its comparatively

low efficacy.

Trump's dismissive approach to the pandemic.

But the harassment allegations come as he

faces a growing storm over hishandling of

the coronavirus in nursing homes in his

state.

In a statement Saturday, Cuomo said he

"never made advances toward MsBennett

nor did I ever intend to act in any way that

was inappropriate."

He said he wanted instead to support

Bennett, who had told him that shewas a

sexual assault survivor.

The governor, whose third term expires at

the end of 2022, called for "afull and thorough

outside review" of these charges, led by

a former federaljudge.

"I ask all New Yorkers to await the findings

of the review so that theyknow the facts

before making any judgments," he added.

This is the second time in a week that the

Democratic governor, who hasled New York

state for 10 years, has been accused of sexual

harassment.

On Wednesday, another ex-adviser,

Lindsey Boylan, said in a blog that hehad

harassed her when she was working for his

administration, from 2015 to2018.

Students abducted from Nigerian

school 2 weeks ago freed

LAGOS, Nigeria : Students, teachers and relatives abducted two

weeks ago from a school in northern Nigeria have been freed.

The students, teachers and family members were abducted

Feb. 17 by gunmen from the Government Science College

Kagara.

Niger State Gov. Abubakar Sani Bello said he received 24 students,

six staff and eight relatives on Saturday after they were

released early in the morning.

This number released differed from the 42 people that the

governor had originally said were kidnapped by the attackers,

indicating some may still be missing. The discrepancy was not

explained.

One of the students has been hospitalized for excessive

exhaustion, he said, adding that the released will be medically

checked and monitored for a few days before being reunited

with family.

Sani Bello said that joint efforts of security, traditional leaders

and stakeholders helped secure the release.

Their release was announced a day after police said gunmen

had abducted 317 girls from a boarding school elsewhere in

northern Nigeria, in Zamfara state. One resident said the gunmen

also attacked a nearby military camp and checkpoint, preventing

soldiers from interfering with the mass abduction.

Several large groups of armed men operate in Zamfara state,

described by the government as bandits, and are known to kidnap

for money and to push for the release of their members

from jail.

Masauda Umar, 20, managed to escape from the school when

the men arrived Friday.

She told The Associated Press the bandits came to their sleeping

quarters and after knocking on the main door, they hit the

people who answered it and made everyone gather.

"I was coming out from the door and I met somebody but ran

back and hid under my bed," she said. "I'm scared of going back

to school because of what happened really got me scared but I

will go back if the government tackles insecurity."

GD-338/21 (4x3)

ISRO launches the Amazonia-1 of Brazil's optical earth observation satellite and 18 Copassenger

satellites from US and India onboard the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle

(PSLV-C51) from Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota on Sunday. Photo : Internet

GD-330/21 (13x2)

MONDAY, MARCH 1, 2021 8

In pandemic e-work, Greece sees

chance to reverse brain drain

ATHENS : The pandemic was a

wakeup call thatreminded

Christophoros Xenos of what he misses

most in London - the Greeksun and

pleasant Mediterranean way of life,

reports BSS.

The 36-year old risk manager left

Greece in his early 20s for

Britain,aiming to complete his studies,

gain professional experience abroad

and comeback. This never happened,

as the decade-long Greek crisis that

followed killedthousands of jobs.

But during the first coronavirus wave,

Xenos took advantage of remote

workto return to Greece for three

months - and homesickness hit him

hard. "I worked for three months from

Athens and the Greek islands and

reallyenjoyed the weather, the quality

of life, the return to the homeland,"

hetold AFP.

With thousands of employees like

Xenos capable of working remotely,

Greecesees an opportunity to bring

back some of the minds the country lost

duringthe past decade.

"We want you back," Alex Patelis,

chief economic adviser to Prime

MinisterKyriakos Mitsotakis, said at a

recent Delphi Forum online event.

"Open offices, set up new companies

or move part of your businesses

toGreece. We have the sun, the

technology, and we are by your side,"

he said.

Some 500,000 people moved abroad

during the Greek crisis. The

economyshrank by a quarter and

unemployment skyrocketed to 28

percent. Since then,job figures have

improved, but unemployment remains

more than double theEuropean Union

and eurozone average.

The exodus of half a million people

cost the Greek economy more than

15billion euros ($18 billion), according

to a report by the Hellenic Authorityfor

Quality in Higher Education (ADIP).

Around 90 percent of those who left

were college graduates and 64

percentheld a postgraduate degree,

according to a survey by consulting

firm ICAP.

YELLOW by BEXIMCO organized an art camp recently at the Beximco Industrial Park Garden. This

is a part of BEXIMCO's initiative to support artists in Bangladesh. A group of eight young artists from

different part of Bangladesh attended the program. Their works of art will be on display at YELLOW

Dhanmondi Showroom.

Photo : Courtesy

The Chairman of the Board of Directors of Bangladesh Krishi Bank Md. Nasiruzzaman and the

Managing Director Md. Ali Hossain Prodhania had a courtesy visit with the President Md. Abdul

Hamid at Bangabhaban recently. The Chairman of the bank informed overall situation of the bank

to the President as per his desire. The Deputy Mangaging Director Shirin Akhter and the General

Manager (Admin) Md. Azizul Bari were also present on the occasion. Photo : Courtesy Europe

Live Technologies bring first Bangla

browser 'Duronto'

Leading tech Live Technologies has

introduced the first-ever Bangla

browser named "Duronto" on

International Mother LanguageDay.

With the association of Robi, One of

the top Digital services providers in

the country, Live Technologies brings

this browser to the market. Duronto

is the first Bangladeshi browser with

full options in the Bangla language,

offering entertainment features like

live TV, video, audio song, FM radio,

sports, and many more infotainment

contents readily available on the

internet. Users can find all the useful

National and international website

links from this browser. The browser

consumes less data by blocking

unwanted advertisements.

It is available in both mobile and

desktop versions. It has an incognito

mode, in-page searching, offline use,

offline video/image save, datasharing

options. Besides this, people

can use the dark mode while

browsing at night. Managing

Director of Live Technologies Md.

Sharif Ahmed said, "To encourage

people to browse in the Bengali

language, we are introducing

'DataBack Offer.' To avail of this

offer, one must create a user profile

in the browser. We will calculate the

browser usage time and will give

them points based on the usage. After

collecting a good number of issues,

users can buy Data packages with

that. "We already know that our

government encouraged us to send

text messages in Bengali. Keeping

that in mind, we would also like to

encourage people to browse with our

mother language, Bengali."- quoted

Md. Sharif Ahmed.

less at risk of inflation

and rate fears: analysts

Mercantile Bank Limited recently signed Participation Agreement with Bangladesh Bank to avail

Refinance Fund for Technology Development/Upgradation of Export Oriented Industries. Under

this agreement, Bangladesh Bank will provide refinance to Mercantile Bank for extending its exporting

customer Term Loan in BDT to procure machinery/technology for technology

development/upgradation to most preferred sectors and special development sectors under Export

Policy 2018-2021. Khondkar Morshed Millat, General Manager, Sustainable Finance Department of

Bangladesh Bank and Md. Quamrul Islam Chowdhury, Managing Director and CEO of Mercantile

Bank Limited signed the agreement on behalf of their respective organization. Ahmed Jamal, Deputy

Governor, Bangladesh Bank, Md. Shafiqul Islam, Executive Director, Bangladesh Bank, Shamim

Ahmed, DMD and CAMLCO, Mercantile Bank and other high officials from both the institutions

were also present on the occasion.

