Archive for March 9th, 2008
Sunday, March 9th, 2008The cabinet yesterday approved in principle an ordinance that will end disproportionately high allocation of funds for constituencies of powerful politicians and compel the government to clearly state allocations marked for each upazila, district and division in the budget.This practice will ensure equity among different geographical communities, the ordinance says.The last household and expenditure survey of Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics show that Barisal and Khulna divisions are the poorest with the lowest poverty alleviation rate. According to a finance ministry high official, it happened due to the lack of "powerful ministers" from these two regions."During a political government's rule, ...
(read more) Sunday, March 9th, 2008There is still no visible move to bridge the rising differences between the government and political parties over holding local government elections before parliamentary polls that has triggered a fresh spell of uncertainty about the immediate political scene.Political analysts believe the situation could have been different had the caretaker government opened its dialogue with the political parties soon after taking the decision on January 10.But the government is still waiting for the completion of EC's talks with the parties before opening its dialogue.Most political parties including the Awami League and BNP have been vehemently opposing the government decision to hold ...
(read more) Sunday, March 9th, 2008Chief Adviser (CA) Fakhruddin Ahmed has called upon all, irrespective of their professions and positions, to put in their best efforts for creating an appropriate political and socioeconomic structure to ensure overall development of women.He made the call while addressing a function marking the International Women's Day 2008 organised by the Ministry of Women and Children Affairs at Osmani Memorial Auditorium in the city yesterday.The theme of this year's Women's Day is "Investing in Women and Girls".Women and Children Affairs Adviser Rasheda K Chowdhury presided over the function. Women and Children Affairs Secretary Begum Rokeya Sultana also spoke on the ...
(read more) Sunday, March 9th, 2008Non-brand soya bean oil disappeared from city wholesale markets yesterday with a sudden surge in edible oil prices.Soya bean oil wholesalers in city markets including Moulvibazar and Karwan Bazar said a sudden shortage of non-brand soybean oil was being experienced during the last three days, but the crisis deepened yesterday afternoon."Today it seems that soya bean oil has vanished from the city markets," said an oil trader at Karwan Bazar. Yesterday. Not a single litre of non-brand soya bean oil was available at any oil outlets, he added saying that branded bottled oil was however available at higher prices. ...
(read more) Sunday, March 9th, 2008A large number of vessels operating along the inland waterways do not have fitness or registration papers and have a tendency to violate river traffic rules as apparently no government authorities are overseeing them.The crew of most of these unauthorised vessels also don't have enough experience and expertise required by the law to do the job.The illegal practice of running vessels without proper documents bribing officials of Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority (BIWTA) and the Department of Shipping (DOS) is nothing new. But it has again been in the spotlight following capsize of MV Shourav-1 on the Buriganga on February ...
(read more) Sunday, March 9th, 2008The Social Welfare Directorate (SWD) yesterday stand-released two officials of Natore office as primary investigation revealed irregularities in registering fraud NGOs that disappeared with members' about Tk 500 crore.Meanwhile, the tendency of disappearing with public money spreads elsewhere, as another NGO vanished, this time in Sylhet, with Tk 50 lakh from over 500 depositors, report UNB.Sources said, Social Welfare Deputy Director Mir Bux has been transferred to Bhola and registration officer Ismail Hossain to Bandarban, reports our Roving Correspondent from Natore.The steps were taken after the three-member SWD team from Dhaka probed discrepancies in Natore office in the last three ...
(read more) Sunday, March 9th, 2008Top criminal Sanjidul Islam Emon said that it was former Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal (JCD) leader Nasiruddin Ahmed Pintu, who had introduced him to the underworld of Dhaka.Meanwhile, Ishaq Ali, who along with Emon was deported from India on Friday, told the law enforcers that he was a close associate of dreaded criminal Dakat Shahid.A Dhaka court yesterday placed the two on eight-day remand each for interrogation after the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) produced them before it.During primary questioning earlier in the morning, Emon told the CID officials that he became involved with Pintu, an infamous JCD cadre ...
(read more) Sunday, March 9th, 2008Detained BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia wants the issue of controversial October 29 standing committee meeting to be included in the draft proposal for reconciliation of the factions.Prepared by some pro-Khaleda leaders following discussion with pro-Saifur leaders, the draft was placed to the former prime minister through her lawyers.But instead of giving her nod, she has sent it back and asked the unity organisers to include something specific about the October 29 meeting, where M Saifur Rahman and Maj (retd) Hafiz Uddin Ahmed were appointed acting chairman and acting secretary general.Besides, expulsion orders against Abdul Mannan Bhuiyan and Ashraf Hossain ...
(read more) Sunday, March 9th, 2008Groundwater-based irrigation system is experiencing difficulties in different parts of the country as shallow aquifer level is getting out of reach due to fast depletion of groundwater table.Shallow tube-wells (STWs) now cannot draw water for about 46 percent irrigated cropland during dry season thanks to current level of groundwater declination, says data from Survey and Monitoring of Groundwater project and groundwater zoning map.STWs can draw groundwater for irrigation within a depth of 2-7 metres."The problem persists mainly in the dry season when farmers irrigate their cropland," said Khondakar Fazle Hasan, chief geologist of Bangladesh Agriculture Development Corporation (BADC).Asked how farmers ...
(read more) Sunday, March 9th, 2008The army headquarters yesterday termed false and fabricated some newspaper reports and editorial that the army chief of staff during his India visit had stated that Bangladesh would show respects to the martyred Indian soldiers of 1971 on March 25 every year."As a matter of fact, during his India visit, the army chief didn't make any such statement formally or informally," said an ISPR release.It said that at different meetings during the visit, apart from entourage of the army chief, the Bangladesh high commissioner to India was present."During the meeting of the two army chiefs, the Bangladesh army chief recalled ...
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