Haque Specialized Group's News

Customs Intelligence (CI) seized 72,000 sticks of import-banned cigarettes from Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport (HSIA) in the capital on Friday. CI officials seized the cigarettes in 360 cartoons from a passenger named Khurshedul Alam. Assistant commissioner of Dhaka Customs House A H M Ahsanul Kabir told the FE that he was a passenger of flight 9W0276 of Jet Airways, which landed at the airport at 12:00 pm from Dubai. On the basis of secret information, the CI officials kept close watch over the green channel of the airport. After collecting luggage from baggage belt number-6 Khurshedul Alam was trying to go away evading scanner of the channel. "At that time he was obstructed, and after checking the cigarettes were recovered in 360 cartons." Ahsanul Kabir said the cigarettes are of 303 brands of USA. Total price of the banned cigarettes is around Tk 2.2 million. Legal action is being taken in this regard, he added.     wazedfe@gmail.com....

Published at: 2017-07-29 00:00:05

Current systems designed to protect migrant children are failing, leaving many at risk of trafficking, sale and other forms of exploitation, two United Nations human rights experts have warned, reports UNB. "The mechanisms designed to protect children caught up in conflict or humanitarian crises are largely ineffective and do little to prevent the precarious situation these children find themselves in," said Special Rapporteurs Maria Grazia Giammarinaro and Maud de Boer-Buquicchio. They made the remark while speaking ahead of World Day Against Trafficking in Persons that falls on July 30. "So many children have died in conflict zones and along their perilous journey," they were quoted as saying in a joint statement from Geneva. The experts warned that all children fleeing conflict, especially those travelling alone, are vulnerable to abuse of different kinds: sexual and labour exploitation including as a consequence of trafficking, being sold and being coerced into marriage, in their homes, communities, society or in places where migrants and/or refugees reside - including reception centres, refugee camps or informal settlements at source, transit and destination countries. "We call on all states to step up their efforts to protect children on the move from trafficking, sale and other forms of exploitation," they urged. Boys as well as girls risk sexual exploitation, although the risks remain higher for girls, the experts noted. "Current efforts to protect children are being hampered, among others by inaccurate identification of trafficked, sold or otherwise exploited children by insufficiently trained frontline workers and challenges in determining children's ages and parentage," they said.....