Photo : Courtesy

PARIS : Investors are watching

inflation carefully, worried that a

boiling over of prices will ruin the

expected strong pandemic recovery

although analysts believe Europe

faces much less of a risk than the

United States, reports BSS.

Fears that US President Biden's

$1.9 trillion stimulus plan - which

was passed by the House of

Representatives on Friday - will

stoke up the economy too much

have unnerved investors in recent

weeks.

A rise in yields on 10-year US

Treasury bonds - a key indicator of

expectations - shows the markets

believe prices are set to rise much

more sharply than last year's gain of

1.4 percent, which could force the US

Federal Reserve to hike interest

rates earlier than it says it plans to

do.

Bond yields have risen elsewhere

too, with 10-year French

government bonds turning positive

on Thursday for the first time in

months while the benchmark 10-

year German Bund has also risen

although it remains negative.

European inflation data for

January showed a jump in prices of

0.9 percent compared to a minus 0.3

percent reading in December, as

increased costs of raw materials fed

through into services and industrial

goods.

After having slowed considerably

in 2020, inflation is expected to rise

this year in Europe as the economy

picks up following the relaxation of

measures to slow the spread of the

Covid-19 pandemic.

But it is not so much a spike in

inflation that worries investors but

that the Fed would raise interest

rates faster than it has

communicated.

Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome

Powell pledged Tuesday that the US

central bank will keep benchmark

lending rates low until the economy

is at full employment and inflation

has risen consistently above its 2.0

percent target.

But bond yields continued to rise,

indicating investor concern about a

rise in interest rates that would make

borrowing and investment more

expensive and slow the economy.

However, many analysts are

sceptical that Biden's stimulus

programme will spark considerable

inflation.

"It isn't clear that Biden's recovery

plan will create lots of inflation," said

Xavier Ragot, head of the French

Economic Observatory think tank.

For the European Union, there is

no likelihood that its pandemic

recovery programme would, he

believes.

"The amounts of the European

recovery plans pose absolutely no

inflationary risk," he said.

What will the US economic

recovery look like?

WASHINGTON, Feb 28, 2021

(BSS/AFP) - The US economy is

rebounding faster than expected from

the Covid-19 recession, outperforming

the most pessimistic estimates. But

some areas remain largely shut down.

So what will recovery look like?

The International Monetary Fund

estimates the GDP of the United States

will expand by 5.1 percent this year,

after contracting by 3.5 percent in 2020

as the pandemic forced lockdowns that

shuttered businesses nationwide.

But economists think the growth rate

could accelerate further.

The nearly $3 trillion in government

stimulus programs last year, including

a $900 billion measure approved in

late December, were key to helping the

US economy bounce back.

And Congress is moving toward

approving President Joe Biden's $1.9

trillion rescue package, which will

provide more support for businesses,

families and state and local jobs.

Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell

acknowledged growth could hit 6.0

percent, while private forecasters like

Gregory Daco of Oxford Economics

said it could break 7.0 percent.

The quick recovery has raised

concerns that price increases could

spiral higher, but Powell tamped down

those fears, saying inflationary spikes

in coming months are unlikely to last.

And the Fed has pledged to keep

interest rates low until employment

recovers and inflation stays above 2.0

percent for some time.

The Premier Bank Limited & SKS Foundation signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) for

providing Agriculture Loan to the farmers and holders of small and marginal agriculture business &

low-income professionals in rural area of Bangladesh through Micro Finance Institute (MFI)

Linkage. M. Reazul Karim, Managing Director & CEO of The Premier Bank Limited attended the program

as chief guest. Rasel Ahmed Liton, Chief Executive and Member Secretary of SKS Foundation

& Mohammed Emtiaz Uddin, Head of SME & Agriculture Banking, The Premier Bank Ltd. signed the

MOU on behalf of respective institutions along with the presence of high officials from both the

organizations.

Photo : Courtesy

MoNDAY, MArCH 1, 2021

9

Last-gasp winner caps fightback

as Leipzig keep pace with Bayern

SPorTS DeSk

A last-gasp Alexander Sorloth goal

sealed RB Leipzig's dramatic 3-2

comeback win at home to Borussia

Moenchengladbach on Saturday and

kept them in the thick of the

Bundesliga title race, reports BSS.

Leipzig fought back with secondhalf

goals by Christopher Nkunku

and Yussuf Poulsen before Sorloth's

winning header in the 93rd minute

after Gladbach had led 2-0 at halftime.

"We'll try everything to keep the

Bundesliga exciting," said Leipzig

coach Julian Nagelsmann.

"We have to keep the momentum.

It was an extremely important victory

in terms of the table.

"We didn't look good when we

conceded the goals, but were

incredibly strong in the second half."

The victory keeps second-placed

Leipzig two points behind leaders

Bayern Munich, who earlier romped

to a 5-1 home win over Cologne.

Gladbach were in complete control

at half-time after Jonas Hofmann

netted an early penalty and Marcus

Thuram used his shoulder to guide

the ball into the net from a Breel

Embolo header.

However, Sorloth came off the

bench and inspired the second-half

fight back.

The former Crystal Palace striker

had a goal disallowed for handball

before setting up Nkunku, who fired

home Leipzig's first goal on 57

minutes.

Poulsen smashed home the

equaliser on 66 minutes.

Leipzig had all the momentum and

peppered the Gladbach goal before

Sorloth's winning header deep into

added time.

Goretzka shines for Bayern -

Earlier, Bayern bounced back after

taking just a point in their previous

two league games as midfielder Leon

Goretzka created three goals in their

rout of Cologne.

Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting

headed Bayern into an early lead

before Robert Lewandowski, the

league's top scorer, struck twice to

increase his league tally to 28 goals

this season.

Serge Gnabry came off the bench to

claim two late goals behind closed

doors at the Allianz Arena on his first

appearance since tearing a thigh

muscle in Bayern's Club World Cup

final win in Qatar.

Coach Hansi Flick made just one

change - Choupo-Moting for Kingsley

Coman - from the side which beat

Lazio 4-1 in the Champions League

on Tuesday.

Bayern quickly built a 2-0 lead

through Choupo-Moting and

Lewandowski with Goretzka setting

up both goals.

Cologne midfielder Ellyes Skhiri

chipped Manuel Neuer four minutes

after the break to pull a goal back.

With just over 25 minutes left, Flick

settled nerves by bringing on Gnabry

and Thomas Mueller, who made his

first appearance a fortnight after

testing positive for Covid-19.

Mueller's pass split the Cologne

defence and found Lewandowski who

restored the two-goal cushion on 65

minutes.

Cologne midfielder Dominick

Drexler hit the post before Gnabry

made it 4-1 by converting a cross,

then claimed his second just before

the final whistle after an excellent

pass from Goretzka.

Wolfsburg remain third, seven

points behind Bayern, after their 2-0

home win over Hertha Berlin, whose

defender Lukas Kluenter turned the

ball into his own net before Maxence

Lacroix scored the hosts' second.

