Haque Specialized Group's News

CHITTAGONG, July 18 (UNB): Six health workers of Sitakunda Health Complex have been transferred to Sandwip Upazila Health Complex for their negligence of duty as nine children at Tripurapara in Sitakkunda upazila have died of 'measles'. Civil Surgeon Azizur Rahman Siddique disclosed this while speaking at a press briefing at Fouzdarhat Infectious Diseases Hospital here on Tuesday. Those transferred are health inspector Khaled Md Humayun Kabir, assistant health inspector Reba Mahajan, and four health assistants Nilufar Akhter, Badrunnesa Begum, Tafura Begum and Nurul Karim. The decision was taken following the directives of the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS), he said. Besides, a temporary health clinic will be operated in the hilly area where immunisation programme will begin on Wednesday, said Azizur Rahman. Recently, nine children died of 'unknown' disease and 50 others fell ill in hilly Tripurapara of Situakunda. On Monday, the Institute of Epidemiology, Disease Control and Research (IEDCR) said the children were suffering from measles. Director general of the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) Prof Dr Abul Kalam Azad at a press conference at the IEDCR auditorium on Monday said the children of about 85 ethnic communities of Tripurapara were not brought under the coverage of immunisation since they kept themselves away from modern faculties due to their customs. A BSS report adds: Health and Family Welfare Minister Mohammad Nasim today asked the authorities concerned to set up a permanent health camp in remote Tripurapara area of Sitakunda upazila in Chittagong district with a view to providing proper healthcare services as well as vaccination to rural people, reports BSS. "A permanent health camp should be established at Tripurapara to provide proper healthcare facilities to rural people of the area. A makeshift health camp should be set up as soon as possible until a permanent camp would be built there," the minister said while talking to Director General of Health Services Professor Dr Abul Kalam Azad over the phone. The health minister made the directives following the recent death of nine children from measles in the area, said a press release. Following the directives, Line Director of Community based Health Care Project under Health Directorate Dr Abul Hashem visited the area and had a meeting with divisional director and civil surgeon, added the release.....

Published at: 2017-07-19 00:00:08

A move is underway to amend the provision of requisite rate of worker representations for registration of trade unions (TUs) in industries, officials said, to meet international recommendations. The ministry of labour and employment is working on the amendment to some of the provisions of the country's labour law in line with the recommendations from the European Union and the International Labour Organisation (ILO). A proposal for trimming down the required representations of workers for the formation of TUs is also under scrutiny, they said, adding that the other provisions relate to issues that include enhancing compensation and definition of worker.   According to the existing labour law, 30 per cent of an enterprise's minimum memberships are required to register a trade union while labour leaders and western stakeholders demanded the lessening of the requirement to 10 per cent, they explained. "Membership-threshold requirement for unionisation may be lowered in the amendment, but it will not be flat for all factories," said a source involved with the process. The existing rate might be applicable to garment units having 500 workers and the rate might be lowered to 10 per cent for units having 5,000 workers, the source said. "We are working to address the ILO recommendations shortly taking the socioeconomic situation of the country into consideration," labour secretary Mikail Shipar told the FE. Regarding the threshold of the representation requirement, he said they are not in favour of allowing more than three unions in a factory, whatever the threshold criterion is. Officials said the government might lower the rate gradually, ranging from 15 per cent to 20 per cent, depending on the number of workers in a unit.    A tripartite committee is working to address the ILO recommendations within the set timeframe, and the panel would finalize the draft amendments to the labour law by mid-August. The government at the International Labour Conference (ILC) held last month in Geneva made commitments to send the drafts of the amended labour law and export-processing zones law in line with the ILO recommendations by August 31. Expressing deep concern, the Committee of Experts on the Application of Conventions at the Conference said workers are still obliged to meet this excessive requirement for initial and continued union registration and that unions whose membership falls below this number will be deregistered. Emphasizing that such a high threshold for merely being able to form a union and maintain registration violates the right of all workers, without distinction whatsoever, to form and join organizations of their own choosing, the Committee reiterated its previous request for a review of the rate. munni_fe@yahoo.com....

