National Vitamin A plus campaign on tomorrow

The countrywide National Vitamin A plus Campaign on May 29 (Saturday) will feed more than 20 million children aged 1-5 years lifesaving Vitamin A capsule and around 18 million children aged 2-5 years the de-worming tablets, reports UNB.
Through the campaign, the government would also convey message to the mothers to breastfeed their children, said a press release.
Health service providers will provide Vitamin A plus capsules and de-worming tablets to the children through 1.40 lakh centers across the country.
All parents and guardians will have to take their children to the nearest vaccination centres to feed the Vitamin A Plus capsule for making the national campaign a success.
Health Minister Prof Dr AFM Ruhal Haque will formally inaugurate the campaign on May 28 (Friday) at 10 am at the Bangladesh College of Physicians and Surgeons (BCPS) in the city''s Mohakhali, feeding some children vitamin A capsule and de-worming tablets.
After inaugurating the campaign, the Health Minister will hold a press briefing at the BCPS auditorium seeking media support to successfully accomplish the campaign. The Vitamin a plus campaign is observed twice a year - after every six months - with a view to preventing childhood blindness, reducing child mortality and strengthening immunity.
During the campaign, children aged 1-5 years will be fed a high-powered vitamin A capsule (200,000 IU), while children aged 2-5 will be given a de-worming tablet (Albendazole 400mg) along with the vitamin A capsule.
Over 400,000 health workers and volunteers will work together to make the nationwide initiative a success. Besides, all permanent health centers as well as the mobile centres at bus stands, railway stations, launch terminals and airports will remain open from 9am to 5pm to ensure.

None will be victim of religious discrimination: Dilip Barua

Industries Minister Dilip Barua Thursday said that none will be victim of discrimination due to religious faith during the tenure of the present government which believes in non-communalism, reports BSS.
"Though Bangladesh achieved independence under the leadership of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman due to his non-violent and non-communal politics as well as democratic spirit, later that spirit was not nurtured," he said while addressing as the chief guest a discussion arranged on the occasion of Buddha Purnima.
The industries minister mentioned that a huge number of minority people were tortured due to religious faith during the rule of the BNP-led four-party alliance government.
Bangladesh Bouddha Krishti Prachar Sangha organised the discussion at Sabujbagh Dharmarajik Bouddha Bihar in the city.
The programme was inaugurated by President of Bouddha Krishti Prachar Sangha Bishuddhananda Mohathero.
With Sanghanayak S Dharmapal in the chair, the discussion was addressed, among others, by Sri Lankan High Commissioner to Bangladesh Sharat Wadegara, Thai Ambassador Tasanawadee Maiancharoen, Professor Dr Bikiran Prasad Barua, Dr Dilip Barua, Dr Suman Kanti Barua, Anupam Barua and Dr Pranab Kumar Barua.
Dilip Barua said the main philosophy of Buddhism is to become brightened in the light of knowledge by purifying the soul through work. "The message of Buddhism will have to be practised in personal and social life side by side with listening," he said.
The industries minister called upon the Buddhist community to practise knowledge shunning bad thoughts and superstitions.
He said the people of all faiths in the country have been performing their religions rituals freely during the tenure of the present government led by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.

11 students get Ambassador Awards

Eleven students of the SKBZ Bangladesh Islamia School, Abu Dhabi who got ''A+'' in the SSC Examination 2010, were given ''Ambassador''s Award'' at the Bangladesh Embassy Thursday, reports UNB
Bangladesh Ambassador to the UAE Nazmul Quaunine congratulated the students for their brilliant result and urged upon them to work hard to keep up this result in the HSC and undergraduate level.
"Bright students like you are the best representatives of Bangladesh in this country and tell good things about Bangladesh to your friends" the Ambassador advised the students.
Parents of the students were present on the occasion. Thirty-two out of 35 students of the Bangladesh School, who appeared in the SSC examination both in English and Bangla mediums, passed this year, according to a message from Bangladesh mission in UAE

