The New Nation - Internet Edition

JU Correspondent

Jahangirnagar University Journalist Association (JUJA) observed its 37th anniversary with festive mood on the campus yesterday.

Vice Chancellor of the university Prof Dr Mustahidur Rahman inaugurated the programme.

On the occasion, a seminar on 'Investigative reporting to explore corruption' was organised at the auditorium of the university.

Country's noted journalist ABM Musa, Riaj Uddin Ahmed, the Editor of News Today, Mostafa Kamal Majumder, the Editor of New Nation, Farid Hossain, Bureau chief of AP, Farid Ahmed, News Editor of New Age, Alamgir Hossain were participated in the seminar where the journalists stressed the necessity of reporters courage to combat corruption. Later, the Association accorded reception to Journalist Ataus Samad, Shawkat Mahmud and Hasan Ahmed Chowdhury.

Earlier, they brought out a colourful rally on the campus participated by the present and former members of the Association.

BSS, Dhaka

Former president of Jatiya Samajtantrik Sramik Jote and a freedom fighter Momataj Uddin died of a heart attack at his residence at Bhairab in Kishoreganj district on Friday night at the age of 70.

He had been a CBA and non-CBA leader of Kohinur Jute Mills and Jabbar Jute Mills for 36 years.

In a condolence message, coordinator of Unity for Political Reforms (UPR) ASM Abdur Rab expressed his deep shock at the death of Momataj Uddin.

He said Momataj Uddin was a dedicated leader of the working

community and the nation will recall his memorable contribution to the liberation war.

His namaz-e-janaza was held at Panchabati Eidgha at Bhairab.

ASM Abdur Rab, president of Jatiya Samajtantrik Sramik Jote Abul Khayer Sajjad, general secretary of Sramik Jote Abdul Khalek, Joint General Secretary Abdul Razzak Raja, among others, attended the namaz-e-janaza.

BSS, Dhaka

The government yesterday allocated a fresh amount of Taka 90 crore for post-Sidr reconstruction of houses in the coastal belt.

Out of the total allocation, Taka 60 crore was given from the Chief Adviser's relief fund while Taka 30 crore from the Disaster Management Ministry for rebuilding the damaged houses, the Ministry Secretary Dr Muhammad Ayub Miah told BSS yesterday.

Out of the new allocation, he said, the districts of Bagerhat and Barguna would get Taka 30 crore each while Patuakhali and Pirojpore-Taka 15 crore each.

Earlier, he said, the government allocated Taka 81 crore for rebuilding houses in the Sidr affected areas.

Out of the 30 districts hit by the cyclone, he said, 12 suffered heavy losses and destruction.

The Sidr, he said, claimed 3,328 lives, 52,723 people sustained injuries and 871 remain missing while 87 lakh 35 thousand 790 people were affected this or that way in 200 upazilas.

Standing crops on 7 lakh 42 thousand 826 acres of land were destroyed while on another 17 lakh 30 thousand 116 acres were partially damaged.

In all 4,201 educational institutions were destroyed and another 12,674 were partially damaged.

A total of 1,714 kilometres of roads were destroyed and 5,767 kilometres more were partially damaged.

BSS, Dhaka

Both internal and international migration spur land tenancy in the rural areas as higher incidence of land purchase is evident in places which have higher concentration of migration like Chittagong, Dhaka and Sylhet Divisions.

A recent study by Bangladesh Development Study said that in rural areas, the sale of land was 1.3 percent of the owned land, compared to 1.7 percent in 1987-88 and land purchase, which was reported at 2 percent in 1999-2000.

It said higher incidence of land purchase than its sale indicates that the important contribution of migration to the transactions in the land market.

By purchasing rural land, the urban settlers and overseas immigrants become the absentee landowners and get their land cultivated by the resident relatives under tenancy arrangement.

The study also pointed out that 21 percent of the migrant households were moderately poor prior to overseas migration by the respondents. In the post-migration period the proportion of such households slashed down dramatically to seven per cent.

