12-04-2021

MoNDAY, APRIL 12 2021
3
Seminar titled Army Chiefs' Conclave 2021 was held at Multi-purpose Complex of Dhaka
Cantonment yesterday.
Photo : ISPR
Radisson Blu
Chattogram Bay
View welcomes
its new Manager
S M AKASH, CHATTOGRAM
Radisson Blu Chattogram
Bay View welcomed its new
Hotel Manager "Ronny
Fuss" recently
Being the leading upscale
international chain hotel in
Chattogram, the hotel will
continue to provide its
quality services under the
supervision of the new
management.
With over 20 years' of
experience in the hospitality
industry in different
economies and cultures such
as the UK, Oman, Gabon,
Kenya and Senegal, Ronny is
taking over the
responsibilities of this
flagship hotel in these
unprecedented times.
His focus areas will be to
ensure the hotel's readiness
to serve its guests with all
necessary safety protocols in
this magnificent property.
JU inter-hall
debate
competition
ends
SAVAR : A two-day 'Inter
Hall Debate Competition-
2021' ended on Saturday at
Jahangirnagar University
(JU) campus, reports BSS.
With the slogan "Prangone
Prottoye Eksathe",
Jahangirnagar University
Debate Organisation
(JUDO) organised the
contest virtually.
A total of 16 teams from 16
dormitories of the university
participated in the meet.
Bishwakabi Rabindranath
Tagore Hall became
champion while Bangamata
Sheikh Fazilatunnesa Mujib
Hall clinched the runner-up
title at the debate
competition.
Besides, Naziul Islam
Shovon (45 batch) and
Prapti Taposhi (47 batch)
became "Debater of the
Tournament (DOT)" jointly.
Director of JU Student
Welfare Center, Professor
Abdul Mannan Chowdhury,
Prof Abdullahel Kafi of
International Relations
Department and former
secretary of the organisation
Sakhawat Jamil Sourov
were present, among others,
in the ending session of the
event.
Sanskrit learning
App "Little Guru" to
be launched Monday
DHAKA : Keeping pace with changing technology in
both access as well as teaching methods, Indian
Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) has tied up
with Gamapp Sportswizz Tech. Pvt. Ltd. to launch
"Little Guru," a specialized app for learning Sanskrit.
In Bangladesh, Indira Gandhi Cultural Centre,
High Commission of India, Dhaka will launch the
same on Monday in the Facebook handle of IGCCwww.facebook.com/IndiraGandhiCulturalCentre/
Little Guru will be a gamified app based on an
interactive platform which will make Sanskrit
learning easy, entertaining and fun, said the Indian
High Commission in Dhaka.
ICCR is launching a campaign to promote Sanskrit
language among students, religious scholars,
Indologists, historians across the world.
As a part of its mandate to promote the vibrant
cultural heritage of India, ICCR promotes Sanskrit
through providing books and material to Sanskrit
institutes all over the world.
ICCR deputes teachers and professors to
universities and institutes teaching Sanskrit.
This app will help people who are already learning
Sanskrit or those who are desirous to learn Sanskrit
to do so in an easy manner based on games,
competition, rewards, peer to peer interactions, etc.
This unique App combines education with
entertainment thereby helping keep attention of the
learner as well as encourage him/her to advance
further.
ICCR is confident that the launch of
this App 'Little Guru' will go a long way
in popularizing Sanskrit. Sanskrit
continues to be a living language, being
used by scholars accessing literary
texts.
This App would help create
awareness not only about language but
also open the doors for people to access
the rich cultural heritage of India.
RAKUB launches
real time gross
settlement system
RAJSHAHI : Rajshahi Krishi Unnayan
Bank (RAKUB) has entered into a new
trend of online banking services
through launching real time gross
settlement (RTGS) system.
With this breakthrough, from now on,
all clients of the bank can avail the interbanking
transaction facilities. Apart
from this, they can also carry out their
transaction with different other banks
instantly.
RAKUB Managing Director Ismail
Hossain has launched the RTGS
programme through video conferencing
at its local principal office on Sunday.
