29-10-2021

fRiDAY, OCtObER 29, 2021
2
bKash initiates to improve agents' professional
skills and living standard
DHAKA : bKash has taken initiatives
to enhance professional skills of the
agents through organizing workshops,
teaching them to abide by the MFS
related regulations and improve their
living standards by introducing life
insurance, health insurance and
scholarship for children.
Since the inception of bKash, its
agents have been playing a pivotal role
in moving the MFS sector forward for
the last 10 years. The agents are
known as 'Human ATMs' as they
facilitate financial services to the
customers in every corner of the
country. Besides providing services,
they have been able to improve their
living standard as well, a press release
said.
Recently, bKash has organized
workshops with the Star agents
selected from all over the country to
train them on risk management and
professional skill development in the
93,113 school students
to get deworming pills
in Rajshahi city
RAJSHAHI: Rajshahi City
Corporation (RCC) will feed
deworming tablets to 93,113
students aged between five
and 16 years in the city,
reports BSS.
Along with primary and
secondary level schools, all
madrasas, mosque-based
schools and orphanages will
be brought under the
deworming tablet feeding
programme.
The campaign will be held
as part of the National
Worm Control Week- 2021
scheduled to be observed
from October 30 to
November 5.
Democrats offer mixed
messages as Biden
presses domestic agenda
WASHINGTON : The
White House and
Democratic congressional
leaders raced Wednesday to
resolve lingering disputes on
their giant social spending
plan before President Joe
Biden flies overseasalthough
several lawmakers
signaled that a deal by day's
end looked impossible.
House Speaker Nancy
Pelosi wrote to colleagues
that Biden's domestic
agenda was moving "closer
to passing," but a key
centrist senator later
dismissed a new tax on
billionaires to help pay for
the $1.5-$2 trillion package
as a non-starter.
Biden hopes to use
passage of the Build Back
Better Act as evidence of the
United States leading the
world on global warming
and other issues as he heads
to a G20 summit in Rome
and United Nations climate
gathering in Glasgow.
White House aides were
assessing the situation "hour
by hour," his spokeswoman
Jen Psaki told reporters.
Pelosi, the top House
Democrat, has given
lawmakers until at least the
end of Thursday to ready
their final language on the
historic bill targeting climate
change, child care, preschool
education and health
care.The mammoth package
is crucial to another big win
Biden had hoped to secure
before jetting off to Rome-a
$1.2 trillion infrastructure
bill to transform US roads,
bridges and broadband
access.
financial sector. The workshops have
been arranged in district cities across
the country to raise awareness about
the technical capabilities of agents,
Anti-Money Laundering and
Combating the Financing of
Terrorism (AML&CFT), business risks
and other relevant issues.
Besides, bKash has also taken
several initiatives to improve the
living standards of the agents.
Since October this year, bKash has
introduced life insurance and health
insurance coverage for Star agents.
Under the life insurance facility, the
agents will get natural death insurance
and accident insurance coverage.
There is also health insurance
coverage for an agent himself/herself,
spouse and two children under the age
of 18.
bKash has added a free of cost, 24-
hour specialist doctor's consultation
facility to protect the wellbeing of
agents. bKash agents can take this
telemedicine service by calling a
certain number.
bKash has introduced stipends for
SSC, HSC or undergraduate students
for the children of the Star agents.
It is noteworthy that the agents have
played a significant role in ensuring
MFS services under the emergency
situations of COVID-19.
Commenting on the initiative, Ali
Ahmmed, Chief Commercial Officer of
bKash, said, "Together, bKash and its
agents have been working relentlessly
for last ten years to take the MFS
sector of Bangladesh to a new height
where it stands today. From the very
beginning, bKash has helped the
agents to build sustainable business
through training, taking risk
management measures and ensuring
security. bKash agents are seamlessly
delivering services to the customers in
every corner of the country."
Govt works to check land
degradation: Shahab Uddin
DHAKA : Environment, Forest and Climate
Change Minister Md Shahab Uddin on
Thursday said the government is working
sincerely to prevent desertification, land
degradation and drought.
He made the remark while speaking at a
workshop titled 'National Roadmap for
Combating Land Degradation in Bangladesh'
at the Department of Environment (DoE) in
the city's Agargaon area, a ministry press
release said.
