09-02-2022

Wednesday, Dhaka: February 9, 2022; magh 26, 1428 bs; rajab 7, 1443 hijri
information and broadcasting minister Dr hasan mahmud addressing a press briefing at the conference room
of Chattogram circuit house.
photo : star mail
Moulvibazar court asks for
report scrutining cruelty
against elephant cubs
AmAl KAnti Deb, moulvibAzAr CorresponDent
Moulvibazar Chief Judicial Magistrate Judge
Muhammad Ali Ahsan directed the concerned
department to take legal action after seeing the
video of physical abuse of baby elephants on
social media. Muhammad Ali Ahsan issued the
order (as per Section 25 of 1898) directing the
concerned to immediately stop the inhuman
and cruel treatment of elephants in the name
of training. According to the Wildlife
(Conservation and Security) Act, 2012 and
Animal Welfare Act, 2019, the inaction of Juri
Thana Officer-in-Charge and Divisional Forest
Officer, Department of Wildlife Management
and Nature Conservation, Moulvibazar has
been instructed to provide show cause by
March 15. The inquiry report and show cause
reply are scheduled to be submitted within the
mentioned date.
Both the investigating officers in their
report mentioned the names and
addresses of those involved in elephant
poaching, the number of elephants that
have died in brutal torture in the name of
training since independence, how the
elephants were collected And how many
have been licensed for training. And to
inform the court in detail what steps have
been taken in accordance with the law to
prevent such cruelty to elephants.
Note that in the ancient method called
'Hadani', wild elephants are kept in the training
center. At the tender age, elephants are
tied to ropes and the tree poles, mother elephants
are kept away, baby elephants are
brutally tortured and not given enough food.
In this way, after giving training for 2
months, these elephants are taken to perform
in the circuses and tree shifting. In the
Goalbari union of Juri upazila of
Moulvibazar district, deep into the hills, the
work of domestication is going on like beating
a four-year-old elephant cub to subdue it.
Sometimes an instrument named 'Kuku'
made of iron is being used for torture. The
mother elephant's name is Nurjahan, she
has two children. The owner wants to use the
two four- and five-year-old elephants for
business. A group of people who do not have
institutional knowledge has been brought in
the name of training. Locally this training is
called 'Hadani'.
Cruel physical torture is the main weapon
of this two to three month long training technique.
At this point, the elephant insists on
being chained, and in agony, they lift their
trunk up and groan. At intervals, the elephant
is fed sweets mixed with straw. Then
they are pulled out of the wooden logs and
dragged with ropes to various places. Then it
is tied again. Elephant cubs also fell to the
ground at this time. But this torture in the
name of training does not stop. The seven
cuckoos in the hands of the seven trainers,
with which the endless sting goes. Half of the
elephants trained under that method died.
In spite of the existence of customary law in
the country for taming elephants, in this illegal
and ancient way and elephants are subjected
to cruel torture.
As a result, many elephants die in infancy.
Human beings are forced to succumb to
this painful process. As a result, many elephants
become mentally ill. Which is commonly
called crazy elephant. Most of the
time people fall to their deaths due to the
attack of that mad elephant.
Nasir's dream cattle farm
in Jashore
shAhiD Joy, JAshore
Nasir Uddin, a successful cattle farmer
from Putkhali village bordering Benapole
in Jashore, has been building his dream
cattle farm for 15 years. Many people are
building small cattle farms after seeing
him. The largest cattle congregation sheds
are now empty as cattle smuggling from
India has stopped. Two thousand cattle
traders associated with cattle walks are living
unemployed lives.
Some of the cattle traders are now van
drivers, some are easybike drivers and some
are working as day laborers. One of them is
cattle trader Nasiruddin, starting with a
small cattle farm with only five cows.
Nasir Uddin is a successful farmer from
Putkhali, a village on the border of Benapole.
Nasir started his journey with only 5 cows of
Nepali breed in 2013. Later he bought 5
more cows with a loan of Tk 3 lakh from an
NGO and some of his own capital. From 10
cows, the breed has reached today's farm
through phased breeding.
