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.