General Manager Joynal Abedeen,
Deputy General Manager Abul Kalam
and Assistant General Managers
Shawkat Shahidul Islam and SM
Ahsanullah were present on the
occasion. Speaking on the occasion,
Ismail Hossain hoped that the
businessmen and all other clients of the
bank can avail the inter-banking
transaction services instantly with
launching the modern online banking
system. He told the meeting that the
RAKUB has entered into the online
banking through launching the live
operation of Core Banking Solutions
(CBS) on December 19, 2019.
Subsequently, the RAKUB executed CBS
in all its 383 branches on December 14
last year aimed at providing modern
services to its clients, he added.
RAKUB Managing Director said the
RAKUB has not only developed the
agricultural sector in the country's
northwest region but also played a vital
role towards its industrialization.
He urged all concerned to be
committed to uphold the success in the
days to come.
Through its 383 branches at present,
RAKUB has been operating its activities
as the largest development partner in all
the 16 northwest districts of Rajshahi
and Rangpur divisions targeting the
agricultural sector and all its subsectors.
The view of Motijheel area of ending day of seven days'
lockdown.
Photo : Star Mail
Acting JMB
Amir arrested
DHAKA : Counter
Terrorism
and
Transnational Crime
(CTTC) unit of Dhaka
Metropolitan Police's (DMP)
arrested Rezaul Haque aka
Reza, the Acting Amir of
Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen
Bangladesh (JMB), from
Badda in Dhaka on Saturday
afternoon, reports UNB.
He also goes by the name
Tanvir Mahmud Shihab aka
Ahnaf. M Elias Sharif, DMP
Joint Commissioner of
Police said that the Special
Action Group Division of the
CTTC unit conducted a
special operation in the
Badda area of the capital on
Saturday afternoon and
arrested him. Elias stated
that Reza is also the chief of
the Da'wah and Baitulmal
department of JMB.
He was conducting JMB
activities across the country
as per the directives of top
JMB leader, fugitive
Salahuddin Salehin.
He was arrested for
involvement in a series of
bomb attacks in the country in
2005 and rejoined the party
after securing bail in 2017.
There are two cases
against him in GRP and
Airport Police Station.
According to the CTTC,
Amir Rezaul, who is in
charge of the current
organizational structure of
the JMB, is the only Shura
member of the JMB.
South Korea to provide $1m for
fire response efforts in Cox's Bazar
DHAKA : South Korean government has
decided to provide emergency support of
US$ one million to the International
Organization of Migration (IOM) to carry
out fire response efforts in Cox's Bazar.
The fund will contribute to the massive
humanitarian endeavours required to
respond to a devastating fire that broke out
at several Rohingya camps on March 22 last,
an IOM press release said.
"IOM is implementing its emergency
response in affected camps in close
collaboration with the Bangladesh
government, the Inter-Sector Coordination
Group (ISCG), other UN agencies,
international and local NGOs," the release said.
Moving forward, it said, IOM's response is
focused on both critical life-saving
interventions as well as long-term recovery
efforts.
Through its interventions, IOM aims to
provide safe and dignified living conditions
for the affected people by using a
participatory site planning approach and
environmentally-conscious and sustainable
construction, the release added.
"IOM will also focus on the rehabilitation
and construction of vital water points,
latrines and shower areas, which will ensure
that the most basic human rights of the
affected population are respected," it said.
The construction of shelters will employ a
community-led approach, which will include
the participation of affected families and
Cash-for-Work activities related to
distributions, porter support and
construction works.
New liquefied petroleum gas (LPG)
cylinders will be provided to replace those
that were destroyed in the blaze as well as
refills for all the affected families. LPG
enables families to be self-reliant and cook
for themselves according to their likes and
needs, the release said.
Participatory needs assessments will be
conducted in the three fire-hit camps to
identify vulnerabilities, risks and potential
self-reliance activities for all, particularly for
women and girls.
Given the fact that most of the refugees'
possessions perished in the fire, IOM will
replace their assets according to an ongoing
Vulnerability Analysis Mapping.
IOM will be able to continue the provision
of essential health services in the affected
camps through its health post as well as
multiple Mobile Medical Teams.
"We're extremely grateful for the support
received today from the government of the
Republic of Korea," said IOM's Deputy Chief
of Mission in Bangladesh Manuel Marques
Pereira.