Now just move forward. He is working
tirelessly. Hard work has given him the news
of success. At present the annual income is
about two crore taka.
It is learned that at present his farm has
120 dairy cows. He gets up to 500-600 liters
of milk per day from these cows. He provides
this milk daily to various dairy processing
companies and sweet shops. At present his
farm has 120 cows, 550 bulls and 120 calves.
Its estimated market value is about 1 crore
taka. In addition to the cattle dairy farm
there is a goat farm. Where there are about
125 goats of local and improved breeds. At
present 65 workers are working in his farm.
The workers are getting their salary from 8
thousand to 12 thousand taka.
The farmer, Nasir Uddin, said that every
year, after deducting expenses, an income
of BDT 1.5 to 2 crore is earned. He added
that the success of his farm was due to the
cooperation of the local livestock officer.
Cattle farms can be a recourse to eliminate.
With the help of the government, it is
possible to eliminate 30% unemployment
in this sector. Following him, many people
in the area are now farming cows, goats
and poultry. People in the border areas in
particular have been inspired by Nasir's
success to become self-reliant.
Hadiuzzaman, former chairman of
Putkhali Union, said, "I saw Nasir Uddin
come to this place today with a lot of
effort." Seeing Nasir, many men and
women of the union have changed their
fortunes by running small cattle farms.
Jashore District Animal Resources
Department official Rashedul Haque said,
'Nasir's farm is a big cattle farm. He is a
skilled farmer. Seeing him, others in the village
are being encouraged to keep cows.
Mirza Fakhrul's
great quality is
that he can lie
confidently: Hasan
CHATTOGRM : Information and
Broadcasting Minister Dr Hasan Mahmud
said that the great quality of BNP Secretary
General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir is
that he can lie frequently with confidence.
"When we said that Mr. Fakhrul had
written a letter to the foreigners to stop aid
to the country, he had committed anti-state
acts," he said.
"Fakrul then told a press conference that
he didn't write any letter. When we showed
the copy of that letter to journalists and
handed it over to the media representatives
then BNP did not give any reply," he added.
"As a politician, I am really ashamed to
see and hear that a party secretary general
can lie in this way," Hasan said.
The minister stated these as the chief
guest while addressing the Bangladesh
Journalists' Welfare Trust cheque distribution
ceremony yesterday at
Bangabandhu Hall of Chattogram
Press Club (CPC) in the city.
Chattogram Union of Journalists (CUJ)
President Mohammad Ali presided over
the function while Managing Director of
Bangladesh Journalist Welfare Trust
Subhash Chandra Mondol, CPC President
Ali Abbas, Member of Bangladesh
Journalist Welfare Trust Kalim Sarwar,
Vice President of BFUJ Shahidul Alam,
General Secretary of CPC Chowdhury
Farid and General Secretary of CUJ
Shamsul Islam, among others, addressed
the function.
Hasan said that the political party which
believes in changing of power with the verdict
of the people through elections or the
political party which has to sustain with the
support of the people cannot last without
elections. "The mistake that the BNP is
making like their suicide, that's all I can
say," he added.
Hasan also joint general secretary of the
Awami League said the government had
formed a search committee to form a
strong election commission.
"When mangoes are ripen in the trees
people throw stones. But criticism should
not be like the blind and the deaf. As well as
criticism and good work should also be
praised. We need to consider what this government
has done for journalists, what it is
doing and whether it has happened in the
past," he said.
Dhaka, Tokyo to work together to
build prosperous future for all:FM
Complete automation of bond
facility by 2023:NBR chairman
DHAKA : National Board of Revenue (NBR)
chairman Abu Hena Md Rahmatul Muneem
said that the bond facility will be completely
automated by 2023 so that no one can gain
illegal benefit from the system.
He made the remarks yesterday at a prebudget
discussion with the members of the
Economic Reporters Forum (ERF) at the
NBR office in the capital.
