29-06-2022

WEDnEsDAY, JunE 29, 2022
8
MTB celebrated International MsME Day on Monday by distributing its first ever bank loans to the
entrepreneurs of Imitation Jewellery Cluster of Vakurta, Hemayetpur, savar at the Bank's
Corporate Head Office, Gulshan 1, Dhaka 1212. Vakurta cluster is the largest suppliers of custommade
imitation jewellery of the country. Goutam Prasad Das, Acting Managing Director & CEO and
Md. Khalid Mahmood Khan, Deputy Managing Director-Corporate & Commercial Business of MTB
handed over the cheques of new loans amongst the entrepreneurs. MTB's Managing Director &
CEO, syed Mahbubur Rahman joined the event virtually and promised to continue MTB's effort to
scale up the business of this cluster in coming days. Among others, syed Mahbub Morshed, Head
of BBD 2, Azam Khan, Head of Communications Department and sanjib Kumar Dey, Head of sME
Banking Division along with others officials of MTB attended the event.
Photo : Courtesy
Bank Asia and swisscontact Bangladesh signed a Memorandum of understanding (Mou) for financing
and facilitating the growth of Micro, small and Medium Enterprises (MsMEs) in leather goods, furniture
making and light engineering sectors in Bangladesh. Through this partnership, Bank Asia will utilise its
agent banking channel to improve financial literacy and deliver financial services to MsMEs for improving
their business processes and leading them towards better efficiency. Md. Arfan Ali, President &
Managing Director of Bank Asia Ltd., suzanne Mueller, Head of Cooperation at the Embassy of
switzerland in Bangladesh, Dajna sorensen, Team Leader of the B-skillFuL programme and Mujibul
Cezanne Hasan, Country Director of swisscontact Bangladesh along with other officials from both organizations
were present the Mou signing ceremony which was held on sunday at Bank Asia Tower, Karwan
Bazar, Dhaka.
Photo: Courtesy
Al-Arafah Islami Bank Limited has donated 50 Lac Taka to Patiya Municipality for buying land of Dumping
Ground for solid waste management. Chairman of the Board Executive Committee of the Bank Alhajj Abdus
samad Labu handed over the cheque to Mayor of Patiya municipality Md. Ayub Bablu on Monday at Al-Arafah
Tower. Managing Director and CEO of the Bank Farman R. Chowdhury was present in the occasion. Among
others, Deputy Managing Directors s M Jaffar, shabbir Ahmed, Md. Mahmudur Rahman, Muhammed
nadim, Ps to EC Chairman Muhammad Piaru were also present at the event.
Photo : Courtesy
World Refrigeration Day observed at Headquarter
Walton CEO’s directives on product manufacturing,
electronics business to face global challenges
Golam Murshed, the
Managing Director and Chief
Executive Officer of Walton
Hi-Tech Industries PLC, has
celebrated this year's World
Refrigeration Day with the
members of Walton family at
its headquarters in Gazipur.
He visited different
production units and
observed the manufacturing
process of IoT based
upcoming models of premium
category products and gave
necessary directives to
employees over electronics
products manufacturing and
businesses in the context of
current global challenges, says
a press release.
On Sunday (June 26, 2022)
CEO Golam Murshed first
inaugurated the refrigeration
day with releasing balloons at
Walton headquarters and
then visited various
departments including
Research and Innovation
(R&I), Human Resources and
different production plants.
He gave necessary advices
and directions on product
manufacturing while
exchanging views with
Walton members.
Speaking to the Walton
members, Golam Murshed
said: We are passing through
tough time for Covid-19
pandemic. When the global
economy is trying to recover,
the crisis worsen for the geopolitical
issues. The prices of
raw-materials and freight
costs have increased in the
global market and the local
currency is devalued against
the US dollar. The recent flood
in Sylhet division has caused
heavy damages that have
some direct impacts on the
electronics market. But we are
hopeful that we will be able to
overcome these adverse
situations soon.
The Walton CEO said,
manufacturing of IoT based
upcoming models of premium
category products are
underway. We are going to
surprise our customers with
aristocratic products being
manufactured with the latest
technology and attractive
designs.
Regarding the World
Refrigeration Day, Walton
CEO also said: We have
unavoidable responsibilities
in the electronics sector. The
global warming is becoming a
great concern day by day.
While developing a product,
we definitely do that
considering
the
environmental safety. We
always prioritize ensuring
environmental protection.
Walton Hi-Tech's MD and CEO Golam Murshed visiting a production plant
at its Headquarter.
Photo: Courtesy
Addressing to Walton
members, he said: We should
ensure a better world for the
next generation and that is
sustainability. We should
absorb the 17 Sustainable
Development Goals (SDGs)
because everyone of us is
someway related with these
goals. Dutifulness is a great
virtue and our thoughts and
works should be transparent
and must be aligned with
future. Our works should be
on the basis of public welfare.
