In order to receive vaccination, children aged 5-12 will have to register using their birth certificate on the government’s (Surokkha) app…reports Asian Lite News
Bangladesh has decided to start administering COVID-19 vaccines to children aged 5-12 amid a fresh surge in COVID-19 cases.
Bangladeshi Health and Family Welfare Minister Zahid Maleque made the announcement on Wednesday, saying the initiative will start next month.
“We’ll start the vaccination program in the last week of July,” he said at a news conference.
“We’ll soon procure vaccines and syringes suitable for children,” said Maleque.
In order to receive vaccination, children aged 5-12 will have to register using their birth certificate on the government’s (Surokkha) app.
Bangladesh’s Cabinet Division on Tuesday issued a circular with the six-point directives to contain the fresh outbreak of the pandemic.
In line with the directives, people must wear masks at all gatherings, shopping malls and restaurants under the “No mask, no service” policy.
Those who bear any symptoms are encouraged to get themselves tested for COVID-19.
The directives are aimed at limiting the fresh spread of the new wave of COVID-19 as Bangladesh is again seeing a surge in fresh cases after a respite of several months.
Bangladesh reported three fresh deaths from COVID-19 on Tuesday, the highest number of daily deaths confirmed in about three months.
Meanwhile, the country reported over 2,000 COVID-19 cases for the third consecutive day with the daily test positivity rate jumping to 15.47 percent in the 24 hours till 8:00 a.m. local time Tuesday.
To date, Bangladesh has recorded 1,969,361 COVID-19 cases including 2,087 new cases on Tuesday, as the death toll rose to 29,145, the Directorate General of Health Services said.
A student activist of the Pakistan-sponsored Opposition BNP — Bayazid Talha was on the bridge to unscrew the nuts and bolts, and his video on TikTok led his party colleagues to unleash a social media campaign questioning the quality of construction….writes SUMI KHAN
The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) of the police of Bangladesh has seized the car of TikToker Bayezid Talha who had posted a video on Facebook allegedly after removing screw bolts from a railing of the Padma Bridge. Police are looking for Kaiser who was with him at the time of the incident.
Immigration authorities have been warned not to allow Kaiser, an expatriate Bangladeshi from Qatar to leave the country, said Muhammad Rezaul Masud, special superintendent of CID’s Cyber Police Centre.
Earlier on Sunday, police detained Talha from Shantinagar in Dhaka and he was booked under the Special Powers Act. On Monday, a Shariatpur court granted a seven-day remand against Talha.
“We think it is a big crime to loosen the screw bolts of the bridge’s railing, record the video, and capitalise it by hurting people’s emotions…,” said Rezaul Masood, Special Superintendent of Police for CID’s Cyber Investigation Division.
“The toll tax collection of the 6.15 km Padma Bridge, built over Padma River in Bangladesh, crossed BDT 21 million mark. Thousands travelled across the bridge on Sunday after being inaugurated by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. However, Pakistan sponsored Opposition Islamist groups in the country started a new smear campaign – questioning the quality of construction,” an intelligence official told IANS, seeking anonymity.
“The long-awaited inauguration of Padma Bridge, one of the most challenging projects in the country, and the accomplishment of the mega project with our own fund is a matter of immense joy, pride and ability. It also upholds the dignity of the country,” Sheikh Baharul Islam, a veteran Freedom Fighter and one of the founders of the Genocide Museum of Khulna, told IANS.
A student activist of the Pakistan-sponsored Opposition BNP — Bayazid Talha was on the bridge to unscrew the nuts and bolts, and his video on TikTok led his party colleagues to unleash a social media campaign questioning the quality of construction.
Soon after the video went viral, the BNP from its verified Facebook page posted that the construction of the $3.6 billion bridge was deeply flawed and faulty.
When Hasina decided to build the bridge with the country’s own resources after the World Bank pulled out over unsubstantiated corruption allegations in 2012, BNP supremo Begum Zia had called the move a “pipe dream” and asserted that the bridge will never be completed. Other BNP leaders joined the chorus with many even calling for the resignation of Hasina.
Even the World Bank, which once cited the corruption allegations as a reason to stop financing the project, is now congratulating Bangladesh and its people on the completion of the much-awaited bridge.
