The New Nation - Internet Edition

Char people hoping better life after getting solar power units

Lifestyle of the people of over 150 remote char villages and Dahogram-Angarpota enclave in greater Rangpur has now been changed to a great extent due to the setting up of solar power units in the areas. While the installation of new solar power units has added speed to the day-to-day activities of the people there and enabled them to have a touch of entertainment, the char people have urged the government and private sector operators to take steps to help set up more solar units at a lesser cost.People of Dahogram-Angarpota enclave now seem happy in getting solar power plants free of cost. They thanked the Lalmonirhat District Administration, the joint forces, Grameen Shakti, Bangladesh Power Development Board (PDB) and the Dhaka Solar Power Project to provide the facilities. After being equipped with solar power facilities, hopes and aspirations of the char people and the enclave to lead a better life have been increased.

Dr Yunus, other leaders to attend microcredit summit in Indonesia

BUSINESS REPORT

Nobel lautreate Professor Muhamamd Yunus and other microcredit leaders will attend an international summit, dubbed Asia-Pacific Microcredit Summit 2008 in Bali, Indonesia on July 28, according to a message released by the Microcredit Summit Campaign yesterday.

The three-day summit will be held at the Bali International Convention Center at the Westin Resort Nusa Dua in Bali, Indonesia.

The summit, which will be organised by Microcredit Summit Campaign is likely to be attended by Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, President of Indonesia, Manuel Zalaya Rosales, President of Honduras, Alejandro Toledo, Former President of Peru, Mrs. Zanele Mbeki, First Lady of South Africa, Dr. Muhammad Yunus, Nobel Laureate and Founder and Managing Director, Grameen Bank, and Sam Daley-Harris, Director of the Microcredit Summit Campaign.

The Microcredit Summit Campaign is expected to be attended by more than 800 international microcredit leaders, donors, investors, and advocates at Asia-Pacific Microcredit Summit 2008.

The topic of the commercialization of microcredit will be on the agenda at this convergence of social entrepreneurs, donors, researchers, investors, and practitioners from 50 countries, including Asia's microcredit leaders: Prakash Bakshi, Chief of NABARD (India), Fazle Hasan Abed, Founder of BRAC (Bangladesh), Shafiqual Haque Choudhury, Founder of ASA (Bangladesh), and RM Malla, Chair of SIDBI (India).

Since 1997, the Microcredit Summit Campaign, a project of Washington, DC-based RESULTS Educational Fund, has become the world's largest global network of microcredit stakeholders, including 3,600 microfinance institutions in 134 countries. As of December 2006, its member organizations provided loans and other financial services to help more than 133 million of the world's poor families lift themselves out of poverty through self-sufficiency.

This includes 92 million families who were living on less than one U.S. dollar per day when they took out their first loan.

By 2015, the Microcredit Summit Campaign aims to provide leadership, guidance, and support to ensure that, in keeping with the United Nations' Millennium Development Goals: (1) A total of 175 million of the world's poorest families, especially women of those families, receive credit for self-employment and other financial and business services; and (2) 100 million families rise above the US$1 a day threshold, adjusted for purchasing power parity.

Rice, edible oil, milk prices go up further

BUSINESS REPORT

Prices of rice, edible oil rose further while prices of other essentials remained unchanged at their previous highs in the city markets during the last one week, traders said yesterday.

Traders also said prices of non-brand edible oil increased despite setting a cap on the wholesale rates of soyabean oil and palm oil at Tk 112 per kg and Tk 100 per kg respectively.

Traders at the wholesale level at Karwan Bazar and Naya Bazar said soyabean and super palm oil were selling at Tk 118 per kg and Tk 106.8 per kg.

A number of traders in the city's retail markets said the non-brand soyabean and super palm oil were selling at Tk 122-Tk 125 per kg and Tk 116-Tk 120 per kg respectively in the city's retail markets.

During the same week, edible oil of different brands in five-litre cans was selling between Tk 612 and Tk 615.

According to traders at the city's different retail markets, prices of fine varieties of rice continued to show an upward trend due to supply shortage in the local market. The Minicate variety of rice was selling at Tk 42-Tk 44 per kg and Nazirshail Tk 40 -Tk 44 per kg against Tk 40-Tk 42 and Tk 38-Tk 40 respectively of a week ago.

