The New Nation - Internet Edition

Post-budget review: No impact on market price

Supply of seasonal fruits to the city market is
aplenty but the prices remain high. Focus Banglar

Staff Reporter

Though the new fiscal budget has proposed withdrawal of tariffs on some essential commodities to contain the spiralling price, it has so far made no positive impact on the markets.

The prices of potato and soybean oil have increased, while 'ata' has reduced in the retail markets.

The prices of potato have shot up abruptly despite bumper production in the country.

In the retail markets per kg of potato was sold at Tk 18 to Tk 19 and at the wholesale markets it was at Tk 17 yesterday. The price of potato was sold at Tk 12 to Tk 13 last week.

Retailers at Karwarn Bazar potato market said they have to purchase potato in a high price so they cannot but sell it at a high rate.

Like potato, the prices of soyabean and palm oil have also increased from Tk 2 to Tk 4 per kg.

Per kg of soyabean oil was sold at Tk 114 to Tk 115 yesterday, which was Tk 112 last week and the palm oil was sold from Tk 106 to Tk 108 yesterday, which was Tk 103 and Tk 104 in the previous week. Different brands of five litre-canned soyabean oil were selling between Tk 565 and Tk 570.

Per packet of 2 kg ata was sold at Tk 80 yesterday, which was Tk 84 and Tk 85 last week.

The price of the coarse variety of rice remained unchanged, while it was expected to come within the purchasing capacity of the common man in view of the bumper harvest of Boro paddy in the country.

The per kg price of rice at the city's Babubazar wholesale market yesterday was 'lata' from Tk 28.30 to Tk 30, 'sarna' between Tk 31 and Tk 32.70, 'minicate' Tk 36 to Tk 38, 'paijam' Tk 32 to Tk 33 and 'nazirshail' between Tk 34.30 and Tk 40.70 and BR- 28 at Tk 32.

In the retail markets the coarse variety of rice 'lata' was sold at Tk 32, 'minicate' between Tk 38 and Tk 42, 'nazirshail' (depending on variety) from Tk 38 to Tk 44, BR-28 at Tk 34 and 'sarna' Tk 34 and Tk 35, 'paijam' (depending on variety) from Tk 34 to Tk 37 per kg yesterday.

Rice wholesalers claimed that the millers were controlling the prices of rice.

Moreover, the growers' reluctance to sell paddy at lower price to the Government did not let the price come down.

They, however, forecast that there was no possibility of a further increase in the rice price but would remain static in future.

Meanwhile, after the reopening of the 75 outlets run by Bangladesh Rifles (BDR) men under operation 'Dal-bhat' programme in the city from June 10 has failed to draw notable number of customers as the coarse variety of rice was sold at Tk 30 per kg due to the withdrawn of subsidy by the Government on rice which was sold at Tk 25 previously.

The price of powder milk and other perishable items like egg, broiler chicken meat remained unchanged.

Local variety of lentils was selling from Tk 98 to Tk 102 per kg and imported ones at Tk 85 per kg in the retail markets.

Sugar was at Tk 34 and Tk 36 per kg. Per hali (4-pieces) of eggs was between Tk 22 and Tk 24.

The price of chicken was Tk 120 to Tk 125 per kg. Green chilli from Tk 20 to Tk 25 per kg, cucumber Tk 18 to Tk 20, korola Tk 16 to Tk 20, tomato Tk 24 to Tk 28 and barbati Tk 16 to Tk 20 and jingha Tk 20 to Tk 22 per kg.

The price of different types of fish still remain high as Ruhi was selling from Tk 150 to Tk 180, medium size Hilsha from Tk 280 to Tk 350. Prices of red meat like beef was at Tk 180,while mutton from Tk 250 to Tk 260 per kg.

Caroline Kennedy: Private life with public profile

AP, Boston

Caroline Kennedy lives a very private life with a very public profile. It's the perfect skill set for her newest assignment.