Youths were seen going live on Facebook from the bridge asking for a boycott of the pro-Pakistan BNP-Jamaat alliance for the betterment of the country.
BNP’s Facebook post after Talha’s arrest triggered an uproar on social media among people from all quarters.
“You said this bridge would never become a reality. So fugitive criminal Tarique Rahman, come with your convicted corrupt mother Begum Zia and other leaders to see,” some Bangladeshi netizens said on videos filmed on the “majestic” bridge.
That was also largely the public mood as hundreds attacked BNP activist Talha’s video showing him loosening the nuts and bolts of the bridge.
Anik, a Dhaka University student mockingly said in his post: “… While people in thousands are rushing to get a glimpse of the bridge, BNP’s politics to undermine this bridge would only make the party more unpopular, isolated and less trustworthy.”
In Bangladesh’s bitterly polarised politics, a baseless smear is a frequently used weapon. But despite the attempt to spread panic over the quality of construction, the mounting traffic on the bridge seems to indicate that the commuters are not taking Talha’s TikTok video seriously.
Bangladesh and northeast India are experiencing one of the worst floods in decades due to incessant rains from upstream regions since the middle of this month…writes Mahua Venkatesh
Rice imports in flood-hit Bangladesh will rise in the coming months. Sources said that several private importers have already placed orders with Indian rice exporters. “These are not government to government deals but mostly in the private sector domain,” a person with direct knowledge told India Narrative.
According to All India Rice Exporters’ Association, in 2020-21, Bangladesh imported 4,91,000 tonne of rice from India. In 2021-22 the amount increased to 9,14,000 tonne.
At a time when the Russia-Ukraine war has already pushed global food prices, these severe floods could trigger food insecurity too in Bangladesh as large qualities of household stocks, especially in the rural areas have also got washed away in the flood.
Bangladesh and northeast India are experiencing one of the worst floods in decades due to incessant rains from upstream regions since the middle of this month.
“The floods will now add to the pressure and all the gains that Bangladesh made in strengthening its food security are now eroding,” a trade analyst dealing in South Asian studies told India Narrative.
Bangladesh is home to 165 million, of whom 38 per cent are engaged in the agricultural and fisheries sector.
As the Russia-Ukraine crisis continues to disrupt the global trade of key foods such as wheat and vegetable oils, along with fertilisers, impacts are falling heavily on countries such as Bangladesh. “Dependent on imports of those items to feed its large population, many poor and vulnerable to shocks, the country faces the prospect of rising food insecurity,” the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) said.
“Large crops have been damaged in Bangladesh and this will increase import demand from India. Our exporters are ready to supply as we have stocks which are more than sufficient. There is no question of banning exports,” Vinod Kaul, Senior Executive Director, All India Rice Exporters’ Association, told India Narrative.
About 56,000 hectare of paddy crops in Sylhet alone have been damaged. Sylhet, which is home to Boro rice cultivation, is one of the worst affected areas. Several types of rice are grown in Bangladesh, the main being Aus, Aman and Boro.
The grain yield for Boro rice is about 4,950 kg per hectare.
Kaul added that the sowing season for rice has just commenced. “Indications are that sowing will be carried out normally this year with expectation of a more or less normal monsoon,” he said.
Bangladesh is one of the major rice producing countries in the world but its imports of the grain, which is a symbol of wealth in the South Asian nation, has been rising for the last few years, to keep pace with the increased demand.
Last week, the Sheikh Hasina government slashed the import duty of rice from 62.5 to 25 per cent on rice to boost inbound shipment of the grain. The new rate will be applicable till October 31.
Even though Bangladesh is the third-biggest rice producer in the world with 35 million tonne a year, it depends on imports from other countries to deal with shortages caused by natural disasters like floods and drought, Maritime Gateway, a publication focused on shipping and logistics industry, said in a report.
Besides India, Bangladesh imports rice from Vietnam, Pakistan, Philippines and China among other countries.
(The content is being carried under an arrangement with indianarrative.com)
While lauding the courage of the nation, Prime Minister Hasina said the project is a symbol of a Bangladesh’s pride, honour and ability, report Sumi Khan
Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Saturday inaugurated the Padma Bridge and said that the mega government-funded project belonged to the people of the nation.
