Governments and influential people around the world have been urged at a summit at the Qatari capital to implement the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities to bring 'equality'.
Hassan Ali, chairman of the Shafallah Forum, made the call while opening its fifth conference that brought together nearly 300 participants including first ladies and policymakers.
The Convention, if signed and ratified by a state, demands access to healthcare, education, employment and all other fundamental rights for persons with disabilities.
At least 153 countries including Bangladesh have signed and 109 ratified the convention, but Ali said 'they (people with disabilities) are not getting benefits of the provisions.'
He said awareness of this convention is 'paramount' while the true implementation is 'also paramount'.
"If you were to walk down any main street in any major city in the world, including Doha, and asked people the question: Have you heard of United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and the legal rights it gives persons with disability?
"The response of the majority would be that they have never heard of it and even if they had, it would not be a priority for them given the many challenges of everyday life, particularly now we are in the midst of a world economic recession."
Qatar emir's consort Sheikha Mozah, who spearheads social reforms in Qatar and also patronises the Shafallah Centre, was present amongst the audience drawn from first ladies and dignitaries when the chairman made the opening remarks.
Bangladesh prime minister Sheikh Hasina's sister Sheikh Rehana and daughter, a US-licensed psychologist, Saima Hossain Putul were also in the audience.
The chairman said 'true and meaningful' implementation of the Convention depends upon governments, and the people with the real influence to bring about changes.
He, however, noted that many of the signatory countries do not have the financial and human resources and expertise to properly implement the provisions of the Convention.
He suggested direct allocation of money, resources and required services to the persons with disability. "But it is not just a question of giving them money; it is much more than that. It is about ensuring equality. It is about ensuring access to resources and services that guarantee their rights are realised."
The chairman portrayed the 'despair and desperation' of the lives of persons with disabilities in refugee camps and said refugees with a disability are amongst the 'most disadvantaged and disenfranchised' of all people living in the world today.
"I firmly believe that if the world's governments and general public were made aware of the plight of persons with disability living in poverty, then they would respond in a positive way and provide help in any way they could, and within their capability."
"All of us can make real difference to the lives of one billion strong."
One Billion Strong is a campaign dedicated to disability awareness, rights and education. UN puts the number of people with disability across the globe at one billion.
The chairman also called upon media to make disability issues 'mainstream'. "A positive impact on their lives, in my view, cannot be addressed without the sustained help of local, national and international media."
With the theme 'Crisis, Conflicts and Disability: Ensuring Equality', the conference aims at helping people with special needs, while serving as a platform for dialogue and debate on issues and challenges facing different societies.
The forum has been seen as one of the world's foremost conferences on disability -related issues.
The focus of this year's forum is on the marginalisation of persons with special needs during recent natural disasters in Japan, Haiti, Pakistan and the US, as well as the ongoing crises and conditions in refugee camps in the Middle East and Africa.
Cherie Blair, wife of former British prime minister Tony Blair and also the co-chair of the Shafallah Centre, in her luncheon remark said no topic could be more timely and relevant for this gathering than disability, 'given the increasing rate and severity of natural disasters and the dire conditions in refugee camps.'
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Chittagong has again come out on top of the districts that exported manpower last year, sending more than 73,000 workers abroad –nearly twice the figure of the previous year.
Officials have dubbed the trend 'a positive sign' amidst the ongoing global recession, as remittance sent in by non-resident Bangladeshis constitutes a large section of the country's total earnings.
Records of Chittagong's employment and manpower office show that 40,000 workers, including 29,000 who registered with the district office, went abroad in 2010.
In 2011, the number hiked to 73,433, including 122 women, of which 53,481 registered at the district office, while the rest enlisted with the central office of the Bureau of Manpower Employment and Training (BMET) in Dhaka.
"Chittagong's contribution to the country's total manpower export is 568,000. Most of these workers come from Chittagong," the district office's assistant director Jahirul Alam Majumder told .
He added that the coastal district had also contributed the highest to the total of 390,000 last year.
A total of 388,496 workers went to different countries including those of the Middle East from the coastal district from January 2004 to December 2011.
Nearly 1.5 million from Chittagong are working abroad currently. Most of them are in Saudi Arabia, UAE, Oman, Qatar and Kuwait.
According to the Bangladesh Bank website, the total remittance received from Saudi Arabia, the UAE, the UK, Kuwait and the USA was the highest during the first half of the current fiscal. The district office of BMET, however, failed to give information about Chittagong workers' contribution to the earning.
"The size of exported manpower was nearly 850,000 in 2007-2008. Though the export was decreasing for the global economic crisis, it started rising recently," Chittagong University professor Moinul Islam, also the former president of Bangladesh Economic Association, told .
"It's helpful for the national economy. Hopefully the upward trend will continue," he added.
According to the Bangladesh Bank, the total remittance inflow was approximately $ 6.07 billion during the first half of the current fiscal (July-December) while the amount was $5.5 billion during the same period last fiscal year.
Prof Islam said most of the workers going abroad now are unskilled and less skilled manpower. "If we can send half-trained, fully-trained and professional workers and encourage them to remit through legal process, the remittance will increase more."
"Maximum workers from Chittagong manage visa through personal contacts or relative-neighbours in stead of government channel," BMET assistant director Jahirul said, dubbing the coastal area as 'the district of expatriates'.
The BMET says new opportunities to export manpower in different countries including Malaysia, Iraq and Lebanon, through government channels will be created this year.
Police recovered an AK-47 assault rifle and bullets from frontier Painhata village at Nalitabari's Ramchandrakora Union in Sherpur on Monday.