Published at: 2017-07-29 00:00:05

Many outbound workers are facing difficulties in getting loans from the Probashi Kallyan Bank (PKB) due to 'unofficial conditions' and indifferent attitudes of bank officials, migrant workers have alleged. Although there is no mention about submitting land documents as a condition for availing any migration loan from the PKB, its different branches are demanding the same from the borrowers. Besides, the PKB officials are asking the migrant workers to make government service holders guarantors of the loans. This requirement is also not mentioned in terms and conditions set for PKB loans, they said. Talking to the FE, a large number of foreign job aspirants highlighted these problems with getting the loans. Some of them said, it is almost impossible to get a loan from the specialised bank without lobbying. However, officials of the PKB denied the allegations about the loan disbursement system and said because of manpower shortage, they could not provide proper services at its different branches. Of the total 45 branches across the country, 30 are running with one manager and one office assistant. The remaining branches also have no sufficient manpower. The PKB officials, however, said the problem would be resolved shortly. After the bank's conversion as a scheduled bank, its services to the migrant workers will be expedited, they said. Wishing anonymity, a migrant worker, who went to the Jamalpur branch of the PKB, said he faced sufferings as officials asked him for his land document and a lot of papers for a migration loan. "Even I am forced to lobby for the loan," he said. Officials misbehave with poor and weak job-seekers, he added.    He also did not get any grace period in repaying instalments of the loan as mentioned in the PKB terms, he said. Ali Hossain, brother of a migrant worker, said they completed all procedures as per the requirements of the PKB. But officials of its Comilla branch refused to provide the loan to his brother without any land document and a government service holder as a guarantor. "My brother needs Tk 450,000 to go to Qatar. At last, we collected the money from a village money-lender at a high interest rate," he mentioned Milon, another outbound worker, said he went to the Narayanganj branch of the PKB to get a loan. But officials told him that Oman-bound workers would not get any loan from the PKB. "I did hard work to collect all necessary papers," he added. Some workers, who visited the same branch, also claimed they were forced to give Tk 10,000 each to an intermediary to get loans. The agent is employed by the branch. Official statistics showed that less than one per cent migrant workers received migration loans from the PKB in the fiscal year (FY) 2016-17. According to the PKB, the number of migration loan beneficiaries was 6,304 out of 904,297 who migrated abroad in the last FY. The PKB started its operation in April, 2011 with a capital of Tk 1.00 billion (100 crore) aiming to provide collateral-free loans to overseas job-seekers and to give loans for rehabilitation of returning workers in income-generating activities. Of the total fund, the Wage Earners' Welfare Board provided Tk 950 million and the finance division of the government provided the remaining Tk 50 million. Migrant rights activists said it is very unfortunate that migrant workers are not getting due support from the bank. If the PKB fails to provide necessary loans, poor workers will be forced to go to money lenders to arrange the cost of migration. The authority should take proper initiatives to check all irregularities in providing loans to the migrant workers, they suggested.     Ovibashi Karmi Unnayan Programme (OKUP) chairman Shakirul Islam said the PKB was established to provide collateral-free and low-cost loans to the migrant workers but the bank has failed to meet the requirements. It is a tough job for a migrant worker to submit land documents as many of them are landless. So, many workers will fail to avail the loans. The authority should check such a malpractice, he said. He also said rates of interest against the PKB loans are very high. It is not suitable for workers as they are from lower-income group. The interest rate should not be more than 2.0 to 3.0 per cent, he observed.    He also said returning workers usually can't fulfil the conditions set for availing income-generating loans of the PKB. After turning of the PKB into a scheduled bank, it is necessary to make the terms on collaterals for income-generating loans simple, said Mr Islam. The rate of interest is now 9.0 per cent on migration loans and 11 per cent on income-generating loans. The maximum limit of a migration loan is Tk 200,000 for one person. Faruque Ahmed, secretary general of the WARBE Development Foundation, said it has become difficult to get loans from the PKB because of unofficial conditions. A large number of workers, who applied for loans with the help of WARBE Development Foundation, failed to receive the funds, he added. When contacted, PKB managing director ANM Masrurul Huda Siraji said he did not get such complaints so far. He said he would order investigation into various complaints.   But the PKB maintains the condition on guarantor strictly to help recover the loans, he said. He also said there is a manpower shortage in different branches. So, loan disbursement activities are being hampered. Already the central bank has issued a circular to employ officials in the PKB as per organogram of the bank. He also said after conversion of the PKB as a scheduled bank, they will be able to expedite their loan services to the clients. Presently, the bank can disburse loans to only a few persons.   Replying to a query, the PKB MD said all migrant workers are entitled to get migration loans. But the bank gives first priority to the workers whose visas are available online to check. "So there is no reason to refuse a loan to any worker," he added.   Since its operation, only 23,731 outbound Bangladeshi workers were given loans worth Tk 2.29 billion by the bank from fiscal year 2011-12 to 2016-17, according to official data. Of the total beneficiaries, some 156 returnees received loans for income-generating projects at home. During the period, the bank recovered Tk 1.55 billion. Meanwhile, the government recently decided to give Tk 2.50 billion to the PKB for turning it into a scheduled bank. The Wage Earners' Welfare Board has also given Tk 500 million to the bank to help raise its paid-up capital to Tk 4.0 billion.     arafat_ara@hotmail.com....

Published at: 2017-07-29 00:00:05

The construction of a new six-storey DNCC market at Section 11 of Mirpur in the city is still uncertain even 34 years after the then undivided city corporation got allotment of two acres of land for it. Despite uncertainty, Engineering Department under the Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC) has expressed the hope to complete the construction work by June 2018 next.   The then city corporation market at Section 11 of Mirpur, now under DNCC, was under the housing and settlement authority. The objective of the construction of the city corporation market was to rehabilitate the businesspeople and traders doing business at New Society Market. The housing and settlement authority then handed over the responsibility of the market to the now-defunct Dhaka City Corporation (DCC) on July 05 in 1983 with allotment of two acres of land for the construction of the market. The move for construction of the market was taken in 1999, sources at the bazaar circle of DNCC engineering department said. But DNCC revenue office sources said it was an illegal settlement of stranded Biharis on the western side of the market and lengthy construction work is a major obstacle to start operation of the market. Revenue office sources also said they requested the engineering department several times for quick construction of the market as the allottees of the shops have applied for handing over the shops in favour of them. When his attention was drawn, DNCC chief engineer Brig Gen M Sayeed Anwarul Islam told the FE that the city corporation has been conducting testing of the old building by Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET) at a cost of Tk 7.0 million. It includes concrete test, foundation test, rod test so that safety can be ensured before flab casting. BUET team is now collecting samples from various parts of the age-old building, Mr Anwar said. "For safety, we should carry out BUET test, for which they have been collecting samples of the abandoned building. We will see the strength of the structure before we go for flab casting," he said. The construction of the market will be completed hopefully by June 2018 with new contract of electrical work. Previously, there was consultant and civil contractors, but no electrical contractor. The chief engineer, however, could not confirm how much investment was so far made in the market. Despite several phone calls and SMS, no representative of the engineering department confirmed the investment figure. After getting land, the then undivided DCC conducted a probe by a committee approved by the corporation to prepare a list of the affected-traders of three associations including New Society Traders Cooperative Association, 11 No. Section Traders Multipurpose Cooperative Society Ltd and New Society Market Committee. In the list prepared between 1984 and 2004, there were the names of 1,975 affected-traders who paid partial 'salami' to the then city corporation. The DNCC revenue office told the FE that if any allottee submits the documents beyond the list of 1,984 traders, the present shop allotment committee will consider it. But the rate of every square feet space will be fixed after completion of the market. Revenue department source also confirmed that the undivided city corporation authority took salami from 2,322 allottees and DNCC from 41 allottees, totalling 2,363. The full salami will be accepted after fixation of the space rate. At present, there are 580 shops on the ground floor while 342 on the first floor, 342 on the second floor, 366 on the third floor, 366 on the fourth floor, 366 shops on the fifth floor and a canteen on the sixth floor.     msshova@gmail.com....

