29-04-2021

Thursday, Dhaka, april 29, 2021, Baishakh 16, 1428 BS, Ramadan 16, 1442 hijri
Krishnachura trees have a reddish color with green leaves. The flowers are decorated in red. The picture was
taken from Batiaghata area of Khulna on Wednesday.
Photo : Star mail
Bank will remain
open till May 5
limited basis
Shafiqul iSlam
The Cabinet Division has issued a notification
extending the ongoing ban on
coronavirus infection till midnight on
May 5 (Wednesday). During this time
banking services will also be open to a
limited range.
On Wednesday (April 26),
Bangladesh Bank's Department of Offsite
Supervision issued a new directive
on 'banking activities in the context of
restrictions imposed by the government
to prevent coronavirus infection'.
It said in the circular of Central Bank
that the directive issued on April 13,
2021 to continue banking activities has
been extended till May 5. Bank transactions
will be from 10 am to 1 pm every
day except weekly holidays. The bank
will be open till 2.30 pm to complete
post-transaction ancillary activities.
Each bank will have a branch in the
upozila town open on Thursdays,
Sundays and Tuesdays. In addition, a
branch within two kilometers of the City
Corporation area should be kept open
every working day.ATM booths will be
open all the time during the restrictions.
At the same time online services including
internet banking will be launched. In
addition, bank branches at sea, land and
airport can be kept open for importexport
activities. In addition, branches
with foreign currency transactions (AD)
will be able to keep open with a limited
number of manpower in case of need of
their own bank.
Earlier, due to restrictions, the central
bank increased the limit on cash withdrawals
from banks' ATM booths to TK
1 lac a day to reduce customer conges-
Govt to collect vaccines
from anywhere to
protect people: Quader
Countrywide Boro paddy
procurement begins
DHAKA : The government on
Wednesday started the procurement
of Boro paddy and rice across
the country, reports UNB.
Food Minister Sadhan Chandra
Majumder inaugurated the nationwide
procurement of Boro paddy
through a videoconference at
11:30am.
Boro paddy is being procured
directly from farmers at Tk 27 per
kg.
The Directorate General of Food
will collect 6.50 lakh metric tonnes
of Boro paddy directly from farmers
as well as 10 lakh metric tonnes of
boiled rice and 1.5 lakh metric
tonnes of non-boiled rice from the
rice millers during the current Boro
season.
The boiled rice is being procured
at Tk 40 per kg, while the nonboiled
one at Tk 39 per kg.
The Food Minister directed the
officials and employees concerned
to be careful so that no farmer
would be subjected to any sort of
harassment going to provide paddy
to godown.
He also asked them not to compromise
with the quality of paddy
and rice during this procurement.
Sadhan Chandra asked all concerned
to expedite the Boro collection
following health hygiene rules,
including social distancing and
masking up.
The minister asked them to fix the
problems of farmers with due
importance during registration
through apps in the upazilas where
the app registration system has
been introduced to procure paddy.
Food Secretary Dr Mosammat
Nazmanara Khanum, Food Director
General Sheikh Muzibar Rahman
and other high officials from the
ministry and the Directorate
General of Food were connected
with the virtual inauguration.
Besides, officials from district
administrations, district food
offices, mill owners and farmers'
representatives from Netrakona,
Kishoreganj, Naogaon, Bogura,
Dinajpur, Sylhet, Habiganj,
Maulvibazar and Sunamganj districts
were connected with the inaugural
event through the virtual platform.
DHAKA : Awami League General
Secretary and Road Transport and
Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader today
said the government will collect COVID-
19 vaccines from anywhere in any away
to protect the country's people.
"There is no need to have a special
relationship with anyone over coronavirus
vaccines. The government will
collect the vaccines from wherever it can
to protect people," he said while talking
to reporters after placing wreath at the
grave of Shaheed Sheikh Jamal at
Banani graveyard here.
On behalf of Prime Minister Sheikh
Hasina and the Awami League, Quader
placed wreath at the grave of Sheikh
Jamal on the occasion of his 68th birth
anniversary.
He said: "We need vaccines to save
people. We will collect vaccines from
where we would get those. We need not
maintain a special relationship with
anyone…we need vaccines and we will
collect those".
Quader said dealing with the coronavirus
crisis together, shunning the politics
of blame game, is the main challenge
now.
Mentioning that Sheikh Jamal was
one of the instances of Bangabandhu
family's courageous politics, he said:
"Let us swear on his birthday that the
nation must be made free from the
tragedy of the politics of murder and
conspiracy."
The AL general secretary said the politics
of killing is never acceptable at all
and those involved in the brutal 1975
massacre were not spared too.
