The New Nation - Internet Edition

Raising buffer stock of food underscored

Speakers at a round-table on 'The Food Situation of
Bangladesh, organised by The Main Roaders, a social
organisation, at the CIRDAP auditorium in the city on
Sunday. NN photo

Staff Reporter

Speakers at a roundtable yesterday laid emphasis on producing more foodgrains and building a buffer stock with a view to reducing dependency on foreign countries and averting future food crisis in the country.

They suggested immediate introduction of rationing system throughout the country. And allocate more subsidies to the farmers for producing staple food. "It is essential to produce more food by giving all sorts of agricultural inputs to the farmers" they said at a roundtable on " Food Situation in Bangladesh" organised by The Main Roaders" at the CIRDAP auditorium in the city.

Mahbubul Alam former adviser of the caretaker government and Editor of The Independent was present as chief guest. Mostafa Kamal Majumder, president of the organisation and Editor of The New Nation presented a keynote paper and moderated the event.

It was also, attended among others, by Jaglul Ahmed Chowdhury, Chief Editor of Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha, former state minister for foeign affairs Abul Ahsan Chowhury, journalist Sadek Khan, former state minister Adv Rahmat Ali, Abul Asad, editor of the Daily Sangram, Bangladesh Kalyan party president Maj Gen (Retd) Muhammad Ibrahim, former deputy prime minister Dr MA Matin, UNB city editor Shamsuddin Ahmed, former MP Zahiruddin Swapan, acting president of Dhaka Union of Journalist Azizul Huq Banna, Nurul Huq Majumder president and Atiqul Islam general secretary of Bangladesh Muslim League and Maulana Abdul Latif Nizami general secretary of Islami Oikya Jote.

Mentioning that ethanol and other bio-fuels are a 'significant contributor' to soaring food prices around the globe Mahbubul Alam stressed the need for producing more food. In this regard he called upon the government to allocate more funds and provide other facilities to the farmers for producing more food grains.

"The country has always required at least 10 lack metric tonnes of food stock" he observed and called upon all to create a green revolution in the country.

Jaglul Ahmed Chowdhury highlighted on securing food security in the SAARC countries. Maj Gen (Retd) Syed Muhammad Ibrahim said in the last ten years the agricultural land has drastically reduced for industrialisation and housing purposes that resulted in shortages of food in the country. He called upon the government to reactive the government owned Trading Corporation of Bangladesh (TCB) and taking long-term effective policy for facing food crisis. Abul Ahsan Chowdhury said the government should have taken up a ten year plan for food security of the country.

"Agriculture sector should be non negotiable and there should be a united policy regarding food matters" he said adding that media could play an important role in resolving this issue.

Blaming the government for its inability to run the country properly Adv Rahmat Ali said due to the absence of a land policy the agricultural land of the country are not being used properly. He called upon the government to take effective land policy for creating employment of poor people of the country.

Dr MA Matin said if we stop corruption and cultivate land by following scientific methods then the production of foodgrains would increase significantly.

ACC sues former Adviser Fazlul Haque

Staff Reporter

The Anti Corruption Commission (ACC) yesterday filed a case against former Law Adviser of President Iajuddin Ahmed-led caretaker government Justice Fazlul Haque on charge of amassing illegal wealth and hiding information about his wealth to the Government.

ACC Assistant Director Mohammad Ibrahim filed first information report (FIR) with Ramna police station against Justice Fazlul Haque on charge of acquiring wealth beyond known sources of income and concealment of information. According to case details, the former judge earned Tk 97.37 lakh by unfair means.

It has been alleged in the FIR that the assets Justice Fazlul did not mention in his wealth statement was earned by him illegally when he was an Adviser of the previous caretaker government.

The FIR states that when he took over as an Adviser, his net asset was worth about Tk 67.83 lakh. But, after becoming an Adviser, his net assets amounted to about Tk 1.14 crore and 1.24 crore respectively in 2006-07 and 2007-08 tax years.

According to the FIR, the difference has been created through "illegal earnings" when he was the Adviser of the caretaker government.

It has been accused that he piled up huge ill-gotten money beyond known sources of income between October 2006 and January 2007. With a big chunk of the illegally earned money, he made bank deposits through his son Dr Afzal Hossain Raj, daughter's husband Tariqur Rahman Prince, son's friend Abdul Malek, Sujaul Hasan Sujon and Ataul Haq. Also bought with the ill-gotten money were cars and flats besides investment in the Justice Fazlul Haque Foundation. The former Supreme Court judge, who stood in as head of the caretaker government for a short while after President Iajuddin had stood down, transacted about Tk 13 crore in different banks in the names of the above-mentioned persons during his days in state power.