Published at: 2017-07-29 00:00:05

A significant section of the country's banks and their governing bodies are not sure about what their major cyber threats are, a recent industry-wide survey on cyber risk governance has revealed. The survey also found that 45 per cent of the bank boards do not know what the single biggest technology or cyber security vulnerability is, while 42 per cent of the banks do not know what their largest potential cyber risk exposures are.          Around 76 per cent of the country's banks do not explicitly know legal implications of cyber risks for their institutions. Even though cyber risk is included in the Risk Management Framework (RMF) of around 82 per cent of the banks, further insight reveals that such integration remains largely 'on paper'. The findings have emerged during a cyber risk governance survey conducted recently on the Chief Risk Officers (CROs) of the country's banking institutions. Leading banking research body 'Bangladesh Institute of Bank Management (BIBM)' conducted the survey. It was found from the survey results that 58 per cent of the bank CROs responded with either a 'No' or 'Sometimes' when they were asked ' Is Cyber Risk considered explicitly as distinct Material Risk Type' in their institutions. "This shows that although cyber risk is integrated in risk management at a policy level, in practice, this is perhaps often not the case", said Sajib Azad, Senior Advisor of BIBM. Mr Azad, who brings with him experience of working with the European Central Bank and the Bank of England, conducted the survey along with Director General of BIBM Dr.Toufic Ahmad Choudhury.   "Additionally, the 'Sometimes' response also tends to indicate that when cyber risk is discussed, it is discussed largely in terms of incident management or on an ad-hoc basis", he added. Analysts also observed that the responses of the survey indicate the lack of depth in the overall cyber risk management of the country's banks. For example, it was found that only 3 per cent of the CROs are charged with managing cyber risk exposures. This probably shows that cyber risk is seen 'merely as a technology or IT risk' in our banks, experts said, which makes it challenging for the banks to identify the real business risk it poses. Previously an overlooked topic in Bangladesh's banking industry, cyber risk issues are now gradually gaining attention after the US$ 101 million central bank heist of last year. The survey on the Chief Risk Officers, however, shed a new light on the cyber risk framework and related governance issues within the banks. The findings of the survey are set to be shared during the next Chief Risk Officers' forum of BIBM scheduled on August 30.    When asked what is the most substantial challenge in improving cyber risk management in the banks, most of the respondents pointed their fingers to the 'limitations of the current system'. In addition, 'access to the requited technical know-how' and most notably, 'senior management's interest' have also been identified as major obstacles. "Perhaps lack of senior management's interest is a result of seeing cyber risk as an IT issue rather what it is: a critical business issue", said Dr. Toufic Ahmad Choudhury, Director General of BIBM. "The fact that 48 per cent of the respondents do not know which systems not to bring back-up quickly further supports the theme that cyber risk is viewed narrowly as in IT risk and has limited traction with the wider bank and governance elements", he added. As a way-out for the prevailing condition, experts called for developing greater awareness across the banking industry as well as developing a culture of taking pre-emptive action against cyber risks within the banking institutions. "The first step in this regard is to develop a cyber security policy and crisis management plan", Mr Azad said adding that this needs to be collectively understood, taken seriously and enforced by the leadership. "The critical thing is to create cyber security awareness among not only IT personnel of the banks but among all employees of a financial institution", Toufic Ahmed Chowdhury said.        mehdi.finexpress@gmail.com....

Published at: 2017-07-29 00:00:05