As part of Barack Obama's vice presidential search team, Kennedy must function with the utmost secrecy in what is sure to be one of the most closely watched endeavours of this year's presidential campaign.

The daughter of President Kennedy has sought and treasured privacy since her father's assassination in 1963.

"She has, I think, a natural kind of reserve about her," said Paul Kirk, a former Democratic Party chairman who now serves as chairman of the John F. Kennedy Library Foundation. "I don't mean aloof, but she is very modest, maybe even shy. She's not one who makes a big scene about herself."

Joel Klein, chancellor of New York's public school system, for which Kennedy has worked raising money from private donors, describes her as "the real deal."

"She is a very loyal, devoted, committed friend with absolutely no pretence," he said.

Klein, whose wife, Nicole Seligman, went to Harvard's Radcliffe College with Kennedy, said the president's daughter has a small circle of friends in New York and they are the few who get to see a wry sense of humour that has rubbed off on JFK's grandson and namesake, 15-year-old Jack.

Recalling a visit with the family on Martha's Vineyard, Klein said John Bouvier Kennedy Schlossberg displayed his mother's wit when the boy asked the chancellor if he were in charge of school snow days and then asked, "Can you do one on my birthday?"

The sole remaining member of a White House family that continues to captivate the world, Caroline Kennedy Schlossberg does not like talking about herself, nor does she appreciate those who do. But recently she has begun to shed some of her trademark shyness.

Kennedy served as cover girl for AARP's magazine on the occasion of her 50th birthday in November. It fell on Nov. 27, just five days after the 44th anniversary of her father's death. Her landmark birthday served as something of a wake-up call for many baby boomers who remembered her as the girl riding her pony, Macaroni, on the South Lawn of the White House.

Little more than two months after her birthday, Kennedy wrote an op-ed column for declaring her support for Obama. It touched off three days of coverage that included a raucous rally with Obama and her uncle, Sen. Edward Kennedy, in Washington.

"I have never had a president who inspired me the way people tell me that my father inspired them," Kennedy wrote. "But for the first time, I believe I have found the man who could be that president - not just for me, but for a new generation of Americans."

The third member of the committee, former Justice Department official Eric Holder, has been in the spotlight for his role vetting President Clinton's pardon of financier Marc Rich just before leaving office in 2001.

While Republicans have pelted both Johnson and Holder since their appointments, there has been no similar fuss over Kennedy, treated almost like a family member by a public that knows her only through the media.

Kennedy's mother, Jacqueline, moved her and her brother, the late John F. Kennedy.

Jr., to New York following their father's assassination, allowing them to gain privacy by blending into the city's masses. Following college, Caroline Kennedy interned for her uncle in his Senate office before working at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

It was there that she met her husband, Edwin Schlossberg, an exhibit designer. They were married in 1986 on Cape Cod, with Edward Kennedy walking his niece down the aisle and journalist and future California first lady Maria Shriver serving as her cousin's maid of honour. They have three children, 15 to 19.

Capital market can generate fund for big projects

BSS, Chittagong

Experts at a seminar here on Friday said the country could arrange adequate funds from ever expanding capital market for implementing big projects without borrowing money accepting unfavourable conditions from the donors.

They opined that Bangladesh does not need to privatise en bloc the public sector organisations for the purposes but could easily benefit immensely by only off-loading certain portion of their shares through the capital market.

The seminar on "Bangladesh capital market-investment tools and techniques" was jointly organised by Chittagong Stock Exchange (CSE) and Chittagong Centre of Institute of Engineers, Bangladesh (IEB) held at IEB auditorium on Thursday night.

Capital market expert and Pro-VC of East-West University, Prof. Abu Ahmed presented the key- note paper while economist Prof. Sikandar Khan was the chief discussant.