Wolfsburg defender Marin

Pongracic was sent off in added time

for a second booking.

England winger Jadon Sancho

converted a penalty and Brazil

midfielder Reinier scored his first

goal for the club as Dortmund stayed

fifth with a 3-0 home win over

Arminia Bielefeld.

Japan midfielder Wataru Endo

netted his first two Bundesliga goals

in Stuttgart's 5-1 thrashing of bottom

side Schalke, whose Algeria

midfielder Nabil Bentaleb had a

second-half penalty saved.

On Friday, fourth-placed Eintracht

Frankfurt had their 11-match

unbeaten run ended by a shock 2-1

defeat at Werder Bremen, whose

rising American star Josh Sargent,

20, hit the winning goal.

Leipzig's Norwegian forward Alexander Sorloth (r) scores the scores his team's third goal during the

German first division Bundesliga football match rB Leipzig v Borussia Moenchengladbach in

Leipzig, eastern Germany, on Saturday.

Photo: AP

Tiger Woods transferred to Los Angeles

hospital for further treatment

SPorTS DeSk:

Golf superstar Tiger Woods has been

transferred to a Los Angeles medical facility

for further treatment, according to a

statement Thursday from the hospital

where he underwent surgery for serious leg

injuries after his car crash, reports BSS.

"Mr. Tiger Woods was transferred to

Cedars-Sinai Medical Center for continuing

orthopedic care and recovery," said Anish

Mahajan, CEO of the hospital where Woods

was first taken.

"On behalf of our staff, it was an honor to

provide orthopedic trauma care to one of our

generation's greatest athletes."

Woods was driving alone Tuesday

morning in a Los Angeles suburb on a road

notorious for accidents when his SUV hit the

center median, crossed into the opposing

lane, struck a tree and then rolled over

several times.

The 15-time major champion underwent

surgery to repair "significant orthopedic

injuries" to his lower right leg and ankle.

This included the insertion of a rod into

Woods's shin bone and the use of "a

combination of screws and pins" to stabilize

his foot and ankle.

"To respect patient confidentiality,

Harbor-UCLA Medical Center will not

provide any further information," added

Mahajan.

Woods' latest injuries have cast doubt on

the golfing legend's ability to compete at the

top level again.

The crash comes just two months after the

Woods underwent his fifth back operation.

The first officer to arrive at the scene of the

crash said it was "very fortunate" that Woods

even came out of it alive.

He was found conscious, appearing "calm

and lucid" and able to identify himself as

"Tiger," Deputy Carlos Gonzalez said

Tuesday.

Woods was not under the influence of

drugs or alcohol, said Los Angeles County

Sheriff Alex Villanueva.

The most Woods could face would be a

low-level offense known as an infraction if

investigators conclude that he was speeding

or not paying attention.

In this file photo Tiger

Woods of the United

States speaks to the

media during a press

conference prior to

the 2018 PGA

Championship at

Bellerive Country Club

on August 7, 2018 in

St. Louis, Missouri.

Photo : AP

Ronaldo scores

as Juventus

held in Verona

SPorTS DeSk

Cristiano Ronaldo scored his

19th goal this campaign but

champions Juventus had to

settle for a 1-1 draw at Hellas

Verona in Serie A on

Saturday, reports UNB.

The draw gives leaders Inter

Milan the chance to pull 10

points clear of Juventus when

they play mid-table Genoa at

the San Siro on Sunday.

Juventus are third and three

points adrift of second-placed

AC Milan who travel to Roma,

two points behind the

champions in fourth, on

Sunday.

"We managed to take the

lead, which was the hardest

part, it's a pity not being able

to hold it," said Juve coach

Andrea Pirlo.

Pirlo's side paid for their

many absences and a

redesigned defence with

Leonardo Bonucci and

Giorgio Chiellini out injured

and Danilo suspended.

Also missing were Juan

Cuadrado, Arthur and Paulo

Dybala to injury with Alvaro

Morata recovering from a

viral infection.

"We lacked experienced

players, we had many

youngsters on the pitch and

there are details that they

don't understand," continued

Pirlo.

"I asked Ronaldo and Alex

Sandro to make their voices

heard, but it wasn't enough."

Goalkeeper Wojciech

Szczesny and the post saved

Juventus just minutes into the

game at the Stadio Bentegodi

following a Davide Faraoni

header.

Bangladesh head coach russell Domingo (C), oDI skipper Tamim Iqbal (r) and premier all-rounder

Shakib Al Hasan discuss a point during team training session.

File Photo

Key India bowler

Bumrah leaves

Test squad for

'personal reasons'

SPorTS DeSk

India said Saturday that star

fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah

has left the squad for the

England Test series for

"personal reasons", reports

BSS.

The surprise move came

only two days after India, with

Bumrah in the side, thrashed

England in the third Test

inside two days to take a 2-1

series lead. The final match

starts on Thursday.

The Board of Control for

Cricket in India said Bumrah

had asked "to be released

from India's squad ahead of

the fourth Test owing to

personal reasons.

The BCCI said no

replacement would be called

up. Bumrah, who has become

India's pace spearhead in

recent years, bowled only six

overs in England's first

innings this week and none in

the second innings when only

spin bowlers were used.

SPorTS DeSk

Selector George Bailey Sunday

insisted under-fire Aaron Finch

would be Australia's skipper at this

year's Twenty20 World Cup, calling

mounting criticism of his leadership

and form "white noise", reports

UNB.

Finch's scores of one and 12 in

their opening two games against

New Zealand last week, coupled

with his failure to fire in the recent

Big Bash League, has sparked

debate over whether he is the right

man for the job.

But Bailey told the Melbourne

Herald Sun there was no doubt in

his mind the 34-year-old opener

would be leading the side in India in

October.

"He's got a terrific average, he's

the captain of this side and he'll be

the captain of this side at the World

Cup," said Bailey, one of three

Tigers aim to break NZ jinx

SPorTS DeSk

Bangladesh cricket team

are currently New

Zealand for a six-week

tour, which started with

a long quarantine,

followed by three ODIs

and three T20Is. They

have just lost a home

Test series to West

Indies, which has

expectedly attracted

widespread criticism.

Head coach Russell

Domingo understands

the situation, and wants

Tigers to bounce back

against New Zealand,

where they never won a

series, reports UNB.

In a recent interview

Domingo said, "We

know it's going to be a

tough tour; New Zealand

are playing really good

cricket at the moment.

From the year that I have

been here [with

Bangladesh] now, 50-

overs cricket is a format

that a lot of our players

seem to enjoy and pride

themselves on. We are

looking forward to a very

competitive series."

Domingo also shared

his views on the

improvements he wants

from his team on this

white-ball tour. "We

haven't played a lot of

one-day cricket without

Shakib (Al Hasan), so

trying to find that

allrounder to balance the

team is crucially

important. (Mehidy

Hasan) Miraz has shown

that he can do it in Tests,

but we need to find some

allrounders who can give

us more options. The

second area is our

finishing of games with

the lower-middle order,

trying to establish a

power-hitter in the backend,

giving someone the

responsibility of

finishing games," he

added.

In term of challenges

for Tamim Iqbal as a

selectors alongside Trevor Hohns

and national coach Justin Langer.

"It's just complete white noise for

me," he added of the criticism.