President, PM for ensuring safe motherhood

President M Zillur Rahman and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina THursday urged the doctors and others concerned to play their due role in ensuring ''safe motherhood'' for all would be mothers, reports BSS.
In separate messages on the occasion of the National Safe Motherhood Day-2010, they reiterated the government commitment to reduce mother and child mortality rate in the country through ensuring their better health.
President Zillur Rahman in his message said reduction of maternal mortality rate to 143 from 290 in every lakh and cutting child mortality rate to 21 from 37 in every thousand is a challenge for Bangladesh on the way to achieve millennium development goals (MDGs).
Terming this year''s theme of the day "Ensure maternity service for new mothers as every pregnancy is risky" is very time-befitting, the President said the government is ready to overcome the challenge.
He hoped that the observance of the National Safe Motherhood Day would help create awareness among people about the importance of mother health and everybody would work sincerely to deliver necessary service to mothers.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in her message said the government is making its efforts to reduce maternal mortality rate to 143 from 290 in every lakh.
In view of this, she said, the government has taken initiative for providing training to doctors, nurses, paramedics and other health and family welfare assistants.
The Prime Minister said an epoch making process has been launched to reach the healthcare services to the doorsteps of people and ensure quality of health services.
One community clinic for every 6,000 people is being constructed where mother and child health would be given top priority, she said.
Besides, she said ''voucher scheme'' has been introduced and special healthcare services for women at upazila level were strengthened to ensure their safe motherhood.
President Zillur Rahman and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina wished every success of the programems of the National Safe Motherhood Day.

Call for setting up democratic management of climate fund

Speakers at a seminar in the city on Thursday recommended for setting up an independent institution like PKSF and IDCOL for democratic management of the climate change fund, reports BSS.
The government should prepare a ''vulnerability index'' and identify the areas which are mostly exposed to climate change, they said at the seminar organized by Equity and Justice Working Group, Bangladesh, on Climate Change Trust Fund: Democratic Ownership in the Management" at Jatiya Press Club.
The speakers urged the government to undertake climate change projects based on vulnerability index in consultation with the local people including government officials, climate victims, lawmakers and other public representatives as well as civil society members.
BNP leader Lt. Gen (retd) Mahbubur Rahman, leader of Bangladesh Paribesh Andolon Jakir Hossain, journalist Golam Mortuza and Salauddin Bablu took part in the discussion.
General Secretary of the Group M Shamsuddoha presented the keynote paper while its President Rezaul Karim Chowdhury was in the chair.
The speaker said proper investments in appropriate places are needed to face the challenges of climate change. They appreciated the government allocation of Taka 700 crore for climate fund and said transparent management is very crucial to make it sure that the fund is properly utilized.
Referring to the project proposals submitted by different NGOs for getting share of the fund, the speakers said ''consultancy'', not needs of the climate prone areas, was given priority while inviting these project proposals.
"The NGOs who have put in their intelligence in preparing a project, would get the project," they said adding that climate projects must reflect the urgent needs of the climate victims.
The speakers called for formation of a separate body which would research and monitor the affects of climate change and implement various projects through innovative approach to address the climate change issues.

First container river terminal to go into operation in Jan

The first Inland Container River Terminal being built at an estimated cost of Taka 177 crore is likely to open early next year in the Buriganga River at Pangaon in Keraniganj upazila, reports BSS.
The construction work of the container terminal will be completed next December and it is expected to start operating in full swing in January or February, officials said when Shipping Minister Shajahan Khan visited the site on Thursday.
The minister was accompanied by Shipping Secretary Abdul Mannan Hawlader, Chairman of Bangladesh Inland Water Transport
Authority (BIWTA) Abdul Malek Mia, Chairman of Bangladesh Inland
Water Transport Corporation Golam Mostafa Kamal.
Shajahan Khan started his visit along with senior officials of different departments of the Shipping Ministry from Sinnirtek Landing Station in the Turag river at Ashuliya this morning.
He stopped at the Gabtoli Landing Station in the Buriganga river and inspected its terminal facilities for introducing circular waterways and the progress of drive by the BIWTA to remove illegal structures from the bank of the Buriganga.
Talking to journalists during the visit, the shipping minister said the government is working sincerely to demolish illegal structures on the banks of all rivers around Dhaka City to free the Buriganga from pollution.
He said he went to see the progress of introduction of circular waterways around Dhaka city as well as progress of Pangaon container terminal.
Shajahan said the eviction drive has already been started at Gabtoli area of the Buriganga river to remove illegal structures of sand traders.
Strong measures will be taken to demolish all illegal structures on the banks of the rivers around Dhaka city including the Buriganga, he said.
The minister said, “We are also working to clean the Buriganga river and protect its water from pollution to make Dhaka a livable city.”
The BIWTA sources said a project of circular waterways around Dhaka (2nd phase) started in July, 2007 at a cost of Taka 65 crore and it will be completed by June 2012.
The activities of the project are; dredging of 34.73 lakh cubic meter silt from Ashulia to Kanchpur, digging of 13.35 lakh cubic meter in three canals (Rampura, Badda and Gubindapur) and establishment of landing facilities at Kanchpur.
Shajahan said two water busses will be introduced in the month of August this year as part of initiatives of opening circular waterways around Dhaka city. Gradually, more water busses will ply the circular waterways, he said.
BIWTA sources said the construction work of Inland Container River Terminal under the BIWTA and Chittagong Port Authorities was started in July 2005.
The main aim of construction of the container terminal is to transport containers of Chittagong and Mongla seaports through waterways across the country. At present, the containers are being transported by road and rail network involving more cost.
They said transportation cost of goods will reduce significantly after the opening of the container terminal that will also reduce pressure on road communications.