We should emphasize that our
works and innovation can be
useful for people even after 10
to 20 years. Our products
should be sustainable.
Walton's Chief Technical
Officer Mog Yang, Senior
Executive Directors Col. S M
Shahadat Alam (Retd), Tanvir
Rahman, Tapash Kumer
Mojumder, Yusuf Ali, Mostofa
Nahid Hossain, Easir Al-
Imran, Nizam Uddin
Mazumder, Mohasin Sarder,
Mahfuzur Rahman, Tahasinul
Haque and Shahinoor
Sultana, Executive Director
Tofail Ahmed, Shahjalal
Hossain Limon, Abul Malek
Shikder and Didarul Alam
Khan among others also
attended the program.
In April 2018, world
business leaders agreed to
celebrate the World
Refrigeration Day on June 26
every year.
ECB vows to
counter
'undesirably
high' inflation
SINTRA, PORTUGAL : The
European Central Bank will
go "as far as necessary" to
fight inflation that is set to
remain "undesirably high"
for "some time to come", its
president said Tuesday.
Soaring inflation is "a great
challenge", ECB President
Christine Lagarde said in a
speech at the bank's annual
conference on monetary
policy.
"We will go as far as
necessary to ensure that
inflation stabilises at our
two-percent target over the
medium term," Lagarde said.
Consumer prices rose at an
8.1-percent pace in the
eurozone in May, an all-time
high for the currency club.
The surge has been driven
higher by the Russian
invasion of Ukraine, and the
ensuing rise in the cost of
energy and food.
The present level of
inflation in industrial and
agricultural goods has "not
been seen since the mid-
1980s", Lagarde said in the
speech in the Portugese
resort of Sintra.
The rise in the cost of
energy was also "much
higher than the individual
spikes that occurred in the
1970s" during the oil shock,
she said.
Inflation pressures are
"intensifying and
broadening", Lagarde
warned, while nominal wage
growth has started to "pick
up".
At the same time, real
wages are being "squeezed"
by inflation, while economic
turbulence is weighing on
growth, Lagarde said.
But the central bank still
expects the eurozone to
swerve a recession and for
growth rates to remain
positive.
Wife of Dr.
HBM Iqbal
Is No More
The Vice Chairman of Premier
Group, Vice Chairman of
Sheikh Hasina University of
Science and Technology
Board of Trustees, Chairman
of Royal University Board of
Trustees as well as a highly
reputed doctor, Dr. Momtaz
Begum breathed her last on
June 28, 2022 while under
treatment at a hospital in
Singapore (Inna Lillahi Wa
Inna Ilaihi Raji'un), says a
press release.
Dr. Momtaz Begum was a
former member of the
parliament and wife of
Freedom Fighter Dr. H.B.M
Iqbal, Honorable Chairman of
The Premier Bank Limited.
Dr. Momtaz Begum was a
well-known women
entrepreneur. She was the
Vice Chairman of Hilton
Hotels, Renaissance Dhaka
Gulshan Hotel, member of the
governing body of Premier
Group.
Apart from this, she was the
Managing Director of Gulf
Medical Center and Bukhara
Restaurant (Pvt.) Ltd.,
Director of Nowrin
Electronics Limited, Bengal
Tiger Cement Industries Ltd
and Air Concern International
(Ltd.) as well as the Chairman
of Beacon Travels
International.
The namaz-e-janaza for the
dearly departed will be held
on June 30, 2022 at Banani
Jame Masjid after Zuhr
prayers and at Gulshan
Central Jame Masjid (Azad
Masjid) after Asr prayers.
ECNEC approves TK 1092cr project to
widen Cox’s Bazar Marine Drive Road
DHAKA : The government today approved a
total of 10 projects with an overall estimated
cost of Taka 2,216.75 crore, including one to
widen the Cox's Bazar-Teknaf Marine Drive
Road with Taka 1,092.35 crore, aimed at
flourishing tourism industry and improving
socio-economic conditions there.
The approval came from a meeting of the
Executive Committee of the National
Economic Council (ECNEC) held today with its
Chairperson and Prime Minister Sheikh
Hasina in the chair.
The premier joined the meeting virtually
from her official residence Ganobhaban while
ministers, state ministers, planning
commission members and secretaries
concerned attended the meeting from the NEC
Conference Room in the city's Sher-e-Bangla
Nagar area.
Briefing reporters after the meeting,
Planning Minister MA Mannan informed that
a total of 10 projects were approved today
involving an overall estimated cost of Taka
2,216.75 crore.
"Of the total project cost, Taka 1,875.57 crore
will come from the government of Bangladesh
portion while the rest of Taka 341.18 crore as
project assistance," he said.
Out of the approved 10 projects, six are new
while four others are revised projects.
State Minister for Planning Dr Shamsul
Alam was present at the briefing.