He said if Father of the Nation
Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman
was not killed in 1975, another murderous
group would not have dared to kill
Ziaur Rahman.
Ziaur Rahman was the mastermind of
the Bangabandhu killing and that is why
he had to suffer the consequences,
Quader said.
Asking BNP to shun the politics of
conspiracy, he said the BNP must leave
the path of murder, conspiracy and terrorism
in order to establish the true
democracy in Bangladesh.
AL joint general secretaries Mahbubul
Alam Hanif and AFM Bahauddin
Nasim, organising secretaries Ahmad
Hossain, Abu Sayeed Al Mahmud
Swapan, SM Kamal Hossain and
Advocate Afzal Hossain, relief and disaster
affairs secretary Sujit Roy Nandi,
office secretary Biplab Barua and science
and technology affairs secretary
Abdus Sabur were, among others, present.
Later, the leaders of the AL units of
Dhaka City North and South, Juba
League, Krishka League,
Swechchhasebak League, Mahila
Sramik League, Sheikh Jamal Jatiya
Smriti Parishad, Bangabandhu
Sangskritik Jote and other social and
cultural organisations placed wreaths at
the grave of Sheikh Jamal.
Myanmar unity govt
tells ASEAN no talks
until prisoners freed
Myanmar's pro-democracy unity government,
formed to oppose the military
junta that seized power nearly three
months ago, on Wednesday ruled out
talks on the crisis until all political prisoners
are released.
The 10-member Association of
Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) has
been trying to find a path for Myanmar
out of the bloody turmoil that followed
the Feb. 1 coup and has called for an end
to violence and talks between all sides.
But the junta has already declined to
accept proposals to resolve the crisis
that emerged from an ASEAN summit
last weekend that was attended by
Myanmar's Senior General Min Aung
Hlaing, while no-one from the civilian
side was invited.
The pro-democracy National Unity
Government (NUG), which includes
members of parliament ousted by the
coup, said Southeast Asia's regional bloc
should be engaging with it as the legitimate
representative of the people.
"Before any constructive dialogue can
take place, however, there must be an
unconditional release of political prisoners
including President U Win Myint
and State Counsellor Daw Aung San
Suu Kyi," the NUG prime minister,
Minister Mahn Winn Khaing Thann,
said in a statement.
Intelligence agencies
to identify Hefazat
financers: Minister
DHAKA : Home Minister
Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal on
Wednesday said intelligence agencies
are trying to identify the financers of
Hefazat-e-Islam Bangladesh.
"Intelligence agencies are working to
identify those who provide financial
support to Hefazat. We've got some
information about them, but we don't
want to disclose that now. We'll inform
you once the investigation is over," the
Home Minister said while talking to
reporters at his Dhanmondi residence
on Wednesday, reports UNB.
The Home Minister said: "Everything
- where's the money coming from and
how much is coming to whose accountwill
be dug out through the investigation."
The Home Minister went on saying,
"As per our investigation, Hefazat-e-
Islam carried out violence with an aim
to repeat the incident of Shapla Chattar
it unleashed in 2013."
"They certainly had a political ambition.
Our law enforcement agencies are
investigating various secret activities of
the organisation," Asaduzzaman Khan
said.
He said that the constitution of
Hefazat-e-Islam clearly states that they
will not be involved in any political issue
and remain above politics."But we've
noticed that identified terrorists andmilitants
have become involved in politics
and creating a volatile situation in the
country."
Asked about Hefazat Ameer
Babunagari, who was sued but no action
has been taken yet against him, the minister
said, "There was a case filed against
Babunagari in 2013. He was arrested at
that time and later he was released on
bail. I can share with you after having an
idea about the status of the case."
The Home Minister said legal action
would be taken against those who will
commit any crime.
No respite from
soaring mercury
The people are not getting any respite
from the heatwave sweeping across the
country at least in the next two days,
says the Met Office.
A mild to moderate heatwave is
sweeping over Dhaka, Sylhet,
Rangpur, Khulna and Barishal divisions
and the regions of Sitakunda,
Rangamati, Cumilla, Feni, Rajshahi
and Pabna and it may abate from
some part of the country.
Issued at 9 am on Wednesday, the
bulletin forecasts that day temperature
may remain nearly unchanged and
night temperature may rise slightly over
the country. A trough of low lies over
West Bengal and adjoining area, it said.
Rain/thundershowers accompanied
by temporary gusty wind is likely to
occur at one or two places over Rangpur,
Mymensingh and Sylhet divisions and
the districts of Kishoreganj and Cumilla.