ACC did not find any source of the money.

In his wealth statement submitted to the ACC, Justice Haque said he owned property worth Tk 1.25 crore. Furthermore, it has been learnt that the former Adviser siphoned off more money through his daughter and son-in-law, who reside in London.

The case was filed under Sections 26(2) and 27(1) of the Anti-Corruption Commission Act 2004, Section 5(2) of the Corruption Prevention Act 1947 and Section 15 of the Emergency Power Rules 2007.

Justice Fazlul is one of the 35 corruption suspects whose names appeared on the fourth and final list published by the ACC on October 4, 2007 under the ongoing purge against corruption in high places.

On November 18, 2007, he was issued notice directing him to submit his wealth statement. Justice Fazlul complied with the ACC directive on November 26, 2007.

Meanwhile, The Anti-Corruption Commission is going to issue notices soon to former Law Adviser Justice Fazlul Haque's son Dr Afzal Hossain Raj, son-in-law Tariqur Rahman Prince, son's friend Sujaul Hasan Sujon and Abdul Malek, an official of the Justice Fazlul Haque Foundation.

They were named in a graft case filed yesterday by the anti-graft watchdog against Justice Fazlul Haque as abettors to him in spinning money out of state power when he was adviser of the previous short-lived caretaker government. In the first-information report it has been alleged that Justice Fazlul had transacted about Tk 13 crore in the names of the above-mentioned individuals.

"Yes, the Commission yesterday approved the issuance of notices to Justice Fazlul Haque's son Dr Afjal Hossain Raj, son-in-law Tariqur Rahman Prince, son's friend Sujaul Hasan Sujon and Abdul Malek, an official of the Justice Fazlul Haque Foundation, directing them to submit their wealth statements," ACC Director General (admin) Col Hanif Iqbal said in the yesterday afternoon.

He said the Commission also approved the issuance of notice to Khandaker Azadur Rahman, former additional chief engineer of Roads and Highways department, seeking his wealth statement under the ongoing drive against corruption.

WB for urgent food aid to desperate people: Social unrest may lead to war

BFF, Washington

The World Bank meets here Sunday as rising food prices spark deadly unrest in developing countries, underscoring the urgency of getting food aid to desperate people.

Policymakers of the anti-poverty bank are due to discuss a massive, coordinated international plan to reduce hunger announced less than two weeks ago by the head of the bank, Robert Zoellick.

With soaring food prices threatening political stability in poor countries, Zoellick called for a "new deal" for global food policy, similar in scope to a 1930s programme under US president Franklin D. Roosevelt that tackled the problems of the Great Depression.

The World Bank meeting comes against a backdrop of a mounting global financial crisis, a US economy teetering on recession, high energy prices and currency market imbalances. Escalating inflation is complicating policymakers' efforts to revive stuttering economic growth. The 185-nation bank's sister institution, the International Monetary Fund, issued a dire warning Saturday about the food crisis at their spring meetings in Washington.

"Food prices, if they go on like they are doing today t the consequences will be terrible," IMF managing director Dominque Strauss-Kahn said.

"Hundreds of thousands of people will be starving t (leading) to disruption of the economic environment," Strauss- Kahn told a news conference at the close of the IMF meeting.

Development gains made in the past five or 10 years could be "totally destroyed," he said, warning that social unrest could even lead to war.

"As we know, learning from the past, those kind of questions sometimes end in war," he said. If the world wanted to avoid "these terrible consequences," then rising prices had to be tackled.

Skyrocketing prices of rice, wheat, corn and other staple foods like milk particularly hurt developing nations, where the bulk of income is spent on the bare necessities for survival.

According to a World Bank policy note released this past week, increases in global wheat prices reached 181 percent over the 36 months leading up to last February, and overall global food prices increased by 83 percent.

Food crop prices are expected to remain high in 2008 and 2009 and then begin to decline, but they are likely to remain well above the 2004 levels through 2015 for most food crops, the document warned.

"The poor are not just facing higher food prices but also higher energy costs, which is a worrying combination," said Danny Leipziger, a World Bank Group vice president.