Pereira said this assistance will be vital for
the efforts to rebuild the Rohingya camps
from the ground up and to ensure that those
most vulnerable have access to crucial
services.
Since the latest influx of Rohingya refugees
in 2017, South Korea has been extending
continuous support to humanitarian
organisations to respond to this colossal
international humanitarian crisis as well as
to assist host communities.
Bangladesh is currently hosting more than
1.1 million forcibly displaced Myanmar
nationals. Most of them fled here after the
Myanmar army launched a brutal offensive
on the ethnic minority in August 2017.
This is how people are shopping in the market, amid the epidemic corona. The picture is taken from
Gauchia Market in the capital on Sunday.
Photo: PBA
Communication thru
IT must for country's
development : Tajul
DHAKA : Local Government, Rural
Development and Cooperatives Minister
Md Tajul Islam yesterday said that
communication through information
technology is pragmatic and time-befitting
approach for overall development of the
country, reports BSS.
"One of the key ways of development of
the country is to improve communication
system. At present, not only
communication but also communication
through information technology has
become inevitable " the minister said .
Tajul said nowadays , we incline to e-
commerce in everything stretching from
food to luxury products though on the very
onset it was in small scale but now a kind
of dependency on digitalization has been
created ," he said.
He was virtually speaking at the policy
conference on "Rural to Global e-
Commerce Policy Conference 2021" ,
organized by e-Commerce Association of
Bangladesh (e-CAB).
The minister inaugurated the first
session of the Policy Conference.
The LGRD minister said that e-
Commerce Association of Bangladesh (e-
CAB) and the private sector of the country
have been working untiringly to improve
today's digital life of the people.
State Minister for Information and
Communication Technology (ICT) Zunaid
Ahmed Palak also attended the conference
while Senior Secretary of the Ministry of
Commerce Hafizur Rahman presented the
key note paper on the occasion.
e-CAB Investment Standing Committee
Vice Chairman Farah Mahmud Trina
conducted the programme with e-Cab
President Shami Kaiser in the chair.
BSTI strengthens anti-adulteration
drives ahead of Ramadan: Humayun
DHAKA : Industries Minister Nurul Majid Mahmud Humayun on
Sunday said Bangladesh Standards and Testing Institution (BSTI)
intensified its anti-adulteration drives through mobile courts across
the country to ensure safe food during the holy month of Ramadan.
"Throughout the year, BSTI conducts mobile court and surveillance
drives across the country. BSTI has strengthened its drives ahead of
Ramadan to prevent the production of adulterated foods," he said in a
virtual media briefing in the city, said a press release.
Apart from Dhaka city, Humayun said the anti-adulteration drives
would simultaneously be conducted at different upazilas across the
country. The minister said that regional offices of the BSTI would
conduct anti-adulteration drives at the district and upazila levels.
Humayun also said BSTI has already collected samples of 661 food
items, largely consumed during the fasting month of Ramadan, from
the markets for tests to ensure their qualities and check adulteration.
"We have already received the reports of 661 samples. Out of the
samples, 438 have been found okay," he added.
He said BSTI will monitor the bottled water factories across the
country through high-powered surveillance teams aimed at ensuring
safe drinking water during the Ramadan.
"BSTI conducted a total of 73 special mobile courts from March 2020
to March 2021 for ensuring quality food. During the period, around
Taka 25.76 lakh was realized as fine and 10 factories sealed," he added.
The minister further said that businessmen involved with food
adulteration should abstain from the malpractice as it could also harm
their own family members.
Mentioning that BSTI conducted a total of 476 mobile courts till
March 2021 from March 2020, the industries minister said during this
period, nearly Taka 3.92 crore has been realized as fine.
Besides, some 45 organisations have been sealed on the charges of
adulteration, he added. Humayun also informed that the country has
adequate storage of sugar and salt. He said the maximum retail price
of per kg sugar has been fixed at Taka 63 at the sugar mill gate while
the selling price of per-kg packet sugar is Taka 68 in the truck-sale
programme. State Minister for Industries Kamal Ahmed Mojumder,
Industries Secretary K M Ali Azam and senior officials of the ministry,
among others, joined the meeting.