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Apr 01, 2018
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HPM Sheikh Hasina calls BIMSTEC security chiefs to root out terrorism
Honourable Prime Minister (HPM) Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has called for uprooting all forms of terrorism to establish a secure and prosperous Bay of Bengal region. She made the call when the national security chiefs of the BIMSTEC countries saw her at her residence in Dhaka last week. The national security chiefs of the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation or BIMSTEC are now in Dhaka for their second conference. They have discussed security cooperation issues among the seven member states of the regional grouping. The Bangladesh Premier was hopeful that the BIMSTEC countries will strengthen their cooperation to stamp out terrorism from the region.
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During a recent visit to Bangladesh, UN Assistant Secretary-General Haoliang Xu said the UN sees a “lot of benefits” of Bangladesh once it officially graduates to a developing country by 2024. As a LDC the signal to investor community is that it is not the best place for investment, the envoy said, adding that the graduation would send strong message to investors that Bangladesh is a right place for investments. After graduation, the rating agency will rate Bangladesh higher in the rating for investments and what that means that the cost of investment in Bangladesh will be significantly lower, if the volume is significantly larger. Bangladesh, which has been an LDC since 1975, recently fulfilled the UN’s current criteria to graduate from a ‘least developed country’ to a ‘developing country’. Bangladesh has also recently advanced from a low-income country to a low-middle income country on the World Bank’s scale.
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US President Donald Trump has lauded HPM Sheikh Hasina’s personal leadership in addressing the plight of Rohingya who fled to Bangladesh from Myanmar. In a message to HPM on Bangladesh’s Independence Day he also thanked the prime minister for giving shelter to Rohingya men, women and children. “Your personal leadership has been critical to addressing the plight of the Rohingya who fled to safety in your country. I thank you for all you have done to assist these men, women and children in need,” he wrote in the message.
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HPM Sheikh Hasina reiterated her call to the international community to continue pressurising the Myanmar government to take back its nationals from Bangladesh. She made the call when WHO-SEARO Regional Director Poonam Khetrapal Singh met her at the Gono Bhaban. Meanwhile, the government has prepared the second list of around 10,000 Rohingyas for repatriation. Bangladesh government is likely to sign a deal with the UNHCR this week to facilitate the repatriation of Rohingyas as well as to ensure safe and voluntary return of the Myanmar nationals to their home.
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GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT
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Fish production up by 1.2 million tonnes in 8 years
Fish production in the country increased by 1.2 million tonnes in eight years as a result of various effective programmes taken by the present government. In 2009-10, the total fish production was 2.8 million tonnes while it was 3 million tonnes in 2010-11, 3.6. million tonnes in 2014-15, 3.8 million tonnes in 2015-16 and 4.1 million tonnes in 2016-17. According to Bangladesh Economic Survey-2017, 23.81% of total agriculture income comes from fisheries sector. The major programmes for increasing fish production are the expansion and strengthening of community-based fish cultivation programme, ensuring access of fish cultivators to khas wetlands, taking marshland nurturing program and release of fish fries to water bodies and promoting innovative technology through research works.
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Over 16.5 million poor and extreme-poor people across the country are being benefitted from the present government's One House One Farm known as "Ektee Bari, Ektee Khamar (EBEK)" project, one of the 10 priority initiatives of HPM Sheikh Hasina. Under the project, a total of 67,757 'Village Development Associations' (VDAs) have been formed across the country from which about 3.3 million families are getting benefits. The beneficiaries have deposited over Taka 1,221.58 crore till December 2017 and the government has provided financial assistance as grant under the project.
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The World Bank approved a US $15 million financing to help Bangladesh produce timely and quality statistics. This will help the country make more evidence-based policy decisions. The National Strategy for Development of Statistics Implementation Support Project will improve the capacity of Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS) to produce and disseminate quality statistics in a timely manner. The credit is interest-free and repayable in 38 years, including a 6-year grace period, and carries a service charge of 0.75%.
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The government has invested $300 million to set up eight new factories at its newly-built two economic zones at Meghnaghat in Narayanganj. The new factories, which will take the group's total industrial units to 40, will create 3,500 jobs. The new units, which will be inaugurated on Saturday, are for: beverage, edible oil refinery, tissue, pulp and paper, flour, chemicals, cement fibre, steel fabricate mills and a 40 megawatt power plant.
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TRADE AND INVSETMENT
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Bangladesh and Luxembourg businesses have explored the possible convergence in sectors of common interest as both countries eye strengthening the trade ties. This was precisely the main purpose of the second meeting of the recently concluded Luxembourg Business Council in Bangladesh (LBCB) in Dhaka, Honorary Consul of Luxembourg and Convener of the Council Nasreen Zamir told media outlets. Financial sector collaboration, particularly in banking, is a major area that Dhaka is looking to explore with Luxembourg.
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A new way for container transport was introduced from Korea to Chittagong port last week, which would help traders to cut the travel time by a half. For the first time, a mother vessel carried containers from Korea to the Bangladeshi port in 14 days. It used to take around 30 days, as the containers had to wait in Singapore port to be unloaded and to reach Chittagong through feeder vessels. It was a longtime demand of the port users to introduce this type of container transport, which would save time for both the importers and the exporter.
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INTERNATIONAL AND REGIONAL COOPERATION
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Bangladesh and Japan signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to conduct joint researches on sustainable construction and mitigation of arsenic from drinking water in the country. Bangladesh Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (BCSIR) and Japanese JDC Corporation inked the MoU at a function at the BCSIR seminar room. The researches will be conducted to use the 'Twister' and 'JaPani' technologies invented by JDC for sustainable construction and mitigation of arsenic from drinking water. Under the MoU, one mini plant will be set up at an arsenic affected area to test the effectiveness of the 'JaPani' Technology in mitigating arsenic from drinking water and another mini plant will be installed on 'Twister' technology at a suitable place.
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Bangladesh conveyed its deep concern at the recent multiple ballistic missile attacks by the Houthi rebels aimed at Riyadh and other bordering cities of South Western parts of Saudi Arabia. The missile attacks were however successfully intercepted by the Saudi Air Defence forces. Bangladesh staunchly opposes such unilateral acts by the Houthi rebels. These are provocative acts and have an adverse impact on regional peace and stability, according to a foreign ministry statement said.
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