Padma Bridge (Photo Twitter@RussEmbDhaka)
In a short speech before the inauguration, Hasina said: “I have no complaints against anyone, but I reckon those who opposed the Padma Bridge construction plan and called it a ‘pipe dream’ lack self-confidence. I hope this bridge will boost their confidence, whereas we have built ourselves.”
While lauding the courage of the nation, she said the project is a symbol of a Bangladesh’s pride, honour and ability.
“People on the south of Padma river have been neglected, but they won’t be neglected anymore,” she said, adding that a section of the Metro Rail in Dhaka and the tunnel under Karnaphuli river in Chittagong will be opened within this year.
“This bridge is not just bricks, cement, iron, and concrete… This bridge is our pride, a symbol of our capacity, our strength, our dignity. This bridge belongs to the people of Bangladesh.”
She expressed deep gratitude to the people involved with the construction, including the project authority, consultants, contractors, workers, and army personnel who provided security.
PM Sheikh Hasina pays the first toll at Padma Bridge toll plaza.
The Prime Minister further said that there was no compromise with regards to the quality of the Padma Bridge construction.
“It was built maintaining the highest standards,” she added.
Hasina also released a Tk 100 note to commemorate the occasion.
The Chinese contractor of the Padma Bridge also presented a replica of Hasina.
Nasreen was apprehended on Wednesday by troops of the 68Bn Border Security Force (BSF) in the North 24-Parganas district of West Bengal…reports Asian Lite News
They slip in through the porous Indo-Bangladesh border along West Bengal and then spread across the country, working as maids, rickshaw pullers, labourers, rag pickers and even bar dancers and sex workers. For many, luck runs out when they attempt to get back home with their earnings. Nasreen Khatoon (41) is one such Bangladeshi whose luck ran out after having spent 18 years in India.
Nasreen was apprehended on Wednesday by troops of the 68Bn Border Security Force (BSF) in the North 24-Parganas district of West Bengal. She was carrying 233.71 grams of gold ornaments and 191.94 grams of silver jewellery when nabbed. She is no smuggler.
This was her earnings over the last 18 years that she had converted to gold and silver ornaments, believing that they would be easier to carry across the International Boundary (IB) than hard cash. The BSF estimates that the value of the gold and silver is Rs 9.25 lakh.
“Nasreen hails from the Peroli village in Jessore, Bangladesh. She told interrogators that she entered India illegally 18 years ago and started working as a maid in Bhiwandi, Maharshtra. She converted whatever she earned over the last 18 years to gold and silver ornaments and now wanted to return home. We do not think that she is a smuggler. However, she doesn’t have documents for the gold and silver and was trying to cross over illegally. We had to hand her over to the Bagdah police station,” a senior BSF official said.
Though the Bangladesh government is in denial and maintains that no citizen of theirs sneak into India in search of a better livelihood, hundreds of such people are being apprehended by the BSF along the IB and handed back to Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) as a goodwill gesture. Even on the intervening night of Tuesday/Wednesday, troops of the 68Bn nabbed 6 Bangladeshis attempting to leave India. Three of them were handed over to the BGB while the remaining have been sent to the Bagdah police station for further checks.
“When it comes to people attempting to enter India illegally, we hand them over to the BGB as a gesture of goodwill. However, we need to be careful about illegal immigrants attempting to leave the country for Bangladesh. Some of them could be involved in criminal activities. We take no risks. Only those whose backgrounds can be checked and are found to be clean are handed over to the BGB. The remaining are sent to the police station for further inquiry,” the BSF official said.
According to Yogendra, CO, 68Bn BSF, all of those apprehended are criminals as they entered or attempted to enter India without valid documents. “However, it is on the basis of the seriousness of their offence that a decision is taken on whether to hand them over to the BGB or charge them under Indian laws,” he said.
Local TV reports showed widespread damage to habitation, crops, roads and highways across vast swathes of the country’s mainly northeastern region due to the flooding….reports Asian Lite News
At least 20 persons were killed, including cops, on Monday after monsoon storms in Bangladesh unleashed devastating floods that left millions of others stranded.