Doubts around Finch have been

raging, led by former selector Mark

Waugh.

"His job is to score runs... no

batsman is immune from being

dropped when you're not scoring

runs, doesn't matter if you're

captain or not," said Waugh, now a

pundit.

Australian media have also

weighed in with the Sydney

Morning Herald saying Finch was

"running out of chances to book his

ticket to this year's T20 World Cup".

Bailey-the only selector on tour in

New Zealand-attributed Finch's

poor form at the Big Bash, where he

averaged just 13.8, to five months

spent playing cricket in biosecurity

bubbles.

skipper on overseas

ground and whether he

thinks Bangladesh can

win the series or not,

Domingo opined,

"Absolutely. We want to

play an aggressive brand

of cricket there with our

fast bowlers.

"I suppose in the past

Bangladesh have relied

heavily on spinners on

away tours as well. We

are going to try to change

that. We will try to strike

with the new ball and

strike in the middle of

the innings with pace,

not just with spin.

Those are the types of

challenge Tamim is

going to face, to get the

team moving in that

direction and not

become spin-dominant

in the middle of the

innings and also be able

to get his fast bowlers to

get those big

breakthroughs that we

need to happen," he

said.

Bailey insists Finch will be Australia

T20 World Cup captain

"He was pretty zonked," Bailey

said. "But he tried to do the right

thing and get back to help a young

(Melbourne) Renegades side.

"His reflection on that was that he

probably should've sat longer out

and come back a bit fresher."

He added that Finch was hitting

well in the nets in New Zealand and

pointed to his outstanding record as

one of the premier limited overs

batsman in the world.

"He'd be in the top five or 10

leading run-scorers, and if he

doesn't have the highest strikerate

amongst them he'd be

absolutely close," he said.

"And he's done it very, very

consistently for Australia over a

long period of time, and will

continue to do so into the future."

Australia's third T20 against New

Zealand is in Wellington on

Wednesday.

Selector George Bailey Sunday insisted under-fire Aaron Finch would be Australia's skipper at this year's

Twenty20 World Cup, calling mounting criticism of his leadership and form "white noise". Photo: AP

MoNDAY, MArcH 1, 2021

10

Dighi, Yash in

web film

'Shesher Chithi'

Azam Khan's 71st birth

anniversary observed

TBT reporT

71st birth anniversary of Azam

Khan, the pioneer of the pop

music in the country was

observed yesterday Sunday 28th

February. Azam Khan was called

as Pop Guru of Bangladesh.

Mahbubul Haque Khan,

popularly known as Azam Khan,

was born in Dhaka on February

28 in 1950.

His father Aftabuddin Khan

was a government official. His

mother Jobeda Begum was a

singer. Khan has two daughters,

Ima Khan and Aroni Khan. He

had been interested in music

since his childhood and

ultimately began his music

career in his hometown with the

group 'Trinity Artist Group' in

1967. He attended in the 1969

mass uprising, against the

Pakistani army. In 1971, inspired

by his father, he and his brothers

took part in the Liberation War

of Bangladesh. He was trained in

Meghaloy, India. He fought in

the Sector 2, under Major Khaled

Mosharraf.

In mid-December, 1971 he

came back from the camps and

started his music career again.

He found the pioneering rock

band 'Uchcharon', along with his

friends Nilu (lead guitars) and

Mansoor (rhythm guitars),

Sadek (drums). They first

appeared on Bangladesh

Television in 1972. They got

commercial success with the hit

'Rail liner Bostite' in 1975.

Releasing more hit songs in the

1970s, like 'Alal O Dulal', 'Saleka

Maleka' and "Papri Keno Bujhe

Na'. Azam Khan won the hearts

of millions by rendering some

popular numbers like 'Ore

Saleka, Ore Maleka', 'Jibone

Kichhu Pabona Re', 'Ami Jare

Chaire', 'Ashi Ashi Bole Tumi',

'Obhimani', 'Rail liner Bostite',

'Hei Allah Hei Allah Re', 'Alal O

Dulal', 'Didi Maa', 'Bangladesh',

'Keu Nai Amar' and 'Neel

Noyona'.

His contribution to the music

industry, brought him the second

highest civilian honour award

'Ekushe Padak', which he was

awarded posthumously in 2019

and also earned the honorific

nicknames 'The Pop Samrat'

(The Pop Emperor) and 'The

Rock Guru'.

The legendary singer breathed

his last at Dhaka CMH hospital

on June 5 in 2011.

Sporshia in short film 'A Perfect Murder'

TBT reporT

Orchita Sporshia is a Bangladeshi film actress

and owner of a production company Kochchop

Films. She has performed over hundred

television dramas, short films, telefilms,

including Shubornopur, Shaola, BBC produced

Ujan Ganger Naiya.

Sporshia, the popular actress will be seen in a

never-before avatar for her latest thriller genre

short film "A Perfect Murder."

Directed by Ashwash M. A. Chowdhury and

produced by FilmCast banner, the film will

showcase Sporshia and Mahadi Hasan as the

protagonist, reports media.

The FilmCast channel recently released the

teaser on their Youtube channel. The teaser

shows Sporshia wearing a burkha and pointing

a gun at Mahadi Hasan.

Director Ashwash M. A. Chowdhury said,

"Sporshia will be seen in a completely

different avatar in the movie. Through this

movie she will break the stereotypical

portrayal of heroines."

Sporshia said, " Viewers will get to see me first

as a normal girl who faces sexual harassment at

work but as the story progresses, they will get to

see my other sides."

Ashwash M. A. Chowdhury informed the

media that the shooting of the short film was

completed last month. Currently, the film is

going through its post-production phase.

The short film will be released soon on an OTT

platform for the audience. Sporshia has worked

as art director (in Apple Box Films Ltd.) and

assistant director (in Apple Box Films Ltd. and

Runout Films Ltd.) before she started working

in front of the camera. And now she has her own

production company Kochchop films.

TBT reporT

Prarthana Fardin Dighi and

Yash Rohan are teaming up for

the first time in a new web film

titled 'Shesher Chithi' to be

directed by Sumon Dhar, is

jointly written by Boby Rahman

and Sumon Dhar.

Last week, Yash-Dighi signed

a contract for the web-film. The

director said that the shooting of

'Shesh Chithi' will begin from

Hollywood's award season kicks

off Sunday at a very different

Golden Globes, with a mainly

virtual ceremony set to boost or

dash the Oscars hopes of early

frontrunners like "Nomadland"

and "The Trial of the Chicago 7."

Usually a star-packed, laidback

party that draws

Tinseltown's biggest names to a

Beverly Hills hotel ballroom,

this pandemic edition will be

broadcast from two scaleddown

venues, with frontline and

essential workers among the few

in attendance.

Deprived of its usual glamour,

the Globes-which also honor the

best in television-remain a

coveted prize, and a high-profile

March 2.

Yash said, "It's a

contemporary story. Although I

am not acquainted with Dighi, I

have heard a lot about her. This

time we are going to work

together".

"I hope the work will be good",

Yash added.

Dighi, who won the National

Film Award as a child artist, is

now a movie heroine. She is

playing the role of Renu in

Bangabandhu's biopic. Dighi

source of momentum in the

run-up to the season-crowning

Oscars, which were pushed back

this year to April.