No more business with poverty: Atiur

BB achieves 78 pc agri loan disbursement

TANGAIL, May 26: Bangladesh Bank governor Atiur Rahman has warned against using poverty as a tool for doing business and urged all to work wholeheartedly to fight the curse, reports bdnews24.com.
“We’ve done enough research and consultancy with poverty, even done business with it.
“Now the time has come to get rid of this ghost out of the nation”, he said at a meeting with the officials and bankers of Micro-credit Finance Institution (MFI) at Tangail Alenga Resort Wednesday morning.
Atiur, who is also the chairman of the Micro-credit Regulatory Authority (MRA), said people have different observations about NGOs.
“Their working area is concentrated in the remote areas of our country. It has created a lot of employment opportunities in different sectors, including the banking sector.”
The governor termed the NGOs’ activities as positive, as the government alone cannot provide adequate job opportunities.
“‘The banks could materialise many seemingly impossible plans with the initiatives of those NGOs and the MFI”, he said.
“The banks will be able to meet the targets of disbursing agriculture and SME loans through the NGOs.”
Atiur said that the NGOs were trying to alleviate poverty at different levels and the banks also provided assistancet.
Mentioning the banks had liquidity, he said “but they don’t have branches in the remote villages. On the other hand, MFI has access to many remote villages.”
The meeting was also addressed among others by MRA’s executive vice chairman Khondokar Majharul Haque and Tangail deputy commissioner M Bazlul Karim Chowdhury.
After Dhaka, Tangail stands second in having micro-credit organizations; 50 out of 523 organisations, certified by MRA, are operational in Tangail.
Meanwhile, BSS from Mymensingh adds; Bangladesh Bank has achieved 78 per cent target of disbursing loan amounting to TK 11500 crore in agriculture sector in past 10 months of the current fiscal up to April last.
He said for the first time, the BB has taken a re-financing scheme of TK 500 crore for marginal farmers fixing a target to hand over TK 100 crore to them by June next and it has already disbursed TK 48 crore among 45 marginal farmers up to April last.
“BB’s highest ever loan disbursing target, which is 23 per cent more than previous year, is reflection of the banks priority to the potential agriculture sector,” Dr. Atiur said while speaking as the chief guest at a views exchanging meeting with farmers and entrepreneurs in fish sector of Mymensingh district.
National Bank Ltd (NBL), Mymensingh branch organized the views sharing meeting held at a local hotel last night.
Chairman of the NBL Moazzem Hossain, Managing Director Md. Abdur Rahman Sarker, Senior Vice-President A K M Shafiqur Rahman, president of Bangladesh Motsya Chashi Samity (Bangladesh Fish Farmers Association) Kamrul Hassan, Secretary Ferdous Ahmed and a number of successful entrepreneurs including Md. Sazzad Hossain , Ruknuddin Talukder and Shakawat Hossain, among others, took part in the discussion.
Speaking at the function, the BB governor said there was no alternative to further development of agriculture sector to accelerate the economic growth and ensure food security as the sector is still the main driving force of the economy.
In this context, he said step has been taken to open bank account by a farmer with a deposit of only TK 10 so that a farmer could easily and surely get different government incentives particularly the subsidy for them.
“Around 87 lakh bank accounts were opened by farmers against 88 lakh “farmers’ card” distributed across the country during Boro season,” he informed the meeting.
The BB governor said the share of loan the fishery sub- sector received in first 10 months of the current fiscal is TK 500 crore (out of total distributed agriculture loan of TK 9000 crore) which is TK 110 crore more than the amount distributed in corresponding period of last year.
Terming fishery an important sub-sector of agriculture, Dr. Atiur said the sub- sector has tremendous potential to make significant contribution to the national economy through achieving food security, meeting domestic demand of protein from livestock source in a bigger way and by earning foreign exchange.
Impressed heavily by the “silver revolution” the greater Mymensingh region witnessed within the past few years, Dr. Atiur said the BB would provide all out support for further flourishing of the sector.
He called upon the authorities of the public banks and financial institutions to provide soft term to the entrepreneurs in aqua-farming sector like the private banks.
Dr. Atiur urged the farmers and entrepreneurs in fishery sector to take initiative to set up fish and fish meal processing plants for expanding fish export market and assured them of necessary funding at reasonable interest rate.
Some of the successful entrepreneurs in this sector at the function described their dream-way of success after involving with the fishery sector through obtaining bank loans from the NBL.
They said aqua-farms not only helped them to achieve economic self-reliance, but also restore social stability and crime has been declined considerably in the areas where huge unemployed locals found out their path of subsistence by engaging themselves with fish farms.
The entrepreneurs said the sector could contribute more to the national economy by reducing poverty to a great extent and create new jobs for thousands of people if the government provides maximum financial and policy support for rapid growth of the sector.