In recent months, rising food costs have led to violent protests in Egypt, Cameroon, Ivory Coast, Mauritania, Ethiopia, Madagascar, the Philippines, Indonesia and other countries in the past month.

Haiti's prime minister was ousted Saturday in a no-confidence vote after more than a week of violent demonstrations over rocketing food and fuel prices.

In Pakistan and Thailand, army troops have been deployed to avoid the seizure of food from fields and warehouses.

Thirty-seven countries currently face food crisis, according to the Food and Agriculture Organisation.

Zoellick is urging countries to provide the minimum 500 million dollars immediately sought by the World Food Programme in the mounting food crisis.

The World Bank plans to nearly double its lending for agriculture in Africa, to 800 million dollars."

Zoellick proposed three other measures to soften the impact of a slowing world economy on the most vulnerable countries: investment in Africa by sovereign wealth funds; strengthening a 2002 initiative to improve governance in resource-rich countries; and conclusion of the World Trade Organisation's trade liberalisation negotiations.

Biman, Boeing deal deferred for one week

UNB, Dhaka

The final deal between Biman Bangladesh Airlines and US aircraft manufacturer Boeing to procure eight aircraft for the national flag carrier at a cost of $ 1.265 billion was deferred for one week.

"We sought one week time from Boeing to sign the final deal that was scheduled to be initialed on April 15," said a high official of Biman. Biman earlier signed a MoU with Boeing representatives here on March 15.

Of the eight Boeings, the first consignment of four aircraft will be arriving here in 2013 while the second consignment in 2017. The first Boeing 777-300ER aircraft will cost US$ 182.17 million while the other three US$ 182.51 million, US$ 183.20 million and US$ 184.01 million. The initial selling price of this kind of aircraft is US$ 272 million each.

BCL activists observe fast for release of Hasina

DU Correspondent

The leaders and activists of Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL), student wing of Awami League, yesterday observed two-hour token hunger strike on the Dhaka University campus to press home their demand for release of Awami League Chief Sheikh Hasina and Mahfuzul Haider Chowdhury Roton, general secretary of the organisation.

The organisation has been holding different programmes, including mass signature campaign and demonstrations on the campus for some days in this connection but the Government has so far not yielded to their demand.

The BCL leaders declared that they would hold tougher programmes until the demand was met.

Prof Anwar Hossain, general secretary of Dhaka University Teachers' Association, Prof AAMS Arefin Siddique, former president of the organisation and Shahriar Kabir, human rights activist, expressed solidarity with the token hunger strike.

Addressing the programme, Prof Arefin Sidique accused President Prof Dr Iajuddin Ahmed for the current situation of the country. He said the Government was not arresting the fundamentalists though they were creating anarchy but it arrested the Dhaka University teachers and students only for participating in a peaceful procession.

The present Government was showing the attitude of a tyrant keeping the political leaders in jail, said Prof Anwar Hossain.

Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal (JCD) staged a demonstration on the campus demanding the freeing of BNP Chief Khaleda Zia along with all political detainees.

Senior vice-president of the organisation Sultan Salah Uddin Tuku, general secretary Shafiul Bari Babu, DU Unit general secretary Saiful Islam Firoz, among others, participated in the programme.

Call to name new: DU building after Prof Asaduzzaman

DU Correspondent

The under construction building of social science faculty of the Dhaka University (DU) will be named after Prof Dr M Asaduzzaman, This was endorsed unanimously at his condolence programme yesterday.

Dhaka University Journalists' Association organised the programme at the RC Majumder Auditorium of the university, while speakers recalled Prof Asaduzzaman's works and contributions.

UGC chairman Prof Nazrul Islam, Dhaka University Vice-Chancellor Prof SMA Faiz, Pro-VC Prof AFM Yusuf Haider, Treasurer Prof Syed Abul Kalam Azad, Prof AAMS Arefin Sidique, Dean of Arts Faculty Prof Sadrul Amin, Dean of Social Science Faculty Prof Harun-or-Rashid, Proctor Prof AK Firoz Ahmed, Prof Akhteruzzaman, General Secretary of Dhaka University Alumni Association Rakib Uddin Ahmed, among others, addressed.

The University authorities, UGC and the University Alumni Association supported the proposal.

President of the DUJA Mahbubur Rahman presided over the function, while its secretary Shahjahan Shuvo conducted it.