Millions of people have still been left marooned or homeless by the severe floods in about a dozen Bangladesh districts, reported Xinhua.
According to the daily flood report of the country’s Health Emergency Operation Center and Control Room, at least eight people have died in lightning in the flood-hit areas of four Bangladesh districts while four died in a landslide in southeastern Chattogram district since June 16.
Another death was reported Monday from Sylhet’s Sunamganj district, some 296 km northeast of Dhaka, where the body of a policeman who was washed away in flood waters on Thursday night was recovered on Saturday night.
Also, an ill-fated baby was swept away by the major Teesta after he slipped from his mother’s lap on their way to a flood shelter on Sunday in Bangladesh’s Gaibandha district, some 268 km northwest of capital Dhaka.
Apart from them, six more people died on Sunday with tens of thousands evacuated to nearly 1,000 flood shelters, mainly in the country’s northeastern Sylhet and Sunamganj districts, where the entire six million population are reported to have been affected by the worst-ever floods in more than a century, reported Xinhua.
In the disaster situation report prepared by the country’s National Disaster Response Coordination Center under the Ministry of Disaster Management and Relief, thousands of families were forced to flee home in about 10 Bangladesh districts.
Local TV reports showed widespread damage to habitation, crops, roads and highways across vast swathes of the country’s mainly northeastern region due to the flooding.
According to Flood Forecasting and Warning Center, water levels in different rivers of the country may rise again this week, leading to fresh flooding in some areas.
Md Kamrul Hasan, secretary of Bangladesh’s Ministry of Disaster Management and Relief, had earlier told Xinhua that tens of thousands of policemen, Bangladesh Army soldiers and emergency service staff members have been deployed in parts of the country to assist search and rescue efforts.
“Bangladesh Army soldiers have already been deployed as floods devastated the north-eastern districts of Sunamganj and Sylhet,” he said.
Bangladeshi State Minister for Disaster Management and Relief Md Enamur Rahman told journalists on Saturday that both the government and private agencies of the country are working together in the Sylhet region, which has been facing the worst floods in 122 years. (ANI)
Sheikh Hasina and Sheikh Rehana visit Padma Bridge
On June 20, the Chinese Embassy’s Facebook page and website circulated a statement containing photos of an event in the embassy compound on June 19 and the ambassador’s speech….reports Asian Lite News
Padma Bridge, the 6.15 Km long road-rail four-lane bridge over the mighty river Padma, is going to be inaugurated by Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on June 25, 2022.
The Bridge which has been constructed at a cost of Taka 30,193.6 crore (USD 3.6 billion), has been fully funded by the Government of Bangladesh after the World Bank refused to provide loans, citing corruption, on the alleged instigation of Mohammad Younus, a Nobel laureate economist having pro-opposition leanings and strong critic of Sheikh Hasina.
Though the Railway Major Bridge Engineering Group (RMBEG) of China has constructed the Padma Bridge, the Chinese Government, in a bid to influence the people of Bangladesh, has stated that this Bridge is a part of China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) and through its front organisation, Bangladesh China Silk Road Forum (BCSRF).
It had announced to organize a panel discussion, “The Padma Bridge: An example of Bangladesh-China Cooperation under belt and Road Initiative” in Pan Pacific Sonargaon Hotel, Dhaka on June 22, 72 hours before the formal inauguration of the bridge.
Bangladesh largest Padma Bridge to open in June
BCSRF had also invited Li Jiming, the Chinese Ambassador in Dhaka as Chief Guest on the occasion. This propaganda has infuriated the Government of Bangladesh to such an extent that the Chinese Embassy has been informed of Dhaka’s displeasure in linking the bridge with BRI.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Dhaka had, through a press release, refuted the statement of Bangladesh-based Beijing sponsored- organizations that the bridge has been constructed with the assistance of foreign funds and is a part of BRI.
The Ministry had also categorically stated that both Bangladeshi and foreign construction firms were engaged in the implementation of the project.
The e-card distributed for the event in the middle of last week mentions the name of the Chinese Ambassador to Dhaka Li Jiming as the chief guest. The chairman of the forum is Dilip Barua, who was a minister in the Sheikh Hasina-led government (2009-2014).