"Nomadland," Chloe Zhao's

paean to a marginalized, older

generation of Americans

roaming the West in rundown

vans, has long been viewed as a

frontrunner for the Globes' top

prize.

But it will face stiff

competition from Aaron

Sorkin's "Chicago 7," a

courtroom drama about the

city's anti-war riots in 1968 with

a mouth-watering ensemble

cast including Mark Rylance,

Eddie Redmayne and Sacha

Baron Cohen.

Amitabh Bachchan has written

about undergoing a surgery for a

medical condition on his blog. The

actor took to his blog on Saturday

night and simply wrote, "Medical

condition .. surgery .. can't write."

Around midnight, he shared a

picture of himself with his hand on

his cheek and wrote in caption,

"!!!!!! ?????" keeping his fans

guessing about his health.

On Saturday, he had written in

Hindi without specifying what he

was referring to, "Some have

become superfluous; Something's

going to improve; This is the

tomorrow of life, only tomorrow

you will know how they lived."

Many of his fans enquired about

his health status on Twitter. One

said, "Get Well Soon Amit ji.

Praying for your speedy recovery."

Another tweeted, "We are all with

you Amitji.. Prayers for Your

Speedy recovery."

Amitabh had earlier tested

positive for Covid-19 along with son

Abhishek Bachchan, daughter-inlaw

Aishwarya Rai and

granddaughter Aaradhya. They all

were admitted to the Lilavati

said, "I am ready for this webfilm

and I believe the audience

would like my work with Yash."

'Shesher Chithi' will be

released on any OTT platform,

Both films are fueled by their

timely themes of protest and

joblessness.

"I think that it's likeliest

between them," said The

Hollywood Reporter's awards

columnist Scott Feinberg.

"And then the spoiler, if

something were to come out of

left field, would probably be

'Promising Young Woman,'

which is just unlike anything

else in recent memory."

Its star Carey Mulliganplaying

a revenge-seeker who

lurks at bars, feigning

drunkenness to lure men into

revealing their own misogyny-is

tipped by many to win best

actress. She will have to fend off

Frances McDormand's

grounded and nuanced turn

alongside a cast of non-actors in

"Nomadland," and Viola Davis'

portrayal of a legendary 1920s

crooner in "Ma Rainey's Black

Bottom." 'Hard to resist' -

The other films vying for best

Amitabh Bachchan hints at getting

a surgery for medical condition

hospital for treatment and

recovered.

Post recovery, Amitabh resumed

said director Sumon Dhar.

"I have confidence in both of

them. I believe the Shesher

Chithi will be a web film for the

audience to enjoy," he added.

Golden Globes to launch

pandemic-era Hollywood

awards season

drama, the night's final and

most prestigious prize, are

"Mank"-David Fincher's ode to

"Citizen Kane," which topped

the overall nominations with

six-and "The Father" starring

Anthony Hopkins.

Hopkins, who has never won a

competitive Globe despite seven

previous nominations, has been

showered with praise for his

harrowing portrayal of the onset

of dementia. But he is up against

sentimental favorite Chadwick

Boseman, the "Black Panther"

star who died last August from

cancer at age 43.

Boseman is nominated for his

kinetic performance as a tragic

young trumpet player opposite

Davis in "Ma Rainey."

"This is his best part, and the

backstory is that he knew this

might be his last performanceso

that's kind of hard to resist,"

said Variety awards editor Tim

Gray.

Source: AP

working on his quiz show Kaun

Banega Crorepati. He had once

revealed that he worked for as long

as 17 hours for the show while

taking precautions amid

coronavirus pandemic.

Amitabh recently revealed that

he will soon begin shooting for

filmmaker Vikas Bahl's next. The

78-year-old is now looking forward

to the release of his films: Chehre

and Jhund.

Chehre will open theatrically on

April 30. Directed by Rumy Jafry,

the film also stars Emraan Hashmi,

Annu Kapoor, Krystle D'Souza,

Drithiman Chakroborthy,

Raghubir Yadav and Siddhanth

Kapoor. He recently unveiled the

poster of the film which had several

of his co-stars but not Rhea

Chakraborty, who was earlier

associated with the project.

Sports-drama Jhund, directed by

Nagraj Popatrao Manjule, will

debut in theatres on June 18.

Source: Hindustan Times

H o r o s c o p e

ArIes

(March 21 - April 20) : Watch out for

the green-eyed monster today, Aries. It

can rear up before you can say

"jealousy." Most situations that cause

these feelings are born out of insecurity. If you aren't

secure in your job, relationship, or family, and feel

threatened by someone, it's time to take a look at the

cause. Why you don't feel as solid as you could?

What's causing the insecurity? Look for the answers.

TAUrUs

(April 21 - May 21) : You may feel

insecure about your appearance today,

Taurus. This can be a vicious cycle to

get into. The result is almost always

negative. Rather than pick yourself apart, consider

finding ways to accept your looks. Whether it's your

weight or age or anything else, if you can't accept

yourself, you will always find something wrong no

matter how many changes you make.

GeMINI

(May 22 - June 21) : Jealousy might rear

its head today, Gemini. The key to it all is to

understand where and why you feel

insecure. If you're jealous of a mate, what's

going on in the relationship? Is trust an issue? If this

comes up at work, is it because you don't feel recognized

for your contributions? Examine the cause of jealousy.

It's almost always a symptom of a deeper problem.

cANcer

(June 22 - July 23) : Arts and crafts

may interest you today, Cancer. Even

if you lean more toward sports, an

artistic streak will likely run pretty

strong in you. The process of creating can be

richly satisfying, both in the process and in the

satisfaction of a finished product. Allow yourself

the opportunity to explore this, as the day's energy

will lend much to your abilities.

Leo

(July 24 - Aug. 23): Getting along

with others may prove challenging

today, Leo. The influence from the

planetary aspects can have you

preferring to withdraw and isolate. You might feel

impatient and annoyed. If so, and being alone is an

option, go for it. If it isn't, you will need to curb the

tendency to be argumentative or confrontational.

Exercise patience and avoid conflict.

VIrGo

(Aug. 24 - Sept. 23): Don't be surprised if

you're a little weepy today, Virgo. The

influence from planets can enhance your

sensitivity to almost everything, including

your own feelings. Take heart. It's bound to be shortlived.

Cry if you need to, since it can be cleansing. Try

not to wallow too much. Chances are good that things

will look better tomorrow. Take care of yourself today.

LIBrA

(Sept. 24 - Oct. 23): Fanaticism or

obsessive thinking may be something you

need to look at today, Libra. Common

areas for such behaviors are in the pursuit

of money, power, success, and romance. There's a fine

line between ambition and obsession. If you find that

you think of nothing else but one fixation, it may be time

to talk with someone about it. He or she may see what

you don't want to see.

scorpIo

(Oct. 24 - Nov. 22) : Don't act

impulsively today, Scorpio. It could be

easy to confuse this with spontaneity.

One has more thought put into it than

the other. With this day's influence, be certain to

look before you leap. Think everything through,

from decisions to projects to contracts. Read the

fine print more than once. When it comes to

relationships, be careful not to trust too quickly.

sAGITTArIUs

(Nov. 23 - Dec. 21): Is it time to take a more

drastic approach to a problem, Sagittarius? If

you've made several attempts to resolve your

trouble but to no avail, you might consider it.