'Plastic industry dying due to NBR's injustice’

Staff Reporter

Country's plastic goods manufacturing industry is passing through tough time as delivery of raw materials from the Chittagong port has been stopped due to injustice by the National Board of Revenue (NBR), sector leaders alleged.

At a press conference yesterday president of Bangladesh Plastic Goods Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BPGMEA) Jasim Uddin alleged that NBR is not following its directives itself resulting dumping of raw materials worth Tk 400 crore in the port.

"We have imported raw materials as per rules of the NBR. But now they stopped release of those issuing another order. We are paying US$48 demurrage for per container per day and production in some factories stopped due to shortage of raw materials," he said. In the budget for fiscal year 2007-08 the government has set a condition of importing raw materials for the industry with labeling " imported under bond, not for sell" on the packet. After a long argument the NBR agreed that the level can be put on the bags at Chittagong port at importers cost as the raw materials producers are unable to do so for particularly Bangladesh.

Importers opened a huge volume of letter of credit according to the decision, but in the mean time NBR changed its decision and imposed 100 per cent bank guarantee for the importers to get released the raw materials.

On March 1 the NBR totally stopped release of raw materials of plastic goods from the Chittagong port leaving the sector players at dire strait.

Jasim Uddin said imposition of 100 per cent bank guarantee will not ensure stoppage of leakage. The NBR has to increase monitoring to stop selling of raw materials, imported with bond facilities, in the local market, he said.

"In the last budget the decision of labeling 'imported under bond, not for sale" was imposed for liquor, cigarette and plastic goods. The decision on liquor and cigarette was withdrawn on time but we could not do so despite several meetings with NBR officials," Jasim said.

However, he said, his organisation could not meet the Finance Adviser despite repeated try. "Even the Finance Adviser did not give us an appointment though the Commerce Adviser requested him for the same," he alleged.

They urged the government to withdraw the provision of 100 per cent bank guarantee and release the raw materials immediately according to the decision of labeling by the importers at the Chittagong port. BPGMEA vice president Sahedul Islam Helal, Ferdous Wahed and General Secretary Shamim Ahmed were present, among others, on the occasion.

Postal Deptt to collect utility bills from June

BSS, Dhaka

The Postal Department has taken an initiative to collect bills of electricity, water and sewerage, telephone and gas on-line from June this year.

For this purpose, it will open ATM booths in 70 post offices in the city by June and their total number would be raised to 560 in all divisional towns within September this year.

Secretary of the Ministry of Post and Telecommunications Iqbal Mahmud while talking to BSS here yesterday also said that the Director General of the Postal Department was already instructed to discuss with concerned organisations regarding collection of all utility bills.

Take initiative to save jute industry

Staff Reporter

A civic pressure group urged the government to take immediate initiative to save the jute and jute industry of the country.

Styled "Peoples Commission- Jute and Jute Industry" organised the view exchange meeting at CPB office yesterday as a part of month-long programme of holding several discussion meetings with different classes of people including students, intellectuals, labour organisations and the media in this connection.

The commission would draft a report on " Cause of Tremendous Crisis in Jute and Jute Industry and The Way to Resolve This". They would finalise the report after discussion with these people.

The speakers said, the Government is finalising the process of leasing jute mills to damage the industries of the country. People would never accept this and they would raise their voice against conspiracy.

They placed some demands to the government at the meeting. These includes: to suspend the decision of leasing closed jute mills, to pay due wages to labours immediately, to withdraw fake free-market economy system, demand compensation from World Bank and IMF, to find out the syndicate member who are responsible for damaging jute industry and to punish them, to make a long term jute plan to extend its market internationally.

Justice Golam Rabbani. Chairman of the Commission said, "United Nation has declared 2009 as Natural Fibre year to campaign against artificial synthetic fibre to make the global environment safer. Jute is the major natural fibre. So the demand of jute is increasing day by day. The government should give priority to increase jute production".

Mojahidul Islam Selim, leader of CPB, said the World Bank provided financial support to shut down the jute mills of Bangladesh but the same organisation proved financial support to Indian Government to establish jute industry more. So it was clear that the World Bank and IMF were trying to damage the jute industries of Bangladesh.

Shah Alam, General Secretary of the commission; Sheikh Mohammad Shahidullah, Convenor of National Committee to protect oil-gas-mineral resource, electricity and port, a number of left-leaning political leaders were present at the meeting.