Soon after the e-card distribution began, various government authorities, including the Foreign Ministry, started doubting the intentions of the embassy.
On June 20, the Chinese Embassy’s Facebook page and website circulated a statement containing photos of an event in the embassy compound on June 19 and the ambassador’s speech.
The statement said, “The event was organized at the request of the Prime Minister’s Office of Bangladesh”. Since the Bangladesh government has taken various measures to promote the funding of the Padma Bridge and to prevent confusion in the public mind, its Foreign Ministry, was unhappy with this position of the Embassy and had asked the Chinese embassy to clarify its position on the Padma Bridge with a statement.
In addition, the deputy head of the Embassy, Hulong Yan, was summoned by Kazi Russel Parvez, Director General (East Asia and Pacific Region), Bangladesh Foreign Ministry and was informed about the “government’s annoyance”.
Photo taken on May 21, 2020 shows red flags on the Tian’anmen Square in Beijing, capital of China. (Xinhua/Cai Yang/IANS)
Yan was told that the Chinese companies in the project, including the main Padma Bridge and its connecting road, had only acted as contractors. The Government of Bangladesh is paying the cost of the construction of the entire project, including the bridge.
In this situation, the claim that this bridge is part of the Belt and Road Initiative is devoid of reality and the involvement of the embassy and the ambassador in this related campaign does not fall within the diplomatic etiquette.
Sensing a controversy and facing loss, the Chinese embassy informed the organizers that it would not be possible for the ambassador to participate in Wednesday’s Forum. The chairman of the forum, Dilip Barua had to cancel the programme with the remarks, “The sequence doesn’t match”.
Bangladesh Government is also unhappy with the claim of China that RMGEG is solely responsible for the construction of the bridge. In fact, technology and skills of various companies in 20 countries including Bangladesh, India, UK, USA, Canada, Germany, Australia, New Zealand, Netherlands, Japan, Singapore, Denmark, Italy, Malaysia, Columbia, Philippines, Taiwan, Nepal and South Africa were used. In addition, materials from 50 countries were also used to construct the bridge.
On the domestic front, the opposition is also not happy with the inauguration of the bridge which will surely give an advantage to the current government in power in the next general elections. According to a Bangladeshi newspaper, Bhorer Pata, the Bangladesh government is also wary of sabotage of the inauguration ceremony by the BNP-Jamaat combine as a secret meeting led by BNP leader Ruhul Kabir Rizvi was held recently at the Dhaka University club at midnight organized by teachers influenced by Jamaat-e-Islami and BNP.
It is amply clear now that China’s possessiveness on BRI and Chinese propaganda to highlight the construction of a Bridge in Bangladesh for domestic economic development into a BRI- linked project, has failed. (ANI)
Officials said thousands of homes in Sylhet and Sunamganj have been inundated and electricity has been cut….reports Asian Lite News
Almost half of Bangladesh remained in the grip of devastating floods, as millions of people were marooned or left homeless in low-lying northeastern parts of the country.
Md Kamrul Hasan, secretary of the Ministry of Disaster Management and Relief, told Xinhua news agency Saturday that tens of thousands of policemen, Bangladesh Army personnel and emergency service staff members have been deployed in parts of the country to assist search and rescue efforts.
“Bangladesh Army soldiers have already been deployed as floods devastated the northeastern districts of Sunamganj and Sylhet,” he said, adding there are no known injuries nor deaths to have occurred in the country so far as a result of the ongoing floods.
Officials said thousands of homes in Sylhet and Sunamganj have been inundated and electricity has been cut.
The key Surma river running through Sylhet and Sunamganj districts burst its banks, flowing at a record rate of over 100 cubic meters a second on Saturday.
“The ongoing floods have been reported in 28 (out of 64) districts in Bangladesh since last week,” Dalil Uddin, a spokesperson for the country’s National Disaster Response Coordination Center (NDRCC) under the Ministry of Disaster Management and Relief, told Xinhua.
Arifuzzaman Bhuiyan, head of the state-run Flood Forecasting and Warning Center, said that many major Bangladeshi rivers have risen to dangerous levels.