Published at: 2017-07-19 00:00:08

GAIBANDHA, July 18 (BSS): The overall flood situation in char areas and the Brahmaputra river basin in four upazilas of the district improved significantly as the water level in the river marked fall on on Tuesday. The officials of Bangladesh Water Development Board (BWDB) said the water level of the Brahmaputra river fell by 24 cm in 24 hours and the river was flowing 19 cm below its danger level at the Phulchharighat point of the district. Mahbubur Rahman, executive engineer of BWDB expected that with the continuous fall of the water level of the Brahmaputra river, the flood situation would improve further in the district and the life of the people would come to normalcy within a very short time. To alleviate the sufferings of the flood-affected people, particularly the poor and the distressed, the relief distribution activities were intensified at Sundarganj, Sadar, Phulchhari and Shaghata upazila, said district relief and rehabilitation officer AKM Idris Ali The relief distribution programme and other monitoring and coordination work were continuing in the upazilas of the district under the direct supervision of deputy commissioner (DC) Goutam Chandra Pal, said additional deputy commissioner (General) Muhammad Mizanur Rahman. Talking to the news agency, Goutam Chandra Pal said the government stood beside the flood-affected people of the district with sufficient relief materials and cash that were being distributed through district and upazila administrations properly.....

Published at: 2017-07-19 00:00:08

The central bank is set to ask commercial banks for encouraging non-resident Bangladeshis (NRBs) to use banking channel for remittance at cut-down costs, officials said. A meeting of the Bangladesh Bank (BB) top brass with senior officials of top 20 remittance-recipient banks will be held today (Wednesday) in this connection in the wake of receding remittance inflows. "We'll advise the banks at the meeting for reducing the remittance- sending cost to increase the flow of inward remittances in the coming months," a BB senior official told the FE Tuesday. He also said the central bank believes that expatriate Bangladeshis will be encouraged to remit their hard-earned currency through the banking channel instead of illegal hundi system. The central bank has taken the latest move against the backdrop of falling trend in inward remittance in the recent months. The inflow of remittances dropped by 14.48 per cent to US$12.77 billion in the fiscal year (FY) 2016-17 from $14.93 billion a year before, BB data showed. Currently, 29 exchange houses are operating across the globe, setting up 1159 drawing arrangements abroad, to expedite the remittance inflow, according to the BB officials. They expect that the flow of inward remittance will improve in the ongoing fiscal year following different promotional initiatives. As part of the masseurs, the central bank had asked the banks for taking different measures to attract NRBs through improvement in the quality of remittance services. Under the moves, the banks have been instructed to open 'help desk' at each branch concerned for ensuring better remittance services. The banks will have to ensure providing information on remittance to the beneficiaries on priority, according to a notification, issued by the BB earlier.     siddique.islam@gmail.com....

Published at: 2017-07-19 00:00:08

State-owned Petrobangla paid its outstanding value added tax (VAT) and supplementary duty (SD) worth over Tk 65.30 billion to the government last month, officials said. The sum of VAT and SD remained outstanding during the period between April 2015 and June 2016 which was paid in June last, they said. By official count, the state-run corporation owed about Tk 316.71 billion to the National Board of Revenue (NBR) as VAT and SD arrears during the period between the fiscal year (FY) 2009-10 and January 2017. State-owned gas companies collected VAT and SD worth Tk 132.78 billion from their clients during the period between the FY 2009-10 and January 2017, but they did not deposit the money with the public exchequer, according to the NBR. As per Section 37 (3) of the VAT Law 1991, nearly Tk 90.80 billion got added as an accumulated interest on VAT and SD for non-payment on right time. From July 2009 to January 2017, state-run gas distribution companies under Petrobangla collected tax/duty from customers, but did not pay it to the national exchequer, a source said. Currently, the agency has a surplus fund due to a hike in the price of gas, produced by international oil companies (IOCs), since March 2017. The gross revenue of Petrobangla from sales of gas, gas-derived liquids, coal and granite stood at Tk 280.759 billion in the FY 2014-15. After paying SD and VAT, net income was Tk 253 billion, according to its annual report. Gross expenses, comprising Tk 27.61 billion in SD and VAT along with Tk 219 billion in cost of sales, amounted to Tk 246 billion. After paying income tax, net profit stood at Tk 32.71 billion. And on payment of dividend of Tk 8.91 million, net profit stood at Tk 31.82 billion, the report mentioned. Earlier, the government formed a high-powered committee to realise outstanding VAT and SD from state-owned Petrobangla, officials said. rezamumu@gmail.com....

Published at: 2017-07-19 00:00:08