Coarse varieties of rice, especially BR-28, were selling at Tk 38-Tk 39 per kg although the rates were Tk 36-Tk 38 per kg in the previous week.

Traders at the wholesale level said the Minicate variety of rice was selling at Tk 1570 -Tk 1580 per maund (37.300 kg) while the rate was Tk 1500-Tk 1550 per maund a week ago. The Nazirshail variety of rice was selling at Tk 1600-Tk 1620 per maund compared to its previous rate of Tk 1580 to Tk 1600 per maund of one week back.

Besides, the wholesalers said BR-28, widely consumed by low-income people, was selling at Tk 1350- Tk 1400 per maund, unchanged from that of the previous week at the wholesale level.

Traders said prices of the finer variety of local lentil ranged between Tk 102 and Tk 108 per kg against the previous rates of Tk 100-Tk 110 per kg.

But traders claimed that the prices of Nepalese and Turkish varieties of lentil were selling at Tk 90-Tk 96 against Tk 88-Tk 90 of one week ago due to supply shortage in the local markets.

During the same period, prices of poultry birds went down to range between Tk 110 per kg and Tk 120 per kg against Tk 130-Tk 145 per kg about three weeks ago.

In the past one week, traders said prices of coarse flour remained unchanged at their previous rates to sell at Tk 39-Tk 40 per kg.

They, however, said prices of milk baby food of different brands were increased to some extent at the retail level in the week.

According to retailers, a 400gm tin of the Cerelac brand milk was being sold at Tk 270-Tk 280 against the previous rate of Tk 250-Tk 260. Cerelac fruit and wheat were being sold at Tk 270-280 per tin of 400gm while a tin of 400gm Biomil was priced at Tk 370.

Retailers were selling Baby Care and My Boy at Tk 360 per tin of 400gm each. Lactozen, another widely-consumed baby milk brand, was being sold at Tk 360-Tk 370 per tin (400gm) that was priced at Tk 340 per tin last month.

During the last week, prices of local onion rose by Tk 4 to Tk 5 per kg to stand at Tk 28-Tk 30 per kg against Tk 25-Tk 26 of the previous week while the prices of the Indian variety remained unchanged at Tk 15-Tk 16 per kg.

Prices of a number of fresh summer vegetables including ladies finger, snake gourd, cowpea, cucumber, green chilly and bitter gourd were selling at Tk 24, Tk 28, Tk 24, Tk 25, Tk 20 and Tk 18 per kg respectively.

The price of potato was Tk 17-Tk 18 per kg unchanged at its previous price.

In the retail market beef was selling at Tk 180-Tk 190 per kg and mutton Tk 250-Tk 260 per kg against Tk 240-Tk 250.

Only two int'l bidders may submit final bids

BUSINESS REPORT

Only two international bidders are likely to submit next Tuesday their final bids for the proposed 450MW Bibiyana Power Plant, a priority project of the government.

Power Cell, a reform implementation wing of the Power Ministry, invited the international tender setting the July-15 deadline for the bidders to submit their respective financial and technical offers to set up the plant.

Primarily, four bidders--US-based AES Corporation and Chevron, Malaysia-based Powertek Barhad and South Korea-based Kepco--were selected under the prequalification (PQ) process for the project, according to official sources.

But Kepco later pulled itself out of the bidding race and joined hand with Powertek under a joint-venture initiative.

Sources said AES Corporation verbally communicated to the Power Cell that it has lost its interest to submit the final bid for the project because of some "unfair practices" by the tender-inviting agency.

No official was available to comment on the allegation.

After this stance by AES Corporation, the developer of the country's largest 450MW power plant, the industry insiders apprehend that only two bidders -- Powertek and Chevron -- may finally submit bids.

However, the Power Cell still expects to receive bids from the three firms -- AES, Chevron and Powertek.

As per the bidding proposal, the firm that will win the final bid will have to implement the Bibiyana Power Project on build-own-operate (BOO) basis as an independent power producer (IPP) in line with the Private Sector Power Generation Policy 2004.