At the rural end it was found that the extent of poverty was much lower around 30 percent for households having migrant members than non-migrant households around 60 percent.

In addition the flow of remittances also improved the standard of living of the recipients and helped in improving the income distribution in favour of the poorer and the less skilled workers.

Contribution of remittances to households' income hovers at around 20 percent, which has increased significantly by about 8.1 percent per year during 1988-2000 when per capita income grew at 3.2 percent.

Moreover, decline of poverty is most rapid in Chittagong, Dhaka and Sylhet Divisions indicating important role of remittances in poverty alleviation as these divisions have highest concentration of migrants.

Continuous flow of remittances might have reduced severity of poverty in these districts. Between 10 and 19 percent of remittances is used to repay loans, one major source of funding the migration process.

Drawing on the size of remittances, existing estimates suggests that it takes more than four years to send remittances that can help keep the household out of poverty threshold if it is dependent solely on respondents' remittances.

BSS, Dhaka

Huge enthusiasm has been created among the expatriate Bangladeshis in Bahrain ahead of the Bangladesh Trade Fair scheduled to be held on January 22-30.

Bahrain-Bangladesh Friendship Society, forecasting huge demand, has invited Bangladeshi garment, shrimp, spices, food, handicraft, life insurance companies and banks to participate in the fair.

Interested participants have been requested to contact for stall with the organiser of the fair, Dhaka International Exhibition Company (DIEC), at 62/1 Purana Paltan, Dhaka, Tel: 9558318-9, 0171-0852522.

BSS, Dhaka

A nine-member delegation of Bangladesh Scouts on Saturday called on President Prof Dr Iajuddin Ahmed at Bangabhaban.

Chief National Commissioner of Bangladesh Scouts Md Fazlur Rahman led the delegation comprising high profile foreign delegates to the International Centenary COMDECA (Community Development Camp), Cox's Bazar.

President Professor Dr Iajuddin Ahmed, who is also the Chief Scout of Bangladesh, will inaugurate the International Centenary COMDECA, Cox's Bazar, at a ceremony at Bangabhaban today.

During the meeting, the delegation apprised the President of different activities of Bangladesh Scouts including its relief and rehabilitation work for the cyclone victims in the country's southern region and holding of the COMDECA.

The delegation also informed the president of setting up six work camps in five cyclone-hit districts under the sub-camp named 'Sundarbans' to help the cyclone victims.

The president expressed satisfaction at different activities of the scouts in serving the humanity including its relief work for the cyclone victims.

President Iajuddin also decorated president of Asia and Pacific Region (APR) Scout Foundation Management Committee Eric Khoo of Malaysia and Vice President of APR Scout Committee Mohammad Ali Khalid of India with the Bangladesh Scouts' highest award Silver Tiger in recognition to their devoted service to scouting in the region.

Military Secretary to the President Major General Mohd. Aminul Karim, Secretary Md Sirajul Islam, Private Secretary Mozammel Haq Khan and Press Secretary Abdul Awal Howlader were present.

BSS, Dhaka

Necessary knowledge in language, culture and industrial law is indispensable for getting foreign employment, especially in Korea that has high potential for export of Bangladeshi manpower.

This was expressed at a views exchange meeting organized on Saturday in the city by renowned Korean enterprises NH Company Ltd and Chung Chul Uh Ram (CCUR) which is going to set up a Korean Language Center in Dhaka to educate Korean Language, Culture and industrial law.

This will be the only affiliated training programme center under the Human Resource Department (HRD) of Korean Ministry of Labour, the organizers claim.

Ms. Moon Ju KANG, Managing Director, Ms. Kim Mi HWA, Director, M. Sayeduzzaman Chief Executive Officer, Rubayat Mohammad, Country Manager Md. Moniruzzaman, General Manager and Sk. Arifur Rahman, Special Assignment Officer of NH-CCUR were among others, took part in the meeting.

