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Govt
to distribute rice at low prices among 26 lakh families
BSS, Dhaka
The government as part of its election pledges has decided
to provide food at low prices among nearly 26 lakh
families of lower income group across the country.
The decision was taken at a meeting of Food and Disaster
Ministry at its conference room here on Monday. As many as
one crore people would get benefit from it.
Food and Disaster Management Minister Dr Abdur Razzak
presided over the meeting. Finance Minister Abul Maal
Abdul Muhith, Agriculture Minister Matia Chowdhury, Food
Secretary Barun Dev Mittra and Director General of Food
Department Pius Kosta, among others, attended the meeting.
A total of 12 lakh families under 90 wards and 25 unions
would be brought under the programme.
Besides, 8.5 lakh families under five divisions-Khulna,
Rajshahi, Sylhet and Barisal - would be brought under the
programme while 6.5 lakh families under 64 districts.
Every month, each of the families will get 20 kgs of rice
at Taka 22 per kg and the programme will begin from
February 21.
The preparations of the list of the families have already
been started in association with local lawmakers, ward
commissioners or councilors.
The meeting also informed that Open Market Sale (OMS) will
continue along with the programme for ensuring food
security of the general people.
New CJ laments
failure to ensure justice for all
UNB, Dhaka
New Chief Justice M Fazlul Karim on Monday lamented that
even on the verge of completing the first decade of 21st
century, Bangladesh as a nation have yet failed to ensure
access to justice for all.
"The goddess of Justice has eluded us and shut her mighty
doors on the face of our poor, wretched, destitute and the
disabled. It is possibly our collective shame as a
nation," the CJ said at a function arranged to felicitate
him by the lawyers of the Supreme Court.
Chief Justice Karim called upon the members of the Supreme
Court bar to take every month at least a single case free
of charge and fees for the poor and destitute especially
underprivileged women, children and the disabled people
who cannot otherwise have any access to justice.
"Even if a small section of bar members takes part in this
noble task a lot can be achieved in ensuring justice for
the poor litigant public, which perhaps won't be a bad
start," he said.
The new Chief Justice stressed the need for simplifying
the existing case management procedure and doing away with
the procedural quagmire for speedy disposal of cases. He
said effective court management is considered a science
and practiced in most of the developed countries.
"It is high time for us to embrace new methods and
technology to manage our court system for securing justice
for the litigants within shortest possible of time as
dreamt of at the time of our glorious War of Indep-endence,"
he said.
Chief Justice Karim said, "I seek co-operation from both
the bench and the bar to address the burning issue and
ease the pressure on the court and burden of the litigant
public." Judges of both the High Court and the Appellate
Divisions of the Supreme Court were also present at the
function.
Earlier, Attorney General Mahbubey Alam and Supreme Court
Bar Asso-ciation (SCBA) president AFM Mesbahuddin
traditionally felicitated the new Chief Justice.
Religious leaders in
Bangladesh can help address terrorism: Judith
UNB, Dhaka
US Under-Secretary for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs
Judith A. McHale, whose country is still at 'war on
terror', described terrorism as a threat to all and said
religious leaders in Ban-gladesh and around the world can
be very helpful in addressing the critical security issue.
Talking to reporters after addressing an opinion-exchange
meeting with students and teachers of city's Uttar Badda
Islamia Kamil Madrasa on Monday morning, the visiting
Ame-ican government fun-ctionary said all have to work
together to address the roots of terrorism.
Relief International, a non-governmental organization,
operates a training programme for teachers and students of
the madrasa with finance from the US government.
"We have appreciated the support we received from the
government of Bangladesh and we want to continue to work
with the government to combat terrorism," the US
Under-Secretary said about her meetings with Prime
Minister Sheikh Hasina and Foreign Minister Dr Dipu Moni.
Speaking at the meeting with the madrasa students and
teachers, Judith A. McHale urged the Bang-ladeshi
students, including from the madrasas, to attain skill in
the English language and avail opportunities of higher
studies in the universities and colleges of the Untied
States.
"Know about the opportunities of studying in the USA and
make best use of these. The United States, its educational
institutions and its people will welcome you all to their
country," she told the students.
At the same time, Judith said, the government of the
United States is looking to encourage American students to
come to Bangladesh to study with Bangladeshi students. "By
learning and working together, students of America and
Bangladesh can be a significant element for solving
various problems and facing the future challenges," she
said about the partnership to be fostered through learning
and interaction.
Judith noted that education is an important tool for
building up the Bangladeshi students' future and becoming
great leaders of their motherland.
She said in a globalized economy, being able to
communicate in English increases scope for admission in
colleges abroad and opportunities of jobs. On the
importance of learning English Judith said, around the
world, English is an essential tool to communicate with
people of various cultures and languages.
She also underscored the need for training programmes for
the teachers of madrasa and other educational institutions
as training of teachers benefit both teachers and
students. Explaining the reason behind her visit to
Bangladesh, the US Under-Secretary said in her position,
President Barack Obama has asked her to give effort to
reach out, expand and strengthen relationship bet-ween
people of the United States and Bangladesh and the rest of
the world.