The state-owned Power Development Board (PDB) will purchase electricity from the plant for about 22 years.

Earlier, the Power Ministry had initiated the move for setting up three large-scale IPP projects: 450MW Sirajganj plant, 450MW Meghnaghat phase-III plant and the 450MW Bibiyana plant. But, a Power Ministry source said they are giving priority to Bibiyana among the three projects, as natural gas is available there.

Bibiyana power plant will be set up at a location closed to the existing Bibiyana gas field in Habiganj.

The Bibiyana Field having abundant natural gas deposit has remained underutilised for lack of infrastructure, industry insiders believe.

Bibiyana is the first large-scale power project for which the caretaker government initiated the move for implementing it to resolve the country's chronic power crisis.

BKB holds 'Alokito Baktritamala': No scope to create panic over food shortage

Bangladesh Public Service Commission Chainman Dr Saadat Husain participated in Alokito Batritamala' organized by Bangladesh Krishi Bank.

He said, food shortage or fragile self sufficiency both are marginal at present time. There is no scope to create panic about food shortage or food security.

It is hopeful matter that the production of food grains in the world is increasing simultaneously in Bangladesh. The millers and the middlemen mostly known as third party may create problem.

He raised statistics on monetary policy, money supply, change of food habit as well as agricultural credit After analyzing the factors or variables be commented on starting rationing system for the target groups and strongly opined that the food-crises is not at alarming situation in no way.

Khondker Ibrahim Khaled, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Bangladesh Krishi Bank presided over the meeting while the Managing Director of the bank Md Mukter Hussain participated along with other old and newly recruited officers.

Energy exhibition opens up avenues for power sector

The two-day energy exhibition coinciding with the launching of nationwide campaign for energy conservation and efficiency ended on Friday opening up new avenues for power-saving devices and renewable energy.

"We are very excited at huge response of people to the exhibition," Engineer BD Rahmatullah, coordinator of the exhibition, said.

He said despite crucial necessity, the issues of renewable energy and energy conservation and efficiency could not be promoted due to "vested interests".

"This time the government has successfully launched the nationwide campaign for their promotion defying the odds with the help of UNDP and others," said Rahmatullah, who is also a member of Rural Electrification Board (REB).

Heritage Foundation in cooperation with the energy and mineral resources ministry, UNDP and GTZ arranged the exhibition at Dhaka Sheraton Hotel.

Chief Adviser Dr Fakhruddin Ahmed inaugurated the workshop and exhibition on 'Energy Conservation and Renewable Energy Programmes' on Thursday.

The campaign was kicked off as the public and private power plants now can supply as high as 3,500 megawatt (mw) electricity to the national grid against the officially estimated peak-time demand for 4,500 mw, a scenario that forces power officials to ration the distribution.

But officials and experts said the country could largely address the deficit of about 1,000 megawatts alone with the use of energy-saving devices like compact florescent lamps (CFLs) and intelligent motors.

They said promoting renewable energy sources like solar and wind power, municipal waste and poultry litters, remnants in husking mills and cogeneration in sugar mills could help the country face the rising demand for next several years.

"Under a comprehensive campaign, we are expecting to get an extra 1500 mw adopting conservation mechanisms and exploring alternative or renewable energy sources in six months' time," Engineer Rahmatullah said.

Official sources said about 2.50 lakh solar home systems have been installed so far across the country and the government has vision of providing one million solar home systems by 2012.

Bangladesh Power Development Board (PDB) has already set up 1.9-mw wind turbines near Feni and Kutubdia and installed a 250- kw rice-husk-based power plant in Gazipur through IDCOL (Infrastructure Development Company Limited), the sources said.

The government is also implementing a National Domestic Bio- Gas and Manure Programme through IDCOL and its partner organizations and a total of 60,000 domestic biogas plants would be installed under this programme.

Thirty stalls were set up at the exhibition where solar home system, biogas plant, biomass, energy-saving bulbs, lamps and ballasts, solar water-heater and mobile charger and energy-saving gas burner and dual-fuel 'hajack' light were put on display.

