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COMILLA, Aug 23: A 20-kilometre tailback was created on the Dhaka-Chittagong highway on Wednesday noon as two road accidents took place in Munshiganj area and a goods-laden vehicle went out of order on the Meghna Bridge on Tuesday night. The accidents disrupted traffic from Daudkandi in Comilla to Sonargaon in Narayanganj, causing immense sufferings to thousands of commuters. Abul Kalam Azad, officer-in-charge of Daudkandi Highway Police Station, said two road accidents happened in Munshiganj part of the highway and a goods-laden vehicle went out of order on Meghna Bridge. Following the incidents, several hundred vehicles remained stranded on both sides of the accident spots.    — UNB....

Published at: 2017-08-24 05:00:04

Political influence and lack of accountability and coordination among the stakeholders were the key reasons behind the poor governance in climate fund projects implemented by Bangladesh Water Development Board (BWDB), said a latest study report. Besides, arbitrary selection of project areas, poor knowledge of the officials concerned and indifferences of authorities in addressing the irregularities were found responsible for the weak governance. Conducted by Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB), the study report on 'Climate Finance and Governance in Project Implementation: The Case of Bangladesh Water Development Board' was released at a press conference at the TIB headquarters in the capital Wednesday. TIB executive director Dr Iftekharuzzaman, its adviser (executive management) Professor Dr. Sumaiya Khair and senior programme manager of its climate finance governance unit M. Zakir Hossain Khan were present at the press conference, among others. TIB climate finance governance wing's programme managers (research) Gulam Mohiuddin, Mahua Raouf and assistant manager Razu Ahmed Masum conducted the research. Gulam Mohiuddin presented the research findings at the press conference. Dr Iftekharuzzaman said the BWDB has so far used around 40 per cent of the country's total climate fund allocation, stressing the need for ensuring good governance in using the climate fund. The study was conducted during a period of March 2015 to July 2017 in six of the BWDB projects. Information about four key points like transparency, accountability, integration and public participation during project implementation was collected. According to the report, there was no transparency in selection of the contractors in cases of all six projects. "It was found in every case that the projects were implemented with sub-contractors illegally while both the contractors and sub-contractors were politically influential," the report said. "Of the total six projects, four were approved with recommendation and influence by a secretary, political leaders, relative of a former minister and local member of current parliament." According to the report, during the period from fiscal year (FY) 2009-10 to July 2017 the BWDB undertook 141 projects with an allocation of Tk 11.30 billion, which was 40 per cent of the total Bangladesh Climate Change Trust (BCCT) fund. Around 92 per cent of the local people, surveyed in the study, did not know about the projects being implemented for them while the information board was not properly installed in most of the projects violating the rules, the study revealed.   The report presented 14-point recommendations to make climate fund projects more meaningful for the people. The TIB suggested amendment to the laws related to Bangladesh Climate Change Trust (BCCT) fund and the BWDB for including a third party for observing the project development.   It also recommended the BWDB to make its 'Integrity committee' stronger and publish reports on its activity. It also called for ensuring public partnership in the project implementation process. Dr Iftekharuzzaman said despite some positive initiatives by the BWDB to implement climate fund projects, there had been lack of good governance, transparency and ethics prevailing in general. "The projects were implemented without meeting the standards," he said. "The information regarding the project implementation was not publicised as per relevant rules." The level of corruption in the BWDB was alarming, he added.     saif.febd@gmail.com....

