The New Nation - Internet Edition

UNB, Dhaka

Bangladesh hosts the first BIMSTEC Ministerial meeting on poverty alleviation in Dhaka on January 9-10 that aims to adopt a comprehensive plan of action on poverty alleviation. Senior officials of seven-member BIMSTEC will meet on January 9 to prepare the agenda of the ministerial meeting to be held on January 10.

Chief Adviser Dr Fakhruddin Ahmed will inaugurate the ministerial meeting.

The 9th BIMSTEC ministerial meeting held in New Delhi on August 9, 2006 approved Dhaka's proposal to host the first meeting on poverty alleviation in the wake of Bangladesh's vast experience in poverty alleviation initiatives like micro-credit.

An official of the Foreign Ministry told UNB that the forthcoming Ministerial Meeting on Poverty Alleviation would adopt a comprehensive Plan of Action on Poverty Alleviation, in keeping with the Millennium Development Goals.

The meeting will emphasize on collective action for poverty alleviation through exchange of best practices and mobilization of resources, especially in rural areas employing innovative approaches and initiatives such as micro-credit and development of Small and Medium Enterprises.

The recommendations to be adopted at the Dhaka Ministerial will be placed before the next BIMSTEC summit to be held in New Delhi this year for final approval.

Nepal is the lead country of the poverty alleviation, one of the 13 priority areas of the grouping that includes countries from South Asia and South East Asia.

Other priority areas are: Trade and Investment, Technology, Energy, Transport and Communications, Tourism, Fisheries, Agriculture, Culture, Terrorism and Trans-national crimes, Environment and Disaster Management, Public health and People-to-People Contact. BIMSTEC (Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation) was formed on June 6, 1997 in Bangkok. Member countries are Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Thailand.

BSS, Dhaka

Jagannath Hall Alumni Association (JHAA) today held its annual meeting at the Bangladesh China Friendship Conference Center (BCFCC), recalling the golden days at the dormitory of Dhaka University.

Former students of the hall, especially dedicated for the accommodation of religious minorities, joined the meeting.

Awami League presidium member Suranjit Sen Gupta, Pankaj Bhattcharya of the Communist Party of Bangladesh (CPB), former general secretary of the Jatiya Press Club Swapan Kumar Saha and eminent artiste Ramendu Majumder, among others, joined the function.

The meeting recalled the memories of the great souls who have sacrificed their lives during the war of liberation in 1971 and prayed for salvation and eternal peace of their souls.

It also recalled the memories of the students who died in October 1985 due to partial collapse of the auditorium of Jagannath Hall and expressed deep shock at the loss of lives and properties in cyclone, Sidr.

BSS, Dhaka

Deputy Commissioner of Dhaka District Kamal Uddin yesterday distributed winter clothes among cold-hit people at different areas of the city.

The distributed clothes included 500 blankets, 1400 sweaters, 260 old clothes and others, a press release said on Friday.

Additional Deputy Commissioner (general) Syed Lokman Ahmed and District Relief and Rehabilitation Officer Nur Mohammad, among others, were present on the occasion.

The 8th death anniversary of Engineer Azizul Haq Chowdhury, former General Manager, Petro-bangla, was observed on Thursday, says a press release.

Khatm-e-Quran and Milad Mahfil was held at his residence and food distributed among the destitute in Mirpur on the day. Milad Mahfil was also held after Juma prayers on Friday at his Bariadhala village residence in Sitakund, Chittagong, on the occasion.

BSS, Rangpur

Police arrested a total of 85 persons on various charges from different places of all eight upazilas in the district during the past 48 hours till yesterday afternoon, police sources said.

The arrested persons include warrantees, abscon-ding accused persons in different cases, rapists, drug-peddlers, listed terrorists, muggers, thieves, cow-lifters, extortionists and other anti-social elements.

Police also recovered huge quantities of narcotics substances including ganja, Phensidyl, locally produced fermented wine, sharp and lethal weapons, stolen cows and other illegal things during the drives.

Police arrested Khoybar Ali, 45 with 17.5 liter wine, Kader, 40 with a stolen cow, Milan, 35 with a snatched motorcycle, drug traffickers Mozammel, 42, Begum, 37 and Fazlu, 40 with contraband ganja and a motorcycle and addict Monirul, 27 from various places during the period.

The thana-wise number of arrested persons during the period is: Kotwali thana 21, Gangachara four, Taraganj two, Badarganj four, Mithapukur 18, Pirganj seven, Pirgacha three, Kawnia thana 14 and DB Police 12.

The arrested persons were sent to jail hajat when police produced them before different Rangpur Courts, the source said.