With CSE President Nasir Uddin Ahmed Chowdhury in the chair, the seminar was addressed, among others, by IEB local chapter chairman Eng. Ali Ashraf, CSE Chief Executive AB Siddique and deputy manager of corporate development AKM Shahruj Alam.

Prof. Abu Ahmed said the country's growing capital market could be an ideal and alternative source for organising necessary funds for implementing huge development projects rather than depending on foreign donors and aid agencies.

In this context, he said, we have scopes to pump up adequate money from the capital market to execute the project to turn the existing Dhaka-Chittagong highway into 4-lanes and make Bangladesh Biman profitable by purchasing required aircrafts for its fleet instead of borrowing money from foreign sources with high interest and tougher conditions.

"We do not need to gross privatisation of public sector organisation to collect required funds but off-loading major portion of their shares through capital market could be an effective solution and alternative to the foreign funds" Prof. Ahmed pointed out.

Off loading the shares of public enterprises, he said, would also bring about a positive change in their ownership and pattern of management which will ensure their competitiveness and increase its contributions to the economy.

Prof. Sikandar Khan said giant foreign investors will come forward in a bigger way and feel encouraged in investing their money in the country if we would be able to expand the existing 12 billion US dollar capital market to 30 billion US dollars.

He suggested the Securities and Exchange Commission to take effective measures for further boosting the share market with meaningful discussion with relevant authorities.

Dialogue: AL WC to nominate delegates today

Staff Reporter

The leaders of the Awami League will hold a working committee meeting today to take decision on some vital issues, which includes selection of a party team to join the ongoing Government-sponsored dialogue.

The meeting will be held at the party's Dhanmondi office at 5:30 pm that will be presided over by the party's acting president Zillur Rahman.

The major outline of the meeting is to settle up the list of party delegation to join the dialogue with Chief Adviser Dr Fakhruddin Ahmed.

The party chief Sheikh Hasina on Wednesday directed her party leaders to join the dialogue under the leadership of Zillur Rahman.

The programmes of party extended meetings in all the district headquarters are also expected to be discussed at the working committee meeting. Party central leaders will attend the extended meetings to be continued from June 15 to June 30.

Besides, the working committee will also chalk out programmes to observe the party's founding anniversary on June 23.

WPB faction slams govt's moves to free graft arrestees

Bdnews24.com, Dhaka

A faction of the Workers Party of Bangladesh criticised the government Friday on its moves to release "those arrested on charges of corruption", at an extended meeting of the party.

The faction's general secretary Saiful Haq criticised the government, saying: "The process of releasing some of those arrested on charges of corruption has started."

"It is not right. The government will have to stand before the people's court one day for this."

"If this government does not support corruption, what is the problem in publishing a white paper on the work it did in the last 17 months?" he asaked.

He also demanded the complete withdrawal of the state of emergency, curbing price spirals and a stop to eviction of slum dwellers and pavement hawkers.

The meeting was held at the Moni Singh-Farhad Trust in Purana Paltan and presided over by party president Khandker Ali Abbas.

Justice Golam Rabbani said, "We don't want a government formed with thieves and corrupt people.

The constitution stipulates what type of government will be formed in the country." He also said, "In the existing system development is not possible by 300 elected lawmakers."

Prof Pias Karim of Brac University said, "The present government should apologise to the people for failing to fulifl its pledges."

Ganotantrik Majdoor Party president Abdus Salam, Samyabadi Dal member Saiful Islam, Communist Party of Bangladesh (CPB) central leader Ruhin Hossain Prince, Left Democratic Alliance leader Tipu Biswas, Abdullah Sarker, Jonaid Saki, Badrul Alam, Babul Biswas, Moshrefa Mishu and convenor of Naya Samaj Rezaul Karim also spoke.

60 pc under-5 children live with death or disability threat

UNB, Dhaka

More than 60 percent of the country's total under-five child population is living with high death or disability threat because of indoor pollution, according to a research article.