Addressing as the chief guest, Shahab
Uddin said the DoE has already formulated a
roadmap for building a land degradation-free
Bangladesh by updating the land use map,
identifying the causes and indicators of land
degradation, preventing degradation and
mitigation or reuse.
It will be possible to prevent land
degradation by working at the national and
divisional levels in a coordinated manner in
eight thematic areas identified in the roadmap
prepared to check land degradation, he said.
The minister said effective efforts of all
stakeholders are needed to check land
degradation in the country.
To this end, he said, the Department of
Agricultural Extension (DAE), the Soil
Resources Development Institute, the Barind
Multipurpose Development Authority and
CEGIS are working with the DoE through the
Sustainable Land Management Project.
"There are many sustainable land use
technologies in Bangladesh through which we
will be able to reduce land degradation to
zero," Shahab Uddin said.
He said awareness and capacity building,
training programmes, scientific research and
initiatives will be taken to raise awareness
about the financial, social and environmental
benefits of sustainable land management
policies and uses.
Ecosystem-based approaches to adaptation
can make a significant contribution to
achieving desired goals, he said, adding, "We
call upon all to work together sincerely to
prevent land degradation in this country".
Deputy Minister for Environment, Forest
and Climate Change Begum Habibun Nahar,
Environment Secretary Md Mostafa Kamal,
Additional Secretary (Admin) of the ministry
Iqbal Abdullah Harun and Additional
Secretary (Development) Ahmed Shamim Al
Razi were present at the workshop with DoE
Director General Md Ashraf Uddin in the
chair.
A view-exchange meeting on "Role of Higher Education in Development of Unani-
Ayurvedic Medicine and Education" was held on Wednesday in capital. Photo : Courtesy
108,208 Coronavirus patients
cured in Khulna division
KHULNA : A total of 1, 08,208 Coronavirus
(COVID-19) patients were released after
their recovery among a total of 1,12,705
infected people in all ten districts of the
Khulna division till Thursday.
"The percentage of recovered
Coronavirus patients stands at 96 in the
division," Director (Health) of Khulna
division Dr. Ferdousi Akter told BSS today.
"We received 317 samples of suspected
coronavirus patients at KMC in Khulna and
other samples in Jashore and Kustia
laboratories in the last 24 hours, of those
twelve, were found COVID-19 positive,"
said Assistant Director (Health) of Khulna
division Dr. Ferdousi Akter said.
She informed that the total number of
infected persons rose to 112,705 after
testing their samples at the three regional
COVID-19 laboratories till 8am today, since
March 10, 2020.
Of the total 1,12,705 patients, 27,954 are
in Khulna, 21,711 in Jashore, 18,674 in
Kustia, 9,525 in Jhenaidah, 7,135 in
Bagerhat, 6,906 in Chuadanga, 6,896 in
Satkhira, 4,986 Narail, 4,760 in
Meherpur, 4,158 in Magura, she said.
At the same time, a total of 3,169
fatalities were reported with no more
death in the last 24 hours. The total
fatalities are 804 in Khulna, 779 in Kustia,
506 in Jashore, 266 in Jhenidah, 189 in
Chuadanga, 181 in Meherpur, 145 in
Bagerhat, 121 in Narail, 90 in Magura and
88 in Satkhira districts in Khulna
division.
Bangabandhu brought
identity of Bangalee's
nationhood: Info sec
DHAKA : Information and
Broadcasting Secretary Md
Mokbul Hossain yesterday
said Father of the Nation
Bangabandhu Sheikh
Mujibur Rahman had
brought the identity of the
nationhood of Bangalees.
"Bangabandhu gave us an
independent and
sovereignty state. His
worthy daughter Prime
Minister Sheikh Hasina is
working relentlessly to turn
the country into a developed
nation," he said, addressing
a campaign activity titled
'Agiye Jacche Bangladesh'
(Bangladesh is marching
ahead) at Wills Little Flower
School and College in the
city.
The campaign is being
conducted under a project
on the development of rural
people of Department of
Mass Communication
(DMC), said a release here.
DMC director general
Bidhan Chandra Karmaker,
district information office of
Dhaka division director Kazi
Golam Ahad, governing
body chairman of the school
Arifur Rahman Titu and
principal Md Abul Hossain
addressed the function as
special guests with project
director Mohammad Omar
Faruque Dewan in the chair.
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