Revealing some of the directives of the
premier given in the meeting, the planning
minister said the Prime Minister asked the
authorities concerned to construct elevated
roads, bridges or culverts instead of
reconstructing the flood-affected roads at those
points which were damaged or cut to drain out
flood water in Sylhet region.
At a press conference today,
speakers addressed the
budgetary allocations under
safely managed sanitation,
environment and capacitybuilding
show a surprising
decline in the WASH
allocation under ADP budget
FY22-23 in the proposed
National Budget. They raised
concern this will slow down
the country's effort to
achieving SDGs targets by
2030.
They said the proposed
budget of FY2022-23 finds an
upward trend in allocation in
haor and hilly regions. This
spirit should be scaled up in
coastal and char lands to
ensure no one is left behind.
However, speakers stressed
proper attention in selecting
Annual Development
Programme projects and the
need to reduce the WASH
allocation gap across rural and
hard-to-reach areas. They also
identified the current budget
falls short in addressing
emerging challenges in the
remote areas of marginalized
communities.
The conference was jointly
arranged by WaterAid along
with, PPRC, FANSA-BD, FSM
Network, Bangladesh Water
Integrity Network (BaWin),
Sanitation and Water for All,
End Water Poverty, MHM
Platform, UNICEF and WASH
Alliance International at
National Press Club,
Shegunbagicha.
An analysis by the Power
and Participation Research
Center (PPRC), in
collaboration with WaterAid,
found that the WASH ADP
allocation increased by 5.44%
compared to an overall ADP
increase of 7.5%. The total
WASH Budget in ADP budget
in the proposed budget is
BDT118.2 billion of BDT
2460.66 billion of ADP
allocation.
Though there have been
some positive steps to address
spatial inequities, there is little
consistency across the sector.
Haor and hilly areas have
received positive attention,
but not chars and coastal
areas. Meanwhile, intra-urban
inequities persist. The
speakers remommended
bringing more consistency to
The Prime Minister also emphasized on
construction of bridges and culverts instead of
roads in Haor and flood-affected areas to avert
flood water stagnation.
"Special projects will be undertaken for
rehabilitation of the flood victims of the Sylhet
region," said Mannan.
Sheikh Hasina also directed the authorities
concerned to find out the places where the
construction of underpasses and overpasses is
needed.
According to the Planning Commission, the
Cox's Bazar-Teknaf Marine Drive Road
Widening (1.60th KM-32th KM) Project will be
implemented with Taka 1092.35 crore from
July 2022 to June 2025.
The main objectives of the road widening
project are to establish a safe communication
system, develop the tourism industry and
improve the socio-economic conditions of the
local people through widening some 30
kilometers of the marine drive road and
upgradation of a two-lane 305-meter bridge
over Reju Khal.
The major project operations include
acquisition of some 113.25 acres of lands, 7.24
lakh cubic meter of earth-filing, installation of
608 CCTV cameras and straightening 0.32 km
flexible pavement bend.
Referring to the approval of a project related
to expansion of improved variety and
technology of spices with Taka 119.50 crore,
Mannan said that the domestic and global
demand for spices is growing day by day while
its market price is also higher than other crops.
He informed that currently the domestic
market of spices in the country is Taka 30,000
crore while some seven types of spices are
being produced in the country although 50
types of spices are being consumed.
Modhumoti Bank Limited inaugurated its 48thBranch at Kamrangirchar,
Dhaka on Tuesday. Advocate Md. Qamrul Islam, MP, Dhaka-2, Presidium
Member of Bangladesh Awami League inaugurated the Branch as Chief
Guest. Humayun Kabir, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Modhumoti
Bank Limited presided over the ceremony. Arab Fazlur Rahman, Deputy
Managing Director and Chief Risk Officerof the Bank, Mr. Mohammad Farid
Hossain Bhuiyan, Kamrangirchar Branch Manager along with high officials,
local Councilor's and elites were present in the ceremony. Photo : Courtesy
WASH Budget for FY2022-23 falls short in
addressing the emerging challenges of
hard-to-reach areas and marginalized people
the spatial allocation of WASH
ADP. The decline in FSM
allocation will hinder the aim
to increase sanitation coverage
across the country meeting . A
further suggestion was made
to review the proposed budget
and examine this issue more
closely and ensure increased
FSM allocation to address the
emerging WASH challenges,
said the speakers.
There is a slightly increased
allocation to hygiene seen as a
positive step, but
implementing it through the
ministry of health alone will
not portray the required
results for the entire country.A
multi-agency holistic policy
approach should be adopted
as a priority.
Dr. Hossain Zillur Rahman,
Eminent Economist,
Executive Chairman, PPRC
and Hossain Ishrath Adib,
Acting Country Director of
WaterAid, and representatives
from WASH networks spoke
at the programme among
other WASH specialists,
including journalists and
development workers.