The NBR chairman urged the concerned
officials to be careful so that foreign nationals
cannot join any job by arriving here in tourist
visas aiming to evade the tax.
He also sought cooperation from other
ministries and government agencies so that
the local employers feel discouraged to
employ foreign nationals, those who come
here with tourist visas.
At the programme, ERF President
Sharmeen Rinvy and General Secretary SM
Rashidul Islam placed a set of recommendations
for the next budget for fiscal 2022-23.
DHAKA : The Executive Committee of
National Economic Council (Ecnec) on
Tuesday okayed the first revision of the
4th Health, Population and Nutrition
Sector Programme (4th HPNSP) raising
its cost by Tk 30,448.62 crore and
extending the project deadline by one
year till June 2023, reports UNB.
Ecnec approved a total of 11 development
projects with the overall estimate
cost of Tk 37,507 crore (counting only
additional costs of four revised projects).
The approval came from the virtual
Ecnec meeting, which was presided over by
Encec chair and Prime Minister Sheikh
Hasina from her official residence
DHAKA : Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul
Momen on Tuesday said the relations
between Bangladesh and Japan have steadily
grown from strength to strength with
accelerated pace in recent years since
Bangabandhu's visit to Japan, reports UNB.
Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh
Mujibur Rahman paid the historic visit to
Japan in October 1973.
"As we cross the milestone of 50 years of
friendship, I'm confident that together we
can build a peaceful and prosperous future
for all," Dr Momen said.
The Foreign Minister made the remarks
while addressing a function on the occasion
of the 50th anniversary of the establishment
of diplomatic relations between Bangladesh
and Japan that falls on February 10.
Dr Momen said since the government led
by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina came to
power in 2009, the two countries have consolidated
close cooperation to new heights
through trade, investment, development
cooperation, education and cultural
exchange, and a broad spectrum of peopleto-people
contacts. The Embassy of Japan
and Ministry of Foreign Affairs cohosted the
event at the Foreign Service Academy.
Foreign Secretary Masud Bin Momen and
Japanese Ambassador to Bangladesh Ito
Naoki also spoke at the event.
Bangladesh and Japan are now working
to elevate the current "comprehensive
partnership" into a "strategic partnership"
on the basis of shared interests, targets
and priorities. Dr Momen acknowledged
the continued support and cooperation
from Japan towards the humanitarian crisis
concerning the forcibly displaced
Myanmar nationals.
"We seek Japan's continued support and
understanding for an early, safe, sustainable
and dignified return of more than a million
of these forcibly displaced Myanmar nationals,
known as Rohingya, who are temporarily
sheltered in Bangladesh, to their homeland
in the Rakhine State," said the Foreign
Minister.
He said the prolongation of this crisis will
adversely impact the safety and security of
The NBR chairman expressed interest in
protecting local industries in the forthcoming
budget. He said that support for local
industries, especially for those who produce
consumer goods, would be in consideration
in the next budget like previous years.
"We don't want consumer goods to be
imported from China, Taiwan, or any other
country," he said adding, "It's a shame that
these products sometimes have to be
brought from Pakistan."
However, noting that support does not
always yield good results, the NBR chairman
said, "It often makes one dependent and
weak. Therefore, impact analysis will be
done after facilitating necessary support."
When asked about backing sectors outside
of the RMG, he said, "We are struggling to
cope with what has already been offered.
People are misusing our bond facilities. This
will be hard to eradicate." Among others,
senior NBR officials also spoke at the event.
Ganobhaban. The other ministers and officials
concerned were connected with the
meeting from the NEC conference room.
"Today's meeting approved 11 projectsseven
fresh and four revised ones- and
the total estimated cost of Tk 37,507.22
crore," said Planning Minister MA
Mannan while briefing reporters after
the meeting. Of the cost, Tk 36,023.91
crore will be drawn from government
funds, while Tk 33.33 crore from Dhaka
South City Corporation's fund and the
rest Tk 1,449.98 crore will come from foreign
sources as project loans, he said.