Published at: 2017-08-24 05:00:04

A coordinated move is ripe to ascertain reasons for hiring foreigners and their areas of work in Bangladesh's apparel sector and prepare their local replacements to plug foreign-exchange outflows.   Sources said the foreign-aided agenda for manpower transformation in the country's main export industry follows reports that minimum US$5.0 billion in total flows out of the country annually in addition to job losses for the locals. The Centre of Excellence for Bangladesh Apparel Industry (CEBAI) is conducting a research titled 'Employment of Expatriates and its Alternatives in the RMG Sector of Bangladesh' under this move, they added. The study will also focus on requisite measures to minimize the number of foreign expatriates and areas of training and courses to generate skilled manpower to fill the gap, they said.    "In July, we signed an agreement with the Faculty of Business Studies of Dhaka University to conduct the study which is expected to be done by next month," Md Atiqul Islam, president of the CEBAI, told The Financial Express. CEBAI is a joint initiative of the International Labour Organization (ILO), the Government of Sweden, Swedish fashion retailer H&M and Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA). "We only know some $5.0 billion has been annually spent for foreign employees but no details how many expatriates in which positions are currently working in the sector," he said, adding that there is no study on the foreigners working in this sector. Considering the impact of the outward remittance by these employees on the economy and loss of employment, a series of researches are needed. This will help in identifying the areas expatriates are working and analysing the reasons for hiring them by the employers, he said. The study findings would help in formulating policy and strategic interventions regarding minimising the number of alien employees in the country's readymade garment (RMG) sector, Mr Islam viewed. It would also suggest policy recommendations on the areas of training needs which could be filled up through offering courses at the country's educational institutions, CEBAI chief executive officer Aftab Uddin Ahmad said. The other recommendations would also include two short courses with duration of four months each on design, contents and the marketing of those courses, he added. Though some 10,000 foreigners are registered with the Board of Investment (BOI), Bangladesh Export Processing Zones Authority (BEPZA) and Non-Government Organisation (NGO) Affairs Bureau, some 500,000 are working in Bangladesh, according to the study proposition. In 2015, these foreign employees took home nearly $5 billion in salaries and allowances. Many of them work in the RMG sector, it added. The foreign remittances sent by Bangladeshi expatriates had been hovering over $14 billion annually since the fiscal year 2012-2013, which crossed $15-billion mark in 2014-2015, according to official data. Industry-insiders said foreign nationals, mostly from India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, China, Taiwan, South Korea and some European and African countries, are working in Bangladesh. Most of them are engaged in RMG, IT and other manufacturing industries. Three government agencies - the Board of Investment (BoI), currently Bangladesh Investment Development Authority (BIDA), NGO Affairs Bureau and Bangladesh Export Processing Zones Authority (BEPZA) - issue work permits for the foreigners. However, there is no integrated list of foreigners working in Bangladesh for a lack of coordination among the government agencies concerned. According to the industry people, foreign employees are holding plum posts like merchandiser, quality controller, designer, marketing officer and technician at washing and dyeing units mostly in buying houses and liaison offices. If the country could employ its own skilled employees in the occupations foreigners currently working in, a huge amount of foreign currencies could be saved while employment for local people could be created, they added. Another study namely 'Alternatives to Gas Shortage: A Competitive Strategic Option for Bangladesh Apparel Sector' is also being conducted by the CEBAI, said Mr Islam. Explaining the objective of this survey Mr Ahmad said it would assess the present consumption of gas by various industrial sectors, future demand for gas, estimation of supply status, pricing strategy for next five years. It would also help in understanding the contribution of gas while determining costs in the apparel sector. Overall, it is focused on chalking out strategy to help the apparel sector to be competitive on the world market, he added.     munni_fe@yahoo.com....