Biogas Week begins today

IDCOL to set up 12,000 biogas plants

Infrastructure Development Company Limited (IDCOL), a state-run non-banking financial institution, will observe the Biogas Week-2010 beginning in the city today (Friday), reports BSS.
On the first day of the week, ‘Majpara’ union under Atgharia upazila of Pabna district would be announced as ‘Biogas Union’. IDCOL also plans to set up as many as 12,000 Biogas plants in the country, IDCOL sources told the news agency in the city on Thursday.
Minister for Fisheries and Animal Resources Abdul Latif Biswas will inaugurate the Biogas Week. Shamsur Rahman Sharif (Dilu) MP will be the special guest on the occasion.
IDCOL Chief Executive Officer Islam Sharif will give the welcome speech while its Chairman and Secretary of the Economic Relations Division (ERD) Mosharraf Hossain Bhuiyan will preside over the function.
Experts say the country’s only three per cent people living in cities are now getting the natural gas through pipelines for their household cooking and 70 per cent of the total population are depriving of this service.
Like other developing countries, people in remote areas of Bangladesh use dry wood, cowdung and various other wastes for cooking, endangering the forest resources and risking the environment, they also say.
Under these circumstances, according to experts, there is no alternative to going for setting up large scale Biogas plants as a source of energy to meet the growing demand in the country.
IDCOL has so far installed some 4, 54,170 Solar Home Systems (SHSs) along with 31,909 small SHS and has also a target to install 6.5 lakh this yearend and one million by 2012.
It already invested Taka 8, 00 crore and out of this Taka 6,00 crore as loans while Taka 2,00 crore as grants. It has also Taka 1,000 crore ready for investment in coming days, the IDCOL sources said.
The non-banking financial institution is also to set up manufacturer solar panel by the next month with a view to reducing the cost of Solar Home Systems (SHSs) substantially.

IMF chief urges EU use rescue money for growth

BRASILIA, May 27: IMF chief Dominique Strauss- Kahn urged EU countries to coordinate their national crisis recovery plans, notably by using part of a one-trillion-dollar EU-IMF stabilization fund to boost growth, reports AFP.
“Part of this money should be used to boost growth, because without growth prospects in the eurozone and European countries it will be difficult to get out of the crisis,” he told reporters during a visit to Brasilia.
The fund he was referring to is a 750-billion-euro (one trillion dollar) rescue package put together earlier this month in a bid to prop up the euro after markets took fright at Greece’s parlous finances.
Although the fund was meant to serve as a credit guarantee for weak eurozone economies, Strauss-Kahn’s suggestion would broaden its scope, based on his view that belt-tightening now being implemented in Europe needed to be accompanied by measures reinforcing growth.
“What has been done in the fiscal side was needed, it is painful for the countries, it had to be done. But at the same time, solidarity in the eurozone might express itself not only by rescuing countries when they have problems, but also boosting growth,” he said.
There is a need for “growth to be higher, which is the only real way in the medium term to solve the fiscal problems,” he said.
The head of the International Monetary Fund also said he did not see the US dollar being replaced as the main international currency in the world financial system.