The weather may remain mainly dry
with temporary partly cloudy sky elsewhere
over the country, said the report.
But the Met office's five-day outlook
says that there may be rain or thundershowers,
and the day temperature may
also fall.
Covid fallout
ADB lowers Bangladesh’s
FY21 growth forecast
DHAKA : TheAsian Development
Bank (ADB) has lowered Bangladesh's
growth forecast for the current fiscal,
with the second wave of Covid-19 posing
risks to economic recovery, reports
UNB.
The regional lender, however, anticipates
a sharp economic recovery in the
next financial year, notwithstanding the
Covid-19 headwinds. The projections
were reflected in the Asian
Development Outlook (ADO) 2021
report released on Wednesday.
In January this year, the Bangladesh
government revised its gross domestic
product (GDP) growth projection for the
current fiscal to 7.4 percent from the
earlier 8.2 percent, considering the
Covid situation in the country.
However, ADB has anticipated a drop
in GDP growth this fiscal due to the
onslaught of the Covid-19 pandemic.
"The economy was showing signs of
recovery with higher remittances,
exports and other indicators, but the
recent surge in the pandemic and the
lockdown are likely to trim our GDP
growth projection of 6.8% for fiscal year
2020-2021 by at least one percentage
point,"ADB's Country Director
Manmohan Parkash said. He said that
the government managed the first wave
of Covid-19 in 2020 well as the stimulus
measures and economic policies have
largely been effective.
"The ongoing pandemic is an opportunity
to undertake further reforms in
social protection and health sector,
improving competitiveness of the private
sector, reducing cost of doing business,
diversifying exports, and developing
skills," Parkash said.
"Expanding social safety nets, enhancing
investments, creating employment,
ensuring mass vaccination, and improving
the health sector are critical actions
for achieving the Eighth Five-Year Plan
goals," the ADB Country Director said.
According to Parkash, future economic
growth will depend on recovery in
domestic economic activities fuelled
mainly by implementation of stimulus
packages, strong inflow of remittances,
and rebound in global trade amid projected
growth in major export destinations.
"Current account balance is expected
to cross into surplus of 0.7% of GDP in
FY2021, contributed by remittance
growth. The main risk to this growth
projection is further surge of Covid-19
cases and delayed availability and supply
of vaccines both globally and domestically,"
he added.
The ADO 2021 says that continued
strong remittance inflow is likely to support
domestic demand with growth in
private consumption. Remittances from
workers overseas increased by 35.1% in
the first nine months of FY2021 due to
the 2% cash incentive offered by the government
and reduced documentation
requirements.
Private investment is expected to pick
up as moderate growth in private sector
credit improves confidence. Higher
public investment is anticipated as the
government expands capital spending.
Inflation is expected to reach 5.8% in
FY2021 from 5.7% in FY2020 as price
pressures are increasing from higher
public expenditures to implement
stimulus measures and a rise in global
food and fuel prices due to pick up in
global economic activity, according to
the report.
Quake of magnitude 6
strikes India's Assam,
damages some buildings
An earthquake of magnitude 6 struck
India's rugged northeastern state of
Assam on Wednesday, causing cracks in
the walls and floors of some structures,
but no immediate casualties were
reported.
The quake hit at a depth of 34 km (21
miles) near the town of Dhekiajuli, 140
km (86 miles) north of the main city of
Guwahati, the United States Geological
Survey said.
"This earthquake was the biggest I can
remember, there was first a big jolt and
then a smaller one," said a police official
in the town. "We did not receive any distress
calls, but people did run out of their
homes."
People streamed into the streets for
fear of fresh tremors, with some saying
the quake left cracks in their homes.
"Our entire multi-storied apartment
has witnessed massive damage with
roofs and walls caving in," said Subham
Hazarika, a businessman living in an
upmarket apartment in Guwahati.
"Luckily no one got injured."
Strong tremors repeatedly struck
other northeastern areas and the neighbouring
mountainous region of Bhutan.
"We don't have reports of any casualties
but we are seeing images and visuals of
extensive damage," Health Minister
Himanta Biswa Sarma told Reuters.
Earlier, the European Mediterranean
Seismological Centre (EMSC) had put
the quake's magnitude at 6.2.
India's disaster management officials
were assessing reports of destruction
and casualties, said one of the officials,
who sought anonymity.
"I pray for the well-being of all and
urge everyone to stay alert," Chief
Minister Sarbananda Sonowal told
Reuters television partner ANI.
a man searches for his belongings amidst the debris after a boundary wall of his house collapsed following
an earthquake in Nagaon district in the northeastern state of assam, india. Photo : Reuters
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