SKOP demands reforms to ILO Convention

Staff Reporter

Sramik Karmachari Oakya Parishad (SKOP) at a seminar in the capital yesterday called for halting the process of operation of the Labour Act (Amendment) Ordinance, 2008 terming it " anti-labour" and bringing about reform to certain sections of the ILO Convention.

They demanded reforms to sections 87 and 98 of the ILO Convention and amendment to 2006 labour laws on the basis of IRO 69.

Economist Prof Abul Barakat, also General Secretary of Bangladesh Economic Association, Former MP Shah Abu Zafar, Shah Alamgir, President of Dhaka Journalist Union, SKOP leader Dr Wazedul Islam Khan, Ramachhar Chandra, General Secretary of Jatiya Shramik League, among others, addressed the seminar. Abul Basar, President of Jatiya Shramik Federation, presided over the function.

Speakers said all the labour laws enacted in the past were aimed at serving the interest of the corporate capital ignoring the rights of the workers.

They pointed out that the government was yet to withdraw the ban on the activities of the labour bodies. They also criticised the " highhandedness" of the owners of industries and factories in their dealings with workers.

They were critical of the government for constituting the Tripartite Counselling Committee (TCC) excluding the representatives of the mainstream national labour bodies. It was the violation of section 144 of ILO Convention, they maintained.

Prof Abul Barakat said many small and medium industries have been closed down in recent times for various factors. These industrial units provided employment to a large number of people, he added. He urged the labour to realise their rights through movement. The country needs home-grown philosophy and policy for its progress, he opined.

Speakers urged the owners of industries not to look at the workers as their enemy.

Legally earned money may be legalized next fiscal

UNB, Dhaka

The government will not allow any undisclosed money, earned illegally, to be legalized, but the undisclosed money earned legally may get chance to be legalized in the next fiscal year. "We'll not consider the money having no legal source for legalization, but the legally earned money that somehow became undisclosed might get chance," Finance Adviser Dr Mirza Azizul Islam said at a pre-budget discussion with the editors of print and electronic media Sunday at the National Board of Revenue (NBR) conference room.

NBR chairman Muhammad Abdul Mazid presided over the pre-budget discussion.

The Finance Adviser said the government is trying to widen the tax base and reduce the tax rates.

BTV DDG suspended over news coverage

UNB, Dhaka

Shahida Alam, in-charge of Deputy Director General (news) of Bangladesh Television, has been suspended due to her professional inefficiency.

Director (Advertisement) M Monwarul Islam will act as Deputy Director General (news) in additional to his own duty, said a handout yesterday.

Legally earned money may be legalised next fiscal

Haitian PM dismissed over food riot

Internet

The Haitian Senate has voted to dismiss Prime Minister Jacques-Edouard Alexis following widespread rioting earlier this week over soaring food prices.

A special session of the upper chamber backed a motion calling on President Rene Preval to appoint a new cabinet.

The vote came shortly after Preval announced an emergency plan to reduce the price of rice by more than 15%.

In the capital, Port-au-Prince, the scene of deadly food riots earlier, a UN peacekeeper from Nigeria was killed.

A UN spokeswoman in Haiti said the soldier was shot dead Saturday afternoon, but that UN troops had not returned fire.

At least five people died in the riots over food prices earlier this week.

Haiti is one of the poorest countries in the world. Most Haitians earn no more than $2 a day, and they have struggled to feed themselves as the prices of rice, beans and fruit have risen by 50% in the last year.

Earlier this month, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon warned that the food crisis threatened the Caribbean nation's fragile security. President Preval appointed Mr Alexis as prime minister of a six-party coalition government in May 2006. He had survived a no-confidence vote in February over his handling of the economy.

Reflecting widespread public anger at the rising cost of basic foodstuffs in the country, 16 of Haiti's 27 senators said they had no confidence in Mr Alexis's government and instructed the president to appoint a replacement.

"Now it's my turn to play," Mr Preval said when he was told by journalists of the vote against his ally, according to the Reuters news agency.

On Thursday, opposition senators warned the president that his proposals would "not solve the immediate problems of the population" and were "too little, too late". "It is obvious that the majority of the people don't believe any more in the capacity of your government to take courageous measures to ease the misery that the population is facing daily," they wrote.

Saturday's vote of no-confidence came shortly after Mr Preval announced a 15.7% reduction in the price of a 23kg (50lb) bag of rice from $51 to $43.