As long as "drastic" doesn't mean "destructive," you may

find success trying something far more forward and

insistent. Be careful, however. Think things through

carefully first. Run any ideas you have past a trusted friend.

cAprIcorN

(Dec. 22 - Jan. 20): Tap into your creativity

to unblock the emotional flow today,

Capricorn. This can be a powerful tool.

Creativity is a big part of who you are,

almost as big as communication. Your emotions link

to these two aspects and constantly interact beneath

the surface. If one gets blocked, release it by focusing

on the other. Express yourself through creativity and

consider talking to someone close.

AQUArIUs

(Jan. 21 - Feb. 19) : You may need to deal

with someone's disapproval today,

Aquarius. This will likely come from

someone you see as either a superior or

authority figure, perhaps a parent. While it's important

to listen to this person, if what they say involves your

job, personal life, or how you choose to live, it's no one's

concern but yours. No matter how you do things,

someone will disapprove somewhere.

pIsces

(Feb. 20 - Mar. 20) : Time alone is

essential for everyone, Pisces, but make

sure you recognize when you're isolated to

the point where it's unhealthy. If you

realize you're alone because you're avoiding something,

you might consider your alternatives. Things will only

fester under these conditions. Face whatever it is that's

upsetting you so you can begin to work things out.

MonDAY, MARCH 1, 2021

11



e-Tender Notice

An agreement has been signed between Bangladesh Hi-Tech Park Authority and Rangs Electronics

Limited for allotment of land in Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Hi-Tech Park on Sunday at the Pan

Pacific Sonargaon Hotel in the capital.

Photo: Courtesy

Rangs Electronics Limited to manufacture

electronics products at Bangabandhu

Sheikh Mujib Hi-Tech Park

An agreement has been signed between

Bangladesh Hi-Tech Park Authority

and Rangs Electronics Limited for

allotment of land in Bangabandhu

Sheikh Mujib Hi-Tech Park, Sylhet.

The agreement was signed on Sunday,

February 28 at 12 noon at the Pan

Pacific Sonargaon Hotel in the

capital,says a press release.

Hosne Ara Begum, Managing

Director (Secretary) on behalf of


and Mr. J. Ekram Hossain signed the

agreement.

State Minister for Information and

Communication Technology Mr.

Zunaid Ahmed Palak MP was present

as the Chief Guest at the signing ceremony.

Under the agreement,


allotted 32 acres of land to Rangs

Electronic Limited at Bangabandhu

Thailand starts

COVID-19

vaccination

BANGKOK : Thailand on

Sunday started its COVID-19

vaccination roll-out, with the

first shot, using China's Sinovac

vaccine,going to Deputy Prime

Minister and Public Health

Minister AnutinCharnvirakul.

Thai Prime Minister Prayut

Chan-o-cha presided over the

event at thecountry's infectious

disease institute, where other

officials, includingdeputy public

health minister, agriculture

minister, culture minister anddeputy

education minister,

were also vaccinated with the

Sinovac vaccine."It's a historic

day and a day to help the country

rebuild confidenceagainst

the pandemic," Prayut told

reporters after all the recipients

of thevaccine ended their 30-

minute observation period and

had shown no adversereaction.

Sheikh Mujib Hi-Tech Park, Sylhet.

They will invest 80 million US dollars

in this park. It will also provide policy

support for investment as well as work

jointly.

Speaking as the chief guest, State

Minister for Information and

Communication Technology Zunaid

Ahmed Palak MP said, "So far, 20 companies

have allotted a total of 74.08

acres of land and 16,500 square feet of

space in Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib

Hi-Tech Park, Sylhet." The organizations

have promised to start operations

there soon.

According to the targets of the companies,

we expect about 50,000 people

to be employed here. Many more local

and foreign companies are interested

in investing in the park as there is a

huge potential for Indian Seven Sisters

to enter the market from this park in

Sylhet. That is why we are taking initiative

to acquire another 640 acres of

land in the vicinity of the park. Of this,

85 acres are under proposal.

He added that there are more than

one lakh students in Sylhet including

Shahjalal University of Science and

Technology, Sylhet Medical College,

Sylhet MC College. Considering them,

Hon'ble Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina

said of establishing a high-tech park

for the region.

Following the footsteps, she laid the

foundation stone of Sylhet Hi-Tech

Park on January 21, 2016 and created

an opportunity to build Sylhet as a

technology city to fulfill the dreams of

the people of Sylhet. Bangabandhu

Sheikh Mujib Hi-Tech Park will play

an important role as a digital economic

hub of technology based employment.

Australian Online Education

Fair going to start

who want to study in

Australia is that an online

education fair titled 'Higher

Education fair in Australia

2021' is going to be held in

Dhaka under the initiative

of Pack Asia

Bangladesh. You will be

able to join the fair

online from home from

March 1 - March 5.

Every fair's day will be

scheduled by 10.30 am

to 4 pm. To participate

in this fair, students

need to go to

https://rebrand.ly/ auexpo2021

Once registered, you will

get chance to talk to representatives

of all reputed

universities in Australia in

one-to-one video calls. They

will assess the qualifications

of students nominated

for their university.

The fair includes Curtin

University, Monash

University, UTS University,

Macquarie University,

Australian Catholic

University, Deakin

University, RMIT

University, La Trobe

University, CQ University,

Navitas, UTS College, Edith

Cowan University and

Wollongong University will

participate.

About the fair, Pac

Asia Bangladesh

Representative Pradip

Roy said the fair will

provide details about

the application process

for students of different

Australian universities,

part-time job

opportunities, poststudy

work permits, scholarships

and other issues.

The university's application

fee is free for the students

participating in the

fair.

Contact: 01713243422/25

Iqvmv-R:Z: 84/2021

GD-329/21 (5x4)

Corrigendum to Invitation for Tenders (International)

638

GD-336/21 (6x4)





Invitation for Tenders (Works)

e-Tender Notice No. 07/2020-21

e-GP Tender Notice No: 2020-21/No-3

GD-333/21 (6x4)

GD-334/21 (7x4)

Monday, Dhaka, March 1, 2021, Falgun 16, 1427 BS, Rajab 16, 1442 Hijri

88 lakh more prepayment

meters to be set up by 2022

DHAKA: The power division plans to

install 88 lakh more smart prepayment

power meters across the country to

ensure hassle-free service to consumer,

reports BSS.

"Process is underway to install 88 lakh

more smart prepayment meters through

various projects taken by power distribution

companies," Director (Sustainable

Energy) of Power Cell Md AbdurRouf

Miah told BSS here yesterday.

The power distribution companies

have so far completed installation of

some 38,71,124 smart prepayment

meters till January 31, 2021, he said.

State Minister for Power, Energy and

Mineral Resources Nasrul Hamid said,

"The government led by Prime Minister

Sheikh Hasina has relentlessly been

working to bring all citizens under power

coverage as the generation capacity now

reached 24,421 MW."

He said the entire power consumers

will be brought under smart prepayment

metering system, which would also help

reducing system losses, pilferage of

power and meter tempering.

"Once the smart prepayment meters

are installation completed, consumers

will not need to go to vending stations,

rather, they will be able to recharge their

cards using their own means from home

or abroad to continue to get electricity

service," Nasrul Hamid said.