UCMAS Bangladesh opens Lalmatia Centre

UCMAS Bangladesh, an international standard institute for development of children's brainpower through learning of mental arithmetic launched its first center in the capital on Friday at Lalmatia in the city.

On the occasion of the inauguration of UCMAS Lalmatia Center an informal program was held in the morning at the Nota Bene (6/5, Block- F, Lalmatia) participated solely by children under 13.

This center introduces the state of the nature's creativity and the first of its kind in Bangladesh, a new concept namely "Universal Concept in Mental Arithmetic System" shortly called UCMAS. A modem representation of an ancient art of mental math, the system includes ABACUS learning, training of Flash Card and mental arithmetic as well as trainings that boost the creativity and level of children's self-dependence. Meant for the age bracket of 4-13, the course of 30 months offers a 2-hour class on weekly holyday in an environment conducive for learning. The center also offers counseling for guardians. UCMAS system has been successfully and effectively applied in 41 countries.

PFM, GCAP Alliance announces 14-pt demand to SAARC ministers

STAFF REPORTER

People's Forum on MDGs (PFM), the GCAP alliance in Bangladesh announced its stand on climate change in Bangladesh and the South Asia Region at a press briefing recently at the Dhaka Reporter's Unity keeping in view the SAARC Foreign Minister's meeting held on July 3 last.

The overall objectives of the press briefing was to mobilizing public opinion and create a pressure on the visiting SAARC members for addressing the climate change issues seriously and effectively.

This press conference is a sequel of the South Asian Civil Society Consultation on Climate Change held on 13-14th January 2008 in Dhaka Bangladesh.

Dr Qazi Kholiquzzaman Ahmad, President, Bangladesh Economic Association (BEA) and Chairman, Bangladesh Unnayan Parishad (BUP) was the key speaker at the press briefing along with SAFG and PFM members in Bangladesh.

PFM Bangladesh presented 14-point demands to the SAARC governments for immediate action and setting of fixing up development and adaptation strategies as climate change threatens the socio-economic fabric of the region as well as create SAARC Climate Change Fund to tackle Climate Change.

Meghnaghat Power Ltd opts for GP Business Solutions

BUSINESS REPORT

Grameenphone Ltd has signed an agreement with Meghnaghat Power Limited recently to provide complete communication facilities under its business solutions package to Meghnaghat Power Limited.

Grameenphone Business Solutions is an integrated telecommunications service, specially designed for the business entities of Bangladesh, providing customized telecommunications solutions through a consultative approach, tailored to the needs of individual businesses.

Meghnaghat Power Limited runs a 450 MW combined cycle power plant. This company is wholly-owned by Pendekar Energy and has its corporate office in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Pendekar Energy also owns the Haripur 360 MW and NEPC 110 MW barge-mounted power plants. These plants are currently delivering electricity to the national grid of Bangladesh.

Business Solutions, comprising of modern mobile telecommunications services for any business needs, provides voice, text messaging and mobile data and internet services. Also on offer is a complete Mobile-Office solution, including mobile email, mobile high-speed data access, internet access, and more, providing the freedom to work from anywhere within Grameen Phone wide network coverage.

According to the agreement, Meghnaghat Power Limited is being provided complete communications solutions tailored to the needs of its members, including voice, data, international Roaming and other services. Meghnaghat Power Limited will use the services to further improve communication amongst its different offices, at an affordable cost.

The agreement was signed by Faisal Mubin Chaudhury, Regional Country Manager & Managing Director of Meghnaghat Power Ltd., and Ishtiaq Hussen Chowdhury, General Manager & Head of Direct Sales of Grameenphone, on behalf of their respective organizations.

Tusher Raf Helal, Manager, Human Resources/Administration; Md. Mahbubul Haque, Manager, Finance; Lina Ferdows Kakoli, Manager PR-Affairs & Community Relation, of Meghnaghat Power Limited; Khandaker Omar Farhan, Deputy General Manager, Direct Sales; Mohammad Mahabub Ullah, Group Manager; Mohammed Jabed Chowdhury, Key Account Manager; and Fakrul Abedin, Relationship Manager, of Grameenphone, among others were also present at the signing ceremony.