"We recovered the rifle and 20 bullets from the kitchen of one Nibash Marak's residence around 5am," Mohammad Anisur Rahman, superintendent of Sherpur police, told .
Tipped-off, they raided the residence, the police official said.
He said the weapon and ammunition, wrapped with a piece of white cloth, was packed in a plastic bag and buried in the floor of the kitchen.
Nibash Marak, the owner of the residence, fled before the raid, he said, adding that details would be revealed in a press briefing later on.
The telecoms regulator has decided that starting February, it will not allow mobile phones that do not have Bangla keypads into Bangladesh.
Bangladesh Telecommunications Regulatory Commission chairman Zia Ahmed told on Sunday the importers had been informed of the decision.
"Instructions have been issued so that these phones don't come through the airport or the sea ports either," Ahmed added.
Bangladesh Mobile Phone Business Association hailed the step but urged BTRC to be flexible about some 200,000 mobile sets that were pending import.
"The association will do its best to support the decision. But we have some 200,000 mobile phones import imminent. The BTRC should be flexible about that," Association president Nijamuddin Jitu said.
The association has 210 members who are involved in importing mobile handsets.
BTRC says the ban was pressed to push the usage of Bangla in mobile phones into trend and increase the ease of use.
When asked about instructions on touch screen mobiles, the BTRC chief said so far the directive was for phones with keypad which were more commonly used.
"Gradually we will order the usage of Bangla in the more enhanced mobiles," he added.
BTRC warned importers in November that a decision to ban phones without Bangla keypads was coming. At that time the regulator also banned mobile operators from importing mobile phones.
A bus carrying Ijtema devotees overturned after hitting a tree, leaving at least four people dead and 15 others injured in the district's Kaliganj Upazila on Monday.
Kaliganj police chief Syed Kamruzzaman said the accident occurred around 5am at Jamtola of Raghunathpur area when the bus was heading to Khulna from Tongi.
"Three of the passengers died at the scene while another died after he was taken to Jessore Sadar Hospital," Kamruzzaman told .
Three of the dead have been identified as 65-year old Mufti Abu Jafar of Mokampur village in Khulna's Terkhada upazila, 42-year old Imam of Dighlia Diara Mosque Mufti Alamgir Hossain, and 50-year old Maulana Abdul Kuddus, a teacher of Jakaria Darul Ulum Madrasah in Narail.
"We were on our way back from Tongi after the Ijtema. As the driver was speeding the bus hit a tree suddenly around dawn and overturned," said Ashraf Ali Morol, a resident of Kar Maijhkhana village of Terkhada as he survived.
"All the passengers have been injured up to an extent," he said.
Police and local people started a rescue drive soon after the accident.
The 15 injured have been sent to Jessore Sadar Hospital, Kamruzzaman added.
The Bangladeshi army said Thursday that it recently foiled a coup against the government of Prime Minister Sheik Hasina Wajed planned by religious extremists within the military.
Brig. Gen. Masud Razzaq told reporters the "whole-hearted efforts of army soldiers" had frustrated the attempt by those in active service to seize power.
"A band of fanatic officers had been trying to oust the politically established government," he added. "Their attempt has been foiled."
Razzaq declined to comment on the details of the plot other than to say that as many as 16 hard-line Islamist mid-level officers were involved, including two retired military personnel, and that at least two were detained while others remained under surveillance. A court of inquiry was reportedly convened Dec. 28.
It wasn’t immediately clear why news of the coup was delayed, when it was foiled nor exactly who was involved. Bangladesh is no stranger to military-led rule, having lived under army control for the 15 years that ended in 1990. Wajed assumed power from a military-backed caretaker government in 2009.
Golam Hossain, a professor of government at Jahangirnagar University in the capital, Dhaka, who lives less than a mile from the city’s main military base, said the streets were quiet late Thursday.
Citing sources close to the military, Hossain put the number of those arrested at between four and six, including a Bangladeshi who had lived abroad, with several others being watched carefully.
"Critics of the government say this is an attempt by the government to make a plan against its critics in the military, that it’s a government-made plot," he said. "It’s difficult to know the exact situation now."
Wajed has enacted a series of reforms since taking power that have made some Bangladeshis unhappy. She has cracked down on religious extremism, prosecuted alleged war criminals, improved relations with India and rewrote the constitution, introducing more secular policies.
"She’s done a decent job," said Anand Kumar, associate fellow at Delhi’s Institute for Defense Studies and Analysis. "For radicals, it’s not to their liking."
Others expressed doubt that religious extremism was the driving force behind the alleged coup, adding that the more likely problem was unhappiness within the military over a 2009 crackdown. Soon after Wajed assumed power that year, paramilitary forces staged a revolt that left more than 70 people dead, including 51 army officers, before it was crushed.
"Since then, some of the young military officers were not happy about the handling by the current regime," said Ataur Rahman, a political science professor at the University of Dhaka. "There are potential seeds of dissent."
Rumors have been circulating for about three weeks of some sort of problem within the military, Dhaka residents said. Wajed’s popularity has also taken a hit as economic growth has slowed - it’s forecast to come in around 6 percent this year compared with the government’s 7 percent target - in line with the global slowdown, even as inflation remains high. Politics in the country also remain deeply divided.
"Let’s see how things play out," Rahman said. "This may be the beginning of something. If the military can’t handle it properly, it may turn more difficult in coming days."
The Chittagong Development Authority on Friday blocked an entire road for about five hours to inaugurate an extension.
The primary and mass education minister Afsarul Amin inaugurated the Andarkilla to Laldighi