Talking to BSS, Imran Hasan

The Annual Winter Exercise of Bangladesh Air Force 'WINTEX- 2021' began at all BAF Bases and Units on

Saturday.All types of BAF fighter aircraft, transport aircraft, helicopters, radar squadrons, Surface to Air Missile

(SAM) unit and all BAF personnel are taking part in the exercise.

Photo: Star Mail

60-day ban on fishing

in Meghna, Padma

begins today

DHAKA : The government has imposed

a two-month restriction on fishing in

Padma, Meghna and other rivers in six

districts from March 1 to April 30 aiming

to preserve jatka (hilsa fry less than

nine inches long).

During the period, catching of all sorts

of fish will be prohibited totally in five

hilsa sanctuaries in six districts -

Barishal, Chandpur, Laxmipur, Bhola,

Shariatpur and Patuakhali, said a press

release of the Fisheries and Livestock

Ministry.

The ban will be effective on the five

hilsa sanctuaries - 100km stretch in

the Meghna river starting from

Shatnol of Chandpur to Char

Alexander of Laxmipur, 90km strip

of Shahbazpur Channel at Meghna

estuary in Bhola, 100km stretch of

the Tetulia river starting from

Bheduria in Bhola to Char Rostma in

Patuakhali, 20km strip at lower

Padma (Padma confluence) in

Shariatpur and 82km strip in the

Meghna river (from Hizla to

Mehendiganj) in Barisal.

If any person catches fish from the

hilsa sanctuaries violating the government

restriction, he or she will be

penalised Taka 5,000 or sentenced to

one to two year imprisonment or both.

During March to June, some 2,43,778

fishermen will receive 40 kilograms of

food aid each to help them refrain from

fishing in the six hilsa sanctuaries.

Majumder, a resident of East

Shewrapara in the city and also a consumer

of DESCO, said that the prepayment

smart meter has brought respite to

his electricity bill payment over the last

one year. Imran said he can top up the

bill anytime through using different

mobile financial services. He, however,

opined to lower various charges on the

monthly bill.

According to the official statistics, distribution

companies installed 38,71,124

single and three phase smart prepayment

meters till January 31, 2021. Of

these meters, Bangladesh Power

Development Board (BPDB) set up

13,19,350 smart prepayment meters,

including 12,89,920 single phase and

29,430 three phase.

Bangladesh Rural Electrification

Board (BREB) installed 11,10,568

meters including 10,96,968 single phase

and 13,600 three phase smart prepayment

meters. Dhaka Power Distribution

Company Limited (DPDC) set up

5,20,844 including 4,71,426 single phase

and 49,418 three phase.

Dhaka Electric Supply Company

Limited (DESCO) installed 5,55,225

smart prepayment meters, of which

5,04,443 single phase and 50,782 three

phase meters, while West Zone Power

Distribution Company Limited (WZPD-

CL) set up 3,51,698 meter smart prepayment

meters including 3,42,844 single

DHAKA : The High Court has dismissed

a rule issued upon a writ petition

challenging a decision of the

Ministry of Finance to take back

timescale facilities given to 48,720

government primary school teachers,

reports BSS.

A High Court division bench comprising

Justice JBM Hasan and

Justice Khairul Alam passed the

order yesterday.

Deputy Attorney General Tushar

Kanti Roy appeared for the state at

the hearing, while Barrister

Mokshedul Islam appeared for the

petitioners.

Barrister Islam told BSS that the

High Court dismissed the rule issued

against the Finance Ministry's circular

to return the time scale of 48,720

teachers of nationalized primary

schools across the country.

At the same time, the court asked

the petitioners to appeal against the

circular to the administrative tribunal.

Barrister Islam also said that the

Appellate Division on January 13,

directed to dispose of the rule regarding

the time scale of teachers within

phase and 8,854 three phase and

Northern Electric Supply Company

Limited (NESCO) installed 13,439 smart

prepayment meters including 13,053

single phase and 386 three phase.

The official statistics said the distribution

companies will set up 22, 26,600

smart prepayment meters in the financial

year 2020-2021, while over

37,11,463 meter smart prepayment

meters were installed till the last year.

The BPDB will set up all 32,52,338

smart prepayment meters while BREB

3,00,00,000, DPDC 14,00,017, DESCO

10,23,450, WZPDCL 12,77,346 and

NESCO 16,10,587 across the country in

phases. Talking to BSS, Director General

of Power Cell Engineer Mohammad

Hossain said after bringing all consumers

under smart prepayment metering

system, there will not be any anomaly

in electricity billing process.

He said six distribution companies will

bring a total of 3,86,28,851 power consumers

under smart prepayment metering

system within 2023.

"Number of power consumers has also

been increasing everyday as new connections

were made daily. The target to

ensure reliable electricity for all by 2021

through integrated development of

power generation, transmission and distribution

system and access to quality

electricity in a cost-effective and affordable

manner," he said.

HC dismisses rule

regarding time scale

of primary teachers

three weeks. After the hearing on

February 25, today was set for giving

the verdict.

According to the case statement, on

August 12, 2020, the Ministry of

Finance issued a circular to take back

the 'time scale' benefits availed by

48,720 teachers of primary schools

which were nationalized.

The aggrieved teachers filed the

writ petition at the High Court on

August 31, 2020, challenging the

validity of the circular.

The High Court after hearing the

writ petition, suspended the circular

for six months and also issued a rule

over the matter. The state later

appealed against the High Court to

the Appellate Division.

On September 13, the Appellate

Division Chamber Court passed a stay

order in this regard, Barrister Islam

added.

Later, the teachers pleaded to the

Appellate Division seeking revocation

of the stay order. The Appellate

Division on January 13 asked the

High Court Division to dispose of the

writ case within three weeks.

Bangladesh's daily

Covid-19 infection

rate drops below 3%

DHAKA : Bangladesh's daily Covid-19

positivity rate has dropped below 3%

after going over the mark for two days,

reports UNB.

The daily Covid-19 infection rate was

3.30% on Saturday and 3.13% on

Friday. The country recorded 385 more

Covid-19 infections from 13,411 samples

tested until early Sunday, resulting in a

daily test positivity rate of 2.87%.

With the new infections, 546,216 people

have now tested positive for the virus

in the country since the start of the pandemic.

Also, the country saw eight new

Covid-19 deaths, taking the national

tally to 8,408. The fatality rate stood at

1.54%, the Directorate General of

Health Services said.

The overall infection rate stood at

13.51%. However, 496,924 patients -

90.98% - have recovered so far. Covid-

19 vaccination drive in Bangladesh.

Bangladesh launched a countrywide

coronavirus vaccination drive on

February 7.

By Sunday, 3,110,525 people had

received the first dose of the Oxford-

AstraZeneca vaccine. The second dose

has to be taken between 8 and 12 weeks

of the first one.

The government is providing the vaccine

free of cost. It signed an agreement

with India's Serum Institute for 30 million

doses of the vaccine.

The institute will provide five million

doses every month between January and

June. People, who are 40 or above, can

register for the vaccine at

www.surokkha.gov.bd. The on-spot registration

system has been scrapped.