He said the overall trend continues to indicate deterioration in the flooding situation in the coming days, particularly alarming for the areas around the Brahmaputra and Ganges basins in the country.
Floods reportedly caused widespread damage to habitation, crops, roads and highways across vast swathes of the country.
TV reports showed wide areas of land are underwater in parts of Bangladesh, especially in the northeastern Sylhet region as major rivers have been overflowing since last week.
Officials said the onrush of water from hills across the Indian borders has virtually worsened the situation in the northeastern Sylhet region.
At least 4 million people are marooned and 300,000 are reportedly facing electricity outages in the districts of Sunamganj and Sylhet, Bangladesh national news agency BSS reported.
There is also the risk of mud and rock slides in the country as the flood waters run off.
Also, the monsoon rain on Saturday swept the capital Dhaka, forcing millions of city residents to stay indoors most of the day.
Due to incessant rainfall and flowing hill water, at least seven northern Bangladeshi districts have been inundated during the last two to three days.
State Minister for Disaster Management and Relief Md Enamur Rahman told journalists Saturday that both the government and private agencies of the country are working together in the Sylhet region which has been facing floods worst in 122 years.
He said they had rushed teams of army, navy, coast guard and disaster response forces to carry out the rescue, distribute relief materials and supervise centres where the flood-affected families have taken shelter.
The Prime Minister said Bangladesh is providing temporary shelter to 100,000 Rohingyas on Bhasan Char Island where they will get better facilities….reports Asian Lite News Sumi Khan
Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Sunday asked how long could her country bear such a huge burden of more than 1 million Rohingya refugees.
More than 1.1 million Rohingyas sheltered in Bangladesh are causing a long-term social problems in the country, as many of them are engaged in arms, drug, and women trafficking, she told newly-appointed Canadian High Commissioner, Lilly Nicholls, who called on her at her Sangsad Bhaban office.
The Prime Minister said Bangladesh is providing temporary shelter to 100,000 Rohingyas on Bhasan Char Island where they will get better facilities.
Refugees in the Kutupalong Rohingya Refugee Camp in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh, in July, 2018. (Photo: UN/IANS)
The High Commissioner said that Canada will always support Bangladesh in this regard, and that her country is creating an additional fund, through charity, for Rohingyas.
She also said Canada is highly pleased to celebrate the 50th anniversary of diplomatic ties with Bangladesh, while also congratulating Bangladesh on the celebration of the golden jubilee of its Independence and the birth centenary of the Father of the Nation, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.
Noting that Canada has been supporting Bangladesh since its Liberation War, Sheikh Hasina said Canada had worked closely with Bangladesh since the beginning of the Covid pandemic and thanked it for donating vaccines and equipment.
She appreciated Canada saying that the number of Bangladeshi students is increasing in its universities and requested the Canadian government to include Bangladesh in the Student Direct Stream programme.
“We have special relations with Canada,” she said.
Both discussed the Russia-Ukraine conflict and agreed that war always causes suffering to people.
As both agreed that bilateral trade and business can grow further, Sheikh Hasina said that she looks forward to boosting trade and investment with Canada and that the large Bangladeshi diaspora in Canada is positively contributing in enhancing people-to-people contact between the two nations.
The Premier said that she expected that Nicholls would play her role in strengthening the existing excellent relations between the two countries, and assured all possible support to her for discharging her duties.
Ambassador-at-large M. Ziauddin and Principal Secretary Ahmad Kaikaus were present at the meeting.
This will be the first physical JCC meeting since the onset of Covid-19 pandemic, with the previous edition held virtually in 2020….reports Asian Lite News
India and Bangladesh will hold the 7th Meeting of the Joint Consultative Commission (JCC) in New Delhi on Sunday.
The JCC will be co-chaired by External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar and Bangladesh Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen.
This will be the first physical JCC meeting since the onset of Covid-19 pandemic, with the previous edition held virtually in 2020.
The JCC will review the entire gamut of bilateral relations, including cooperation in the wake of Covid-19, border management and security, trade and investment, connectivity, energy, water resources, development partnership and regional and multilateral issues.
The two neighbouring nations share a 4,096 km-long international border. Bangladesh and India are also members of the SAARC, BIMSTEC and the Commonwealth.
