30 young crocodiles released in Dhaka Zoo

Fisheries and Livestock Minister Abdul Latif Biswas Sunday released sweet water young crocodiles in sheds and fish fries in the lake of Dhaka Zoo, reports BSS.
Madras Crocodile Bank Trust, India donated 40 sweet water crocodiles in 2005 when the species were on the verge of extinction in Bangladesh, an official handout said.
Of them, five crocodiles were released in Dhaka Zoo, which gave birth to 30 babies in last June. These young crocodiles were released Sunday.
The Dhaka Zoo authorities earned Taka 12.73 lakh from anglers by selling tickets while Taka 300,000 was earned from selling small fishes.
“Amateur anglers can catch fish in two lakes of the Dhaka Zoo round the year by collecting each ticket for Taka 1,000. Fish fries are being released in these lakes to increase fish production,” the handout said. “Meanwhile, instant steps were taken against different irregularities found by surprise visits in the Dhaka Zoo,” he said.
Referring to the government’s commitment of ‘changing the days’, he said reforms would be undertaken in each sector as per the people’s requirement.
“The number of tourists in Dhaka Zoo has been increasing gradually,” the minister said adding that it would be made more tourist-friendly in the days to come.
He also said that discussion has been on with different countries to exchange animals for increasing their numbers in the Dhaka Zoo to bring diversity their for the visitors.
Local lawmakers Aslamul Haque and Ilias Uddin Mollah and directors general of the Departments of Fisheries and Livestock were present.

BKP committed to uphold farmers’ rights

News Report
Leaders of Bangabandhu Krishibid Parishad (BKP) are firmly committed to uphold the farmer’s right in the country to establish a country free of hunger.
“Farmers are the key persons of the country, as they produced food grains each year for meeting huge demand,” said AFM Bahauddin Nasim, secretary general of BKP, while addressing a press conference at the National Press Club in the city on Sunday.
Announcing the election manifestoes of the agriculturist forum ahead of central and district executive committees election of the Krishibid Institution, Bangladesh on June 6, for the tenure of 2009-10, Nasim said the agricultural inputs would be made available for the farmers.
Bahauddin Nasim who is also the general secretary candidate of the Krishibid Institution, Bangladesh read out the written speech and pointed out the election manifestoes in the function.
“Agriculturalists who believe on the idealism of Bangabandhu and the spirit of liberation, can share experiences with the farmers for achieving bumper crops,” Nasim said.
He also urged the voters to cast their votes on behalf of the forum for the development of farmers and the farming sector aiming to ensure the food security of the country.
Under the election manifestoes, the general secretary of the forum highlighted that the main objectives of the institution are to provide assistance to the programs undertaken by the government for the development of the farmers and the agricultural system of the country as a whole.
Some initiatives have already been taken for the professional development of the agriculturists of the country. Initiatives have also taken to reorganize the research organizations including the Department of Agricultural Extension in order to fulfill the food and nutritional demand of the country in the backdrop of climate change.
The other candidates of the forum are former director of the Department of Agricultural Extension M Wasiuzzaman Akand as President, director of Agricultural Information Services M Nazrul Islam as senior vice-president, vice-president candidates are Dr M Abdur Rauf Molla, Mohammad Mobarak Ali.
Joint secretary candidates are M Saidur Rahman Selim, Dr M Imran Hossain Khan and organizing secretary candidate Samir Chanda.
About 8,044 voters will cast their votes at fifty-six polling centres all over the country. The Krishibid Institution, Bangladesh started its journey since from 1980.

Efforts on to modernise madrasa edn: Naheed

Education Minister Nurul Islam Naheed Sunday said the government is working to make the existing madrasa education system modern and time-befitting, reports BSS.
Exchanging views with high officials of the ministry in the conference room of the ministry of primary and mass education in the city, Naheed said the government will not take any step that might affect the madrasa education system.
There is hardly any scope, he said, for creating confusion in this regard.
The meeting was aimed at applying new curriculum of the National Curriculum Textbook Board (NCTB) in Qoumi and Ebtedaye madrasas and kindergarten schools in the country.
State Minister for Primary and Mass Education Motahar Hossain, acting secretary of the ministry Badrul Alam, representatives of Qoumi, Ebtedaye and kindergarten attended the meeting.
Naheed described the present government as education-friendly and said it will do everything possible for ensuring quality education in the country.
The meeting decided to form a committee, headed by additional secretary of the ministry of primary and mass education Akhter Hossain, to implement the uniform education system.
It was also asked the committee to record opinions within one month after consultation with all concerned.

168 new fire stations in country by 2012

Some 168 new fire stations would be constructed under three projects reaching the total number of fire stations to 369 in the country by 2012, reports BSS.
It was told at a meeting of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Ministry of Home Affairs at Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban in the city Sunday, a parliamentary secretariat press release said.
Chairman of the committee Major General Abdus Salam (retd) presided over the meeting.
Members of the committee, home minister Advocate Sahara Khatun, Mirza Azam, state minister for home affairs Tanzim Ahmed, M Mujibul Haque, Begum Sanjida Khanam, M Habibur Rahman and M Safiqul Islam were present.
The meeting was told at present the country has a total of 201 fire stations and new fire stations would be constructed in line with the commitment of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to have at least one fire station in one upazila and equip them with manpower and fire extinguishing apparatus.
The meeting discussed a report on the activities of the Department of Fire Service and Civil Defence.
Secretary of the ministry Abdus Sobhan and senior officials were present.

Int’l inter-varsity short film festival begins today

The 3rd international inter-university short film festival begins today (Monday) at the Goethe Institut in the city, reports UNB.
Film director Enamul Karim Nirjhar will inaugurate the festival in presence of Goethe Institut Director Angela Grunart.
Dhaka University Film Society (DUFS) in collaboration with Goethe Institut has organized the two-day festival ‘take your camera frame your dream’.
About 51 films will be screened at the auditoriums of Goethe Institute in Dhanmondi and Teacher-Students Centre (TSC) of Dhaka University.
Fourteen universities of Bangladesh will take part in the competition segment while short films of universities and colleges of Mexico, Germany, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan and Georgia will be screened in the general segment at the festival.
UDFS general secretary Mahbubur Rahman Shagor said two members of the jury board will nominate the best short film screened at the festival and three awards will be given to the directors.
The show will be screened at 10:00am, 1:00pm, 4:00pm and 6:00pm daily during the festival.
DUFS also arranges an exclusive segment for the participants, to enrich their experience through discussion with country’s leading filmmakers.
There will be two-hour sessions at 11:00am at Goethe Institut everyday, where notable resource persons will discuss about filmmaking. Technical and aesthetical issues will be in focus during the discussion.
DUFS organized the first Inter-university Short Film Festival in 2007, in collaboration with Goethe Institut.

DHAKA NOTES