Published at: 2017-08-24 05:00:04

Food safety remains a major challenge facing Bangladesh, said speakers at an international conference in Dhaka Wednesday.    At the inaugural function of the meet on the day, they appreciated that the country attained food security for its people, though safety remained a concern. Ensuring food safety can actually boost Bangladesh's overseas market for processed foods, the speakers also pointed out at the two-day Food Safety Conference. Two government ministers in the inaugural session agreed on this point, and spoke of measures and visions being espoused by the authorities in this field.       "Although we are now a role model for ensuring food security among the South Asian countries, questions still remain about the safety and quality of that food," said Industries Minister Amir Hossain Amu while speaking at the opening ceremony. "Ensuring safe food for everyone means maintaining adequate quality control at every stage of food processing, starting from food production to food consumption," he added. Foreign Investors Chamber of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) and Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce and Industry (MCCI) have organised the event along with Bangladesh Food Safety Authority (BFSA) under the Ministry of Food and Bangladesh Standards and Testing Institution (BSTI) of the Ministry of Industries. The industries minister observed that it was not possible to ensure safe and quality food through legal enforcement alone. "We need the cooperation of all those involved in the whole process, including food production, processing, transportation, marketing and preservation." He also envisioned that Bangladesh would be able to export US$1.0 billion worth of processed food by the year 2021 if the local exporters could continue the current growth momentum. "While the country shipped only US$27 million worth of processed food back in 2008-09, this amount rose to US$ 224 million in 2014-15," he informed the conference. "At the same time, there is a big domestic market for processed food, which is driving the growth in agriculture and food-processing industry in Bangladesh," the industries minister said. As such, it is possible to earn US$1.0 billion from processed foods by the year 2021 by maintaining this growth momentum.   The minister, in his speech, also called for tapping the growing global market for halal food. "The demand for Halal food is currently growing at a rate of 10.8 per cent every year," Mr Amu pointed out. While the size of Halal food industry worldwide was US$ 795 billion back in 2014, it would grow to US$ 3.7 trillion by 2019, he told his audience in elaborating on the food-market arithmetic. "Such robust growth gives us a huge potential market to tap," the industries minister said on the urgency of transition from consumption-to export-agricultural economy. Speaking on the occasion, Food Minister Md. Qamrul Islam said in many developed countries, even the food sold by the street vendors tends to be safe. "We need to achieve that kind of safety level for our food industry," he added. Secretary of the Ministry of Food Md. Kaikobad Hossain in his speech said there are provisions for checking the quality of food items from time to time at the laboratory of Bangladesh Food Safety Authority to ensure safety and quality of food products in the country. Speaking on the occasion, Chairman of Bangladesh Food Safety Authority (BFSA) Mohammad Mahfuzul Hoque said the government recently formulated a five-year strategy for ensuring food safety. One of the goals under that strategy is to bring those who are involved with the issues of food security under the relevant compliances. President of the Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce and Industry Nihad Kabir told the meet that there should be specific targets for enhancing the capacity of the organisations as far as food safety is concerned. Director-General of Bangladesh Standards and Testing Institution (BSTI) Md. Saiful Hasib, President of the Foreign Investors Chamber of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) Ms. Rupali Chowdhury and National Team Leader of the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) A.K.M. Nurul Afsar also spoke during the inaugural session. Later, during a session on 'Global Food Safety Challenges', speakers noted that ensuring food safety can boost Bangladesh's export potential in terms of food processing. Former Chairman of Codex Alimentarius Commission Sanjay Dave in his presentation called for upgrading the food-testing laboratories and making effective regulations concerning food imports, food recall, food fortification, additives, heavy metals, pesticides, vet, drugs etc. He also emphasized harmonizing the local relevant standards with those set by the Codex Alimentarius of FAO and the World Health Organisation (WHO). "In today's world, policymakers should think globally and act globally for ensuring food safety," Carmen Savelli of the World Health Organisation told the session, presided over by President of Bangladesh Agro-Processors Association Fakhrul Islam Munshi. mehdi.finexpress@gmail.com....

Published at: 2017-08-24 05:00:04

Sexual harassment, an overthrown chief executive, bitter boardroom in-fighting and a major lawsuit have not affected Uber's business. Quite the opposite. Figures published by news website Axios (which the BBC has confirmed are accurate) show the ride-sharing company's revenues are increasing, its losses are narrowing, and global bookings are up 150 per cent on this time last year. It means the most talked-about company in Silicon Valley has been apparently unscathed by the unprecedented series of scandals that have engulfed the company in 2017. Uber posted revenue of $1.75bn in the three months to June, with losses dropping by 9 per cent in the same period, to the still staggering figure of $645m. Investors will gloss over those losses, though, as most other key metrics are moving in a positive direction. Ride bookings were up 17 per cent on the previous quarter. Globally, in all of its markets, trips are up 150 per cent on this time last year. The figures may be seen as a rare glimmer of positive news for the company, but a greater test will come over time as the company continues to struggle filling crucial executive positions after a spate of high-profile departures. Former General Electric boss Jeff Immelt is the rumoured front-runner for the chief executive post. These strong financial figures may make that recruitment task easier, but the company is also looking for a chief operating officer, chief financial officer and president, among others. Travis Kalanick, who was forced to resign after pressure from some board members, was still in charge for most of the second quarter, and so it remains to be seen how the company has truly been affected by the turmoil at the top. In Uber's boardroom, in-fighting has taken a dramatic recent turn, with major investor Benchmark Capital suing ousted chief executive Travis Kalanick. Benchmark accuses Mr Kalanick of fraudulently filling Uber's board with loyal associates, paving the way for his return as chief executive. In retaliation, other board members called for Benchmark to be booted out. And while still by far the world's dominant ride-sharing platform, the firm's market shared is being squeezed in cities with significant competition, mostly from Lyft. Analysis by The Information showed that in places with "high concentrations of technology employees", who were more likely to be following Uber's woes, use of Lyft instead of Uber had increased considerably. But overall, these figures represent Uber's staying power. The service has cemented itself globally as an indispensable part of many people's everyday lives and, despite it all, shows no sign of being in trouble.    ....

Published at: 2017-08-24 05:00:04