Indictment hearing

in two cases against

Khaleda March 14

DHAKA: A Dhaka court yesterday set

March 14 for holding hearing on

charge framing in two cases lodged

against BNP chairperson Begum

Khaleda Zia for celebrating fake birthday

on National Mourning Day and

stigmatizing the War of Liberation by

rehabilitating anti-liberation forces,

reports BSS.

Today was fixed for holding a hearing

on the matter, but Additional Chief

Metropolitan Magistrate Asaduzzaman

Noor reset the date allowing a time plea

of the defence.

Journalist Gazi Jahirul Islam lodged

the case against Khaleda on August 30,

2016, and the court on that day issued

summon against her.

According to the complainant,

Khaleda from 1996 has been celebrating

her fake birthday on August 15, the

day when Father of the Nation

Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur

Rahman was martyred along with

most of his family members. She is

doing this on purpose only to dishonour

the Father of the Nation.

The complainant also submitted

copies of different newspaper reports on

Khaleda's birthday, copies of her passport,

marriage certificate and mark

sheets, which indicates her birthday on

any other day but August 15.

Jananetri Parishad president AB

Siddiqui filed the other case on

November 3, 2016, against Khaleda

Zia and her late husband Ziaur

Rahman for stigmatizing the War of

Liberation by rehabilitating anti-

Liberation War elements.

DHAKA : Over 50 people, including

cops, were injured in a series of clashes

between the activists of Jatiyatabadi

Chhatra Dal (JCD) and police in front

the Jatiya Press Club in Dhaka on

Sunday morning, reports UNB.

The trouble began around 11 am as

police reportedly obstructed them from

holding a rally in protest against the

death of writer Mushtaq Ahmed and

demanding abolition of the Digital

Security Act.

Witnesses said the JCD activists gathered

in front the Press Club in the morning.

As they tried to stage demonstrations

around 11 am, police obstructed

them saying that they do not have any

permission to hold a rally.

At one stage of altercation over the

issue, police charged baton on the JCD

men and fired teargas shells to disperse

them.

The JCD men also hurled brickbats at

the police, leading to a series of clashes

that lasted for about 40 minutes.

When some JCD men took shelter at

the Press Club premises, police chased

them and beat them up.

BNP secretary general Mirza Fakhrul

Islam Alamgir was inside the Press Club

when the clash broke out and he then

left the place in a car.

JCD president Fazlur Rahman

Khokon said over 50 people, including

JCD activists, ATN Bangla senior cameraperson

Mamun and some 5-6 staffers

of the Jatiya Press Club were injured in

the clash. Police picked up some JCD

activists from the spot, he added.

Ramna Zone DC Sazzadur Rahman

told reporters that permission from the

DMP Commissioner is needed to hold

A series of

clashes between

the activists of

Jatiyatabadi

Chhatra Dal

(JCD) and

police broke

out in front

the Jatiya

Press Club

in Dhaka

on Sunday

morning.

Photo: Star Mail

JCD activists clash with police

in city; over 50 injured

such a programme at any place of Dhaka

city but JCD did not take any such permission

from the Dhaka Metropolitan

(DMP). Legal action will be taken

against them, he said.

Writer Mushtaq reportedly suffered

a heart attack inside his cell at

Kashimpur Prison on Thursday

evening. "He was rushed to Shaheed

Tajuddin Medical College Hospital

where he was declared brought dead,"

Senior Jail Superintendent Md Gias

Uddin said.

An unnatural death case has been filed

with Sadar Police Station under Gazipur

Metropolitan Police in connection with

Mushtaq's custodial death.

The 53-year-old writer, who published

the book "Kumir Chaasher Diary" under

the pen name Michael Kumir Thakur,

was picked up by Rapid Action Battalion

(RAB) personnel from his Lalmatia

home on May 2, allegedly for posts over

the handling of the Covid-19 pandemic.

On August 20, he was shifted to

Kashimpur prison, Gias Uddin said.

Calls for Mushtaq's release were widespread

and sustained throughout his

time in prison. Soon after his arrest,

more than 300 dignitaries in

Bangladesh issued a joint statement

demanding his release.

However, his bail applications were

turned down on at least four occasions.

Left-leaning student bodies, including

Bangladesh Chhatra Front, Chhatra

Federation and Bangladesh Students

Rights Protection Council, on Friday

and Saturday staged demonstrations on

the Dhaka University campus, protesting

the death of writer Mushtaq Ahmed

under police custody.

Two recently-relinquished offshore

gas blocks remain unexploited

DHAKA : Two recently-relinquished offshore

gas blocks remain unexploited as

the government has to spend about $1.7

billion to import liquefied natural gas

(LNG) to meet domestic demands,

reports BSS.

According to official sources in stateowned

Petrobangla, data from seismic

surveys in the two blocks - shallow water

block SS-11 and the deep water block

DS-12 - show huge potentials of hydrocarbon

resources. Australian company

Santos relinquished SS-11 in December

2019 while South Korean company

Posco gave up block DS-12 in December

2020, they said.

"Acquired data from these two blocks

show a huge hydrocarbon prospects, but

they remain unexploited due to lack of

proper initiative," a senior official of

Petrobangla said requesting anonymity

as "things are very sensitive".

Officials said initially, DS-12 was

awarded to Posco-Daewoo Corporation,

a joint venture of Korean Posco and

Daewoo, in December 2016 under production

sharing contract (PSC) through

the Speedy Supply of Power and Energy

(Special Provisions) Act 2010 that does

not need to follow bidding process.

Under the PSC, the contractor is

obliged to meet all expenses alone in

hydrocarbon exploration. But if any oil

or gas is found, the contractor will get a

substantial share of the resources while

the remaining part will go to the government's

ownership.

As per the deal, Petrobangla will buy

the contractor's gas at a certain price

defined in PSC.

Following the PSC's terms and condition,

Posco-Daewoo JV was carrying out

exploration works. But at one stage, Posco

acquired Daewoo's stake and became the

absolute stakeholder of the block. But in

the meantime, Posco, originally a steel

maker, changed its mind and decided to

wind up hydrocarbon business.

However, before closing the

Bangladesh operation, it was trying to

sell it out to any other oil company, but

failed to do so, said the Petrobangla officials.

They noted that until closing its

business, Posco conducted 2D seismic

survey in 3,580 linekilometres in 302

square kilometer area against its mandated

area of 1,800 line kilometres until

it left the block.

Petrobangla officials said substantial

fall in prices of oil and gas in the global

market was another reason that

prompted Posco to leave the gas block

business.

Under the PSC, Posco was entitled to

get natural gas price at around US$6.5

per mm Btu (million British thermal unit)

with a 2 percent annual price escalation

from the date of first gas production. But

it was not happy with such price calculating

its current and future investment to

implement a production plan, said a top

official of Petrobangla.

Acting Editor & Publisher : Jobaer Alam, Executive Editor : Sheikh Efaz Ahmed, 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.

Editorial and News Office: Bangladesh Timber Building (3rd Floor) 270/B, Tejgaon I/A Dhaka-1208. Tel : +8802-8878026, Cell : 01736786915; Fax: + 880244611604, Email: Editor : editor@thebangladeshtoday.com, Advertisement: ads@thebangladeshtoday.com, News: newsbangla@thebangladeshtoday.com, contact@thebangladeshtoday.com, website: www.thebangladeshtoday.com

01-03-2021

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