Junior Terminal Exam
for Class VIII from this year
UNB, Dhaka
Countrywide Junior Term-inal Examination for Class-VIII
students will be held simultaneously across the country
with same question paper from this year.
Education Minister Nurul Islam Nahid came up with the
discloser at a press briefing at his office Monday, after
holding the maiden Primary Terminal Examina-tion at the
end of last academic session.
Annual examination in class VIII and junior scholarship
examination will be merged into the class-VIII Terminal
Examination thro-ugh introducing the new public exam at
the secondary school level. Under the new examination
system, scholarships will be given based on the results of
the students in their terminal exams. The students will be
enrolled in class IX on the basis of certificates of the
terminal examinations.
Earlier, the first Primary Education Terminal Exa-mination
for the students of class V was held on November 21-24.
Addressing the briefing the minister said the government
is trying to improve the standard of education in the
country through taking various steps.
He said the government has scraped its earlier decision to
hold the mathematics exam of Secondary School Certificate
(SSC) under the new creative-question method from 2011.
Nahid said this year only Bengali and Religion exams of
the SSC will be held in the new creative-question method.
The exams in three more subjects will be held under the
method from next year.
The education minister said the government has allotted Tk
112.35 crore to bring the country's non-government
educational institutions under the MPO (Monthly Payment
Order). "A huge number of educational institutions will be
brought under the MPO with the money," he said.
He said the new MPO policy would be followed strictly in
bringing the institutions under MPO. "We will remove
reported massive irregularities and nepotism in handing
out MPO to non-government institutions like schools,
colleges and madrasas, often on political considerations."
The education ministry has published the application form
and a guideline for Monthly Pay Order (MPO) on its website
for the MPO-listing of new non-government educational
institutions.
The minister lamented that despite sufficient textbooks in
stock, some students in Dhaka did not get books timely due
to negligence of education officer.
Gano Biswabiddyalay
BCL leaders attempt to grab land
UNB, Savar
BCL activists were accu-sed in a case filed by Gano
Bisw-abiddyalay Monday of attempting to grab its 11 acre
land and looting construction materials worth Tk 5 lakh.
On resistance, they beat Deputy Registrar Mir Murtaza Ali
and four other employees leaving them wounded.
Mir Murtaza filed the case with Ashulia thana naming 12
BCL leaders including former Joint General Secretary of
the central committee Mazhar Anam and unnamed about 90
activists.
Witnesses said BCL activists led by Mazhar and armed with
lethal weapons broke down the boundary wall of the
university at 7 am and hung signboard of their ownership
of the land.
Soon came the Deputy Registrar with a number of employees
and resisted the BCL activists who beat him and 4 others
leaving them wounded. Residents asse-mbled and strongly
opposed the invaders. The BCL activists finally retreated
for fear of mob attack.
While retreating, the activists took away construction
materials worth Tk 5 lakh kept there for extension work of
the campus, said Engineer Mahmudur Rahman of the
university.
He said police were informed but they came after the
activists left the scene. Ashulia thana officer Mirazul
Islam said none of the accused could be arrested as most
of them are residents of Mirpur.
Bomb blast in outskirts of
Chuadanga town
Police seized leaflets threatening AL
leaders
UNB, Chuadanga
Explosion with big bang in the outskirts of Chuadanga town
Monday night created panic in the area but none was
reported hurt.
Witnesses said unknown terrorists blasted the powerful
homemade bomb at 8-45 pm near Bangos Biscuit Factory.
Police rushed to the spot found leaflets left behind by
outlawed Purbo Banglar Communist Party (M-L) threatening
police-RAB agents to avenge the killing of its leaders
including comrade Jamal.
The red leaflets also spread venom against the Awami
League leaders.
Ex-NSI DG on 3-day remand
UNB, Chittagong
Former Director General of National Security Intellig-ence
(NSI) Maj Gen (retd) Rezzaqul Haider Chow-dhury was on
Monday given to fresh police remand for three days in
connection with the arms haul case.
Investigating CID police officer Maniruzzaman produced the
former NSI boss before the court seeking seven-day remand
for further interrogation.
Chowdhury was arrested on May 15 last year from his
residence in Dhaka city. He was already twice in police
remand.
8 cheats arrested with 500
passports in city
UNB, Dhaka
Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) personnel arrested eight
cheats along with 500 passports from the city's Maligbagh
area Monday.
The arrested were identified as M Akhter Hossain, 45,
Mohammad Ali, 40, A Jalil, 42, Harun-or-Rashid, 43, A
Rahim, 30, M Nazmul, 18, Abu Sufian, 18, and Sohrab
Hossain, 35.
Acting on a tip-off, a team of RAB-2 conducted a drive at
Azad Tower in the area at about 3pm and arrested the
cheats.
The elite force seized 500 passports and two photo copies
of the licenses of two recruiting agencies from their
possessions.
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