According to the Planning Commission,
the cost of the 4th HPNSP has now
soumitra majumder shubh, a young man, has returned to commercial cultivation of mushrooms for the first time
in Kalapara, patuakhali. however, his relatives are proud to see this success. he started mushroom cultivation with
50 spoon packets at his aunt's house in nawabganj village of nilganj union of the upazila. photo: pbA
not only Bangladesh and Myanmar but also
the entire region and that may affect development
aspirations of this region.
Dr Momen conveyed his heartiest congratulations
and warmest felicitations to
Minister for Foreign Affairs of Japan
Hayashi Yoshimasa, and the friendly people
of Japan on this historic occasion in
bilateral relations.
He also expressed his deep admiration
and respect to the Emperor and Empress of
Japan and also Prime Minister of Japan
Fumio Kishida on this auspicious occasion.
On the occasion of the 50th anniversary of
bilateral relations, the Embassy of Japan in
Dhaka is going to publish a photo-book with
50 original photos on Father of the Nation
Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman's
historic visit to Japan in 1973.
The Japanese Embassy in association with
Bangladesh Bank is going to release a commemorative
coin while Bangladesh Embassy
in Tokyo in association with Japan Post is
going to release commemorative postage
stamp.
Revoke decision
to hike in LPG
prices:BNP
DHAKA : BNP on Tuesday demanded the
government to immediately revoke its decision
of hiking the prices of liquefied petroleum
gas (LPG) sold by private companies.
"The prices of essential commodities,
including fuel oil, gas, rice, pulses, edible oil
are being continuously increased, cussing
serious misery to low-income people," said
party secretary general Mirza Fakhrul
Islam Alamgir.
Speaking at a press conference at BNP
chairperson's Gulshan office, he said their
party thinks the prices of fuel oil and other
essentials are being increased for creating a
scope of corruption by the government and
the unethical profits by the ruling-partybacked
businessmen. He urged the government
to take steps to lower the prices of
essential items at the consumer level.
"Especially, we demand the cancellation
of the decision to increase the LPG
prices and restore its previous prices,"
Fakhrul said.
4th HPNSP getting costlier by
Tk 30,449cr; Ecnec clears
increased to Tk 145,934.99 crore from Tk
115,486.36 crore from the original layout.
Among the new seven projects, the
largest one is 'Construction of Primary
Infrastructures for Sheikh Hasina
Institute of Frontier Technology Project'
involving Tk 1503.32 crore, which will be
implemented in Shibchar in Madaripur.
Bangladesh Hi-Tech Park Authority
under ICT Division will execute the project
by December 2026 in order to develop
the country's first frontier technologybased
specialised institute.
The major project operations include
acquisition and development of 70.34
acres of land, providing higher trainings
on different essential matters including
IOT, big data or data science, forensic or
cyber security, machine learning, block
chain and chip design, construction of
7,742-sq metre administrative Bhaban,
43,287-sq metre research development
Bhaban and also Business Centre, and
9,760-sq metre dormitory and 8,800-sq
metre football ground with gallery.
The six other fresh projects include
'Infrastructural Development of Mongla
Commander Flotilla West (Comflot West)' with
estimated cost of Tk 699.94 crore; 'Integrated
Sanitation and Hygiene (Integrated Solid and
Human Waste Management) in 10 Priority Cities
of Bangladesh' with Tk 559.68 crore; and 'Waste
Removal and Management in Dhaka South City
Corporation Affiliated Area, Collection of
Modern Vehicles used for Road Repairs and
Easing traffic congestion through installation of
Mechanized Parking' with Tk 333.32 crore.
The remaining new projects are
'Modernisation of Chattogram, Cumilla and
Mymensingh (Trishal) Military Farms' with
the cost of Tk 263.83 crore; 'Smart Agriculture
Card and Digital Agriculture (Pilot)' with Tk
107.92 crore; and 'Construction of Hostels/
Dormitories for Doctors, Officers, Senior Staff
Nurses and Trainees working at Azimpur
Maternal and Child Health Training Institute,
Dhaka' with Tk 64.34 crore.