They said the NH-CCUR would invest huge amount of money as capital by the period 2008 to build an International School, Technological University, Landmark Business and Apartment Complexes in Bangladesh.

The organizers informed that apart from Bangladesh, the NH- CCUR has already started executing schemes to develop such Employment Permit System and Language Proficiency Test (EPS-LPT) standardization training programme in Nepal, Myanmar, Cambodia, Sri Lanka, East Timor and China.

However, Dhaka would be the main center of this potential programme, they said.

They said that the prime objective of the proposed training center would be to provide the learners on social responsibilities, culture, industrial laws and hygienic patterns of intended Korean workers.

The NH-CCUR will also provide assistance in training module, quality training and will ensure experienced trainers from Korea to serve the purpose. It would also provide highest management and logistic support to succeed the mission.

The organizers said that their main thrust would be to ensure genuine education of international standard to enrich human resources in Bangladesh that would be fit for competitiveness in the international market.

The proposed center would work not only to explore employments for Bangladeshis in Korea but also to contact international jobs for Bangladeshi nationals by creating a latent employment market in the globe.

BSS, Dhaka

Responding to appeal by the embassy of Bangladesh in USA many organizations and individuals from USA have donated US dollar 31,657 to the Chief Adviser's relief fund for the cyclone 'Sidr' survivors.

Among the donors, the Triangle Bangladesh Society of North Carolina (TBSNC) and Bangladesh Medical Association (BAMNA), North Carolina Chapter have donated US dollar 31,657 to the relief fund maintained with the embassy of Bangladesh in Washington DC, a press release said here.

With these contributions, the Bangladesh embassy has, so far, raised US dollar 280,000 for the disaster victims of Bangladesh, of which US dollar 1,80,000 has already been transferred to Bangladesh.

The Bangladesh embassy in Washington appreciated the Bangladeshi-American-community for extending their helping hands for cyclone victims.

It hoped that such contributions from the community members would continue in the coming days, the press release added.

BSS, Dhaka

A training programme on devising national SME (small and medium enterprises) development for OIC Member Countries will begins from tomorrow at the Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FBCCI) conference centre.

The programme is being jointly sponsored by the FBCCI and the Islamic Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ICCI) in cooperation with the Perez-Guerro Trust Fund (PGTF), UNDP, Islamic Research and Training Institute (IRTI) and the Islamic Development Bank.

Industries Secretary Dr. Md. Nurul Amin will inaugurate the training course at a ceremony while Syed Manzur Elahi, administrator of FBCCI, will preside, according to an FBCCI press release.

A total of 52 representatives from 17 OIC countries including Afghanistan Albania, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Cameroon, Kyrgyz, Morocco, Oman, Pakistan, Sudan, Syria, Turkey, Togo, Turkish Cyprus, Uganda, Yemen and host country Bangladesh will be participating in the course.

The training programme has been organised in recognition of the contribution of Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in generating high-income growth and alleviating poverty and unemployment in OIC member countries, the press release said.

BSS, Dhaka

Proshika, one of the largest NGOs of the country, provides health services, drinking water and warm- clothes to the victims of cyclone Sidr.

According to a Proshika press release, more than seven lakh people have been brought under these services.

Proshika has established 20 health camps in remote areas of 11 worst affected upazilas of the country's southwestern districts. The affected people are being given free treatment and medicines according to their needs.

The upazilas are Mathbaria, Kawkhali, Pirojpur Sadar, Zianagar, Nazirpur, Patuakhali Sadar, Dhumki, Amtoli, Rajapur, Morelganj and Rampal.

Besides, 300 water purifying filters have been set up to provide drinking water to the Sidr victims.

Under this programme, more than 10,000 worst affected people are being given warm-clothes.

Proshika has also set up 10 camps for treatment of cattle and poultry bird in the cyclone-hit areas. This aid programme is implemented with Proshika's own resources.