Although a bigger role for the IMF’s monetary unit, the Special Drawing Right (SDR), would be useful, “it does not mean in the near future I see the role of the dollar decreasing,” Strauss-Kahn said. The SDR is a weighted instrument of four major currencies given in an equivalent value of dollars.
“Because the US economy is the dominating economy, we will still have the dollar playing the main role. But we can have other currencies taking, step by step, more importance,” he said.

Apple iPad to make int''l debut on Friday

NEW YORK, May 27: Apple’s iPad finally goes on sale outside the United States this week after heavy US demand for the multi- media gadget forced a one-month delay of its international release, reports AFP.
The touchscreen tablet device from the maker of the
Macintosh computer, the iPod and the iPhone will be available on Friday in stores in Australia, Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Spain and Switzerland.
The Cupertino, California-based Apple plans to bring the iPad to Austria, Belgium, Hong Kong, Ireland, Luxembourg, Mexico, the Netherlands, New Zealand and Singapore in July.
The company co-founded by Steve Jobs had planned to begin selling the iPad internationally in late April but was forced to delay the global debut of the device because of what it said was “surprisingly strong US demand.”
Apple said earlier this month that it sold one million iPads in the first 28 days it was available in the United States, less than half the time it took for the company to sell the same number of iPhones.
More than 5,000 applications have been developed for the iPad, according to an Apple spokesman, in addition to the 200,000 programs already available for the iPhone or the iPod Touch, most of which run on the iPad.
A Wi-Fi version of the iPad, which allows users to watch video, listen to music, play games, surf the Web or read electronic books, went on sale in the United States on April 3 starting at 499 dollars.
A model featuring both Wi-Fi and 3G cellular connectivity appeared on US store shelves on April 30 for up to 829 dollars.
Capital Markets analyst Mike Abramsky estimated that Apple is selling over 200,000 iPads a week — more than its estimated Macintosh sales of 110,000 a week and its estimated iPhone 3GS sales of 246,000 a week.
Apple has declined to reveal the number of pre-orders received for the iPad internationally but Abramsky put it at around 600,000.
The US sales figures indicate the iPad is a hit but success did not appear guaranteed when Apple’s Jobs unveiled the device at a high-profile media event in San Francisco in January.
“There were plenty of questions before the iPad launch and quite a mixed reaction to it when it was released,” said Gartner analyst Charles Smulders.
Critics mocked the name for its resemblance to that of a feminine hygiene product, derided it as a “big iPhone” without a phone or a camera and bemoaned its inability to play Adobe’s popular Flash video software.
But the iPad appears to have won over the public with a hip advertising campaign and curious consumers can be seen lining up daily to play with tethered models of the device on display at Apple stores around the country.
“Aside from the design, a key to its success has been getting the product into the hands of consumers,” Smulders said. “With a new category of product like this it is difficult to understand its value unless you try it.
“Apple has done a great job seeding the market.”

Ben Reitzes of Barclays Capital said he sees potential for the iPad beyond the consumer market.
“Even corporations are piloting the device at a pace that surprises us,” Reitzes said. “At the very least we believe the device can tap into the corporate market as a ‘log in’ device that accesses the network.
“Many of our clients are increasingly using, or intend to use, the device as a reader for research as well,” he said.
With success comes competition and imitation.
US computer giant Dell plans to begin selling its own tablet computer, the “Streak,” which has a five-inch (12.5-centimeter) screen compared with the iPad’s 9.7 inches (24.6 centimeters), in Britain in June and in the United States later in the summer.
And another US computer giant, Hewlett-Packard, recently announced plans to acquire struggling US mobile phone maker Palm and is expected to use its WebOS operating system to develop a tablet computer of its own.

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