It says 90 in 100 children on average are affected by indoor air pollution every hour in Bangladesh. People living in urban slums, high-rise apartments or in old and dark houses suffer the most. The indoor air pollutants infect almost 88 per cent of the total population.

Citing statistics of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and EPA, the article says about 2.8 million premature deaths occur every year due to indoor air pollution. As many as 80 percent of all diseases in the world are associated with water usage or poor environmental hygiene. The household environment of the poor people, especially women and children in developing countries, carries the biggest risks to health.

A study conducted by Environment and Social Development Organization-ESDO mentioned that in Bangladesh, both urban and rural areas, face the greatest threat from indoor pollution, where about 110 million (11 crore) people continue to rely on traditional fuels such as firewood, charcoal, and cow dung, LPG or natural gas and crude oil for cooking and heating.

Concentrations of indoor pollutants in households that burn traditional fuels are alarming. Burning such fuels produces large amount of smoke and other air pollutants in the confined space of a home, resulting in high exposure. Women and children are the groups most vulnerable as they spend more time indoors and are exposed to the smoke.

The study says people spend their day in different places-indoors at home and at work and outdoors on fields and crowded roads. These different places can have different levels of air pollution. How much pollution a person breathes depends very much on whether he or she is rich or poor, man or woman, infant or elderly.

The study indicates that particulate matters concentrate in kitchens due to the burning of bio-fuels which are known to be as higher as 30-55 times as per the WHO standard, while concentrations at the workplace for primary workers can be as high as 15-25 times the standard. Though outdoor concentrations are about 2.5-3.5 times in urban and rural Bangladesh as per the WHO standard, it is 10-15 times the standard in the country's slums.

Air pollution causes a range of health impacts from increasing the risk of death to increased asthma attacks, causing losses of income and greater medical expenses.

The study estimates that the deaths and asthma attack due to various forms of indoor pollution are three times higher nationwide than outdoor pollution.

Though most research efforts and media attention have focused on outdoor air pollution, the indoor air situation, which is most important for human life, has been ignored.

The study found that about 80-100 per cent of women and children are exposed daily to indoor pollution. The ESDO study targeted infants living in slums of Dhaka and also studied their health status.

The article written by Dr Hossain Shahriar says the World Bank in 1992 designated indoor air pollution in the developing countries as one of the four most critical global environmental problems. Daily averages of pollutant level emitted indoors often exceed the current WHO guidelines and acceptable levels.

He says although several hundred separate chemical agents have been identified in the smoke from bio-fuels, the four most serious pollutants are particulate, carbon monoxide, polycyclic organic matter, and formaldehyde.

According to the study of the ESDO and EPA of the USA, in urban areas, exposure to indoor air pollution has increased due to a variety of reasons including the construction of more tightly sealed buildings, reduced ventilation, the use of synthetic materials for building and furnishing and the use of chemical products, pesticides, and household care products.

Indoor air pollution can begin within the building or be drawn in from outdoors. Other than nitrogen dioxide, carbon monoxide and lead, there are a number of other pollutants that affect the air quality in an enclosed space.

"Unfortunately, little has been done to monitor the poor indoor environment both in rural and urban areas," the article says.

Anti-TB programme can ease NCD burdens

BSS, Dhaka

An international study on managing non-communicable diseases suggests that lessons learnt from it can be replicated to other developing countries including Bangladesh to fight diabetes, high blood pressure, strokes, asthma, epilepsy and mental illnesses.

The study conducted by the International Union Against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease (IUATLD) in sub-Saharan Africa said its findings would act as a major breakthrough in treating patients of non-communicable diseases (NCDs), burden of which has recently surpassed communicable diseases in Bangladesh.

According to the World Health Organiation, Bangladesh has an epidemiological transition where the burden of NCDs overtakes communicable and infectious diseases in recent years.

As a result, the number of patients as well as the prevention and treatment cost for NCDs turned higher than that of infectious diseases, notably for TB, HIV, malaria and diarrhoea.

The study, expected to come this month's PLoS Medicine Journal and available here, suggested new programmes for NCDs should be piloted in one or two facilities in a country, and lessons learnt from these facilities can be used to assist national roll- out within the public sector.

Prof. Donald Enarson, senior Advisor at the Union, said sub-Saharan Africa faces frequent stock interruptions of essential drugs to manage non-communicable diseases, and many patients have extremely short life expectancies.

Patients with asthma are still receiving sub-standard care and have poor access to essential medications, he said, adding identical situations would be found in many other developing and under developed countries around the world.

Prof Anthony Harries, co-author of this study, added that many lives could be saved by adopting standardised approaches which identify, treat, supervise and allow follow up through better management of patients.

He said anti-tuberculosis programmes could be a good example of controlling non-communicable diseases including cancer and urged health care professionals and policy makers to learn from it.

The TB control programmes widely seen as an effective global public health intervention which marked success because it has gained political commitment, use simple testing for diagnosis, provide treatment with standardised course of medicine, ensure uninterrupted supply of medications with a strong monitoring and evaluation system.

The Public Library of Science, committed to making world's scientific and medical literature a free public resource, said a better management can be achieved in treating NCDs by learning from the success of TB control programmes.

This study, it said, is expected to have an enormous impact on learning more about management of NCDs around the world where poor health care delivery systems and unavailability of drugs are in urgent need of improvement.

The Union, synonymous to IUATLD, is the only international voluntary scientific organisation providing a neutral platform to fight TB, HIV, asthma, tobacco and lung disease since 1920.

Confiscation of local assets of Niko, Chevron demanded

Staff Reporter

Leaders of Oil-Gas Mineral Resources Power and Port Protection Committee (OGMPPPC) yesterday demanded confiscation of the wealth of two multinational companies including Chevron and Niko as they have yet to pay compensation for the incidents at Magurchara and Tengratila.

In a joint statement, Eng. Sheikh Mohammed Shahidullah, convenor of OGMPPPC and member secretary Prof Anu Muhammed said that around 245 billion cubic feet of natural gas was destroyed in Magurchara gas field explosion on June 1997.

"But, the Chevron is yet to pay compensation worth about Tk 9000 crore for Magurchara incident," they added.

They also held Nico responsible for the Tengratila gas filed incident.

"Nether the previous governments nor the present Caretaker Government have initiative for getting compensation from the two companies," they alleged.

They demanded of the government to cancel agreements with the multinational companies on gas and coal mine which are detrimental against the interest of the state and illogical.

Tk 19.66 cr budget for C'nawabganj pourashava

UNB, Chapainawabganj

A Tk 19.66 crore budget for Chapainawabganj pourashava for 2008-09 fiscal was announced Thursday without imposing any new tax.

Pourashava chairman Ataur Rahman announced the budget at Shaheed Santu Hall in presence of ward commissioners and elite.

In the proposed budget, Tk 6.14 crore has been earmarked as revenue income, Tk 12.75 crore as grant for development and Tk 13.86 crore was shown as expenditure in development sector.

Women's body found

Staff Reporter

Police recovered the body of an unidentified young women from Satrastha Truck Stand in the city's Tejgaon Industrial Area early yesterday.

Police said local people first spotted the body, aged around 22 mango basket in front of Essential Drug Company and informed police.

The hands and legs of the deceased were tied up.

Police recovered the body from the spot at about 1:45am and sent it to Dhaka Medical College Hospital morgue for autopsy.

Police suspected that the girl might have been violated before she was strangled. The body also bore several injury marks.

A murder case was filed with Industrial Police Station of Tejgaon.

For duty-free entry in world market: Export product list being drawn up

Staff Reporter

The Government has taken a hasty move to prepare product list of the country's interest within a month to negotiate duty-free and quota-free access to developed and developing countries under WTO rule.

The move was initiated as the Bangladesh Mission in Geneva recently sought strategy paper from the government for a renewed negotiation at WTO and also with the United States claiming duty free export facility to the country.

The WTO ministerial meeting in 2005 in Hong Kong ignored Bangladesh's demand for duty free access of hundred percent products of Less Developed Countries (LDCs) to the developed nations.

The developed countries, however, agreed to allow 97 percent of the LDC products in their markets duty-free and the ministerial meeting took a resolution in this regard.

Bangladesh fears that any developed country can put a main Bangladeshi export item into the remaining three percent and impose duty restriction on its entrance.

So, a fine-tuned list of the country's export items was urgent for negotiation with United States and other countries under the resolution of WTO. But the Government earlier did not initiate it.

However, a high-powered committee on WTO at the commerce ministry chaired by commerce adviser Hossain Zillur Rahman at its sixth meeting on Thursday decided to make the priority list of Bangladeshi products within one month.

"The decision is to support Bangladesh Mission in Geneva," the Adviser told reporters after the meeting.

The committee also decided to prepare another list of products for negotiation with the willing developing countries like India, Brazil and China to offer LDCs duty-free market access as per the WTO agreement.

Bangladesh Foreign Trade Institute (BFTI) in association with civil society think-tank Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD) will prepare the list for 97 percent products, while Export Promotion Bureau (EPB) will prepare the list for developing countries.

The decisions were taken to provide negotiation inputs to Bangladesh Mission in Geneva as they sought strategy paper from the government following WTO group chairmen on NAMA, Agriculture and Services circulated their revised modalities for negotiation in May this year.

The product lists will be forwarded to Geneva Mission after reviewing those at another meeting of the committee next month.

The meeting decided to form two small groups of experts on agriculture and services issues to prepare vision papers with long-term perspectives considering the changing economic situation and the impact of WTO issues.

The Adviser asked the working groups on Agriculture and Services issues to prepare a working paper with terms of reference for the expert groups and assured providing necessary resources to be required for preparing the vision papers in consultation with the stakeholders concerned.

Meanwhile, the working groups will submit their strategy paper on the two issues for negotiation in Geneva.

"Pro-active thinking is necessary regarding agriculture and services issues… they need analytical works," he told the meeting.

The Commerce Adviser told reporters after the meeting that the strategy on agriculture should be considered with a long-term vision so that Bangladesh does not suffer if it could export agriculture items in the future.

And the strategy on services' negotiation, including movement of natural person under article IV, should consider whether the measures in the WTO would affect the existing labour market of Bangladesh, he said.

Replying to a question, director general of the WTO cell in the Commerce ministry Fazlur Rahman said that earlier the working groups prepared the list of products for this purpose, but now the lists need to be revised due to the changed scenario.

Senior officials from Bangladesh Tariff Commission, EPB and other agencies concerned and representatives from private sectors including CPD, FBCCI and BGMEA were present in the meeting.

EC to give 13m euros for Sidr victims

Staff Reporter

The European Commission yesterday announced that it would provide 13 million euros (about US$19 million) to rebuild the quake-hit areas in Bangladesh, according to report received in Dhaka from its headquarters in Brussels.

Cyclone Sidr, which struck Bangladesh on November 15 last year, devastated the country in the aftermath.

The European Union (EU) said that it had already provided 20.4 million euros to Bangladesh for long-term reconstruction and development projects in the affected areas.

"We are providing the aid as a major donor to Bangladesh during the post-Sidr recovery period. The money would help the farming community to buy

seeds and equipment and would also create jobs in the quake-hit areas," Benita Ferrero-Waldner, European Commissioner for External Relations, disclosed, while talking to journalists at the European Commission (EC) headquarters in Brussels on Friday (yesterday).

Damages caused by the cyclone have inflicted losses worth more than 1.1 billion euros, equivalent to 2.8 percent of Bangladesh's GDP (Gross Domestic Product), on the country, the report added.