Archive for January 8th, 2009
Thursday, January 8th, 2009The first meeting of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's cabinet last night decided to improve law and order and to increase subsidy on fertiliser while reducing the price of diesel in a bid to boost agricultural production in the coming Boro season.The prime minister directed the ministers concerned to take immediate measures to bring prices of everyday essentials within the reach of consumers.The meeting that started around 8:30pm in the Prime Minister's Office (PMO), also decided to provide all privileges of a minister to the former chief adviser Dr Fakhruddin Ahmed for a year, including security, health care and ...
(read more) Thursday, January 8th, 2009BNP lawmakers-elect last night in a meeting decided to take oath and join the first session of the parliament.However, party sources said the BNP lawmakers-elect might attend the first day's proceedings of the ninth parliament."We shall join the first session of the parliament for the sake of democracy, the country's interest, and to continue the democratic process," Salahuddin Quader Chowdhury, a senior party leader and an MP-elect, told reporters after a two-hour meeting of the BNP's parliamentary party.Referring to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's proposal for appointing the deputy speaker of the house from the opposition, Salahuddin said they ...
(read more) Thursday, January 8th, 2009Hopes of a diplomatic resolution to the conflict in Gaza were dampened yesterday as two Palestinians were killed in an Israeli strike after the army resumed bombings in Gaza City after a three-hour lull.The strike hit the eastern Gaza City neighbourhood of Zeitun, they said. The identity of the victims was not immediately available.Meanwhile, the death toll from Israel's 12-day-old offensive on Hamas in the Gaza Strip has passed 700, medics said.The offensive unleashed on December 27 has killed 702 people and wounded more than 3,100, the head of Gaza emergency services, Moawiya Hassanein, told AFP.At least 220 of the ...
(read more) Thursday, January 8th, 2009The government has decided to deploy over 500,000 security personnel across the country to ensure peaceful holding of elections in 481 upazila parishads on January 22.Sources said the home ministry has already laid out a security plan for the polls and members of Bangladesh Rifles (BDR), coastguard, Rapid Action Battalion (Rab) and Armed Police Battalion (APBn) will fan out as mobile and striking forces across the country from January 16 as per the arrangement.The Election Commission (EC) has already decided not to deploy members of the armed forces in the upazila polls, which will be the first election under the ...
(read more) Thursday, January 8th, 2009The new government has started its journey with a favourable stock of fertiliser to meet the demands of farmers in Boro season while experts have suggested making urea available in the market instead of distributing it through a controlled system.“We have arrangement for over 13 lakh tonnes of urea against an estimated demand for 12 lakh tonnes in Boro season. We are hopeful that there will be no shortage of fertiliser,” Mokhlesur Rahman, chairman of Bangladesh Chemical Industries Corporation (BCIC), told The Daily Star yesterday.He said the current stock of urea is 5.13 lakh tonnes while about four lakh tonnes ...
(read more) Thursday, January 8th, 2009New Agriculture Minister Matia Chowdhury yesterday gave indication of reducing diesel price and ensuring supply of fertiliser to the farmers to help them during the current Boro season.She said an announcement about diesel price might come soon from the prime minister."We do not want the farmers to suffer from a shortage of fertiliser and cannot let it happen," she told journalists on her first day in office.The agriculture minister said the present government's first priority will be to bring down the prices of essentials."If any government sincerely wants to check the price hike of essentials, it is possible. We had ...
(read more) Thursday, January 8th, 2009Bangladesh will hold talks with neighbouring countries to work out effective measures to fight militancy and terrorism for ensuring peace and stability in South Asia, said newly appointed Foreign Minister Dr Dipu Moni yesterday.Dipu Moni, the country's first woman foreign minister, made the remark at her office while replying to a query from journalists about the anti-terrorism Joint Task Force in South Asia proposed by Sheikh Hasina."Militancy and terrorism are not limited to geographical boundary. For that reason, we will take effective steps to fight it in consultation with our neighbouring countries as we want peace and stability in the ...
(read more) Thursday, January 8th, 2009Newly appointed Finance Minister AMA Muhith yesterday said they would form a price commission to keep prices of essentials under control and crack down on unscrupulous business syndicates.After joining office on the first day Muhith said his maiden task would be to control the prices of commodities. They would do this by implementing the six-point programme on their election manifesto, he added.Muhith became the finance minister for the second time. Yesterday he came to his Secretariat office at around 12noon and discussed his plans with journalists.He said there are price commissions in many countries including our neighbouring one and ...
(read more) Thursday, January 8th, 2009Newly appointed Home Minister Advocate Sahara Khatun yesterday vowed to establish rule of law in the country by rooting out terrorism, extremism and extortion from the society.The country's first female home minister believes that terrorism and extremism cannot be eliminated only by suing criminals and putting them behind the bars.“We will have to identify the sources of terrorism, extremism and extortion. And if we can take effective steps to root those out Bangladesh will not be lagging behind,” she told reporters on her first day in office.Replying to a query, Sahara warned the law enforcing agencies to remain careful ...
(read more) Thursday, January 8th, 2009The new government will free the administration from politicisation to fulfil the expectations of the people, said LGRD and Cooperatives Minister Syed Ashraful Islam yesterday."We will put an end to politicisation of all institutions including the judiciary, Public Service Commission and Election Commission to make the administration efficient," Ashraf told journalists at the Secretariat.On his first day in office, Ashraf also expressed his desire to transform Bangladesh into a middle-income country through socio-economic development.The minister also said they would work to root out corruption and bring the corrupt people to book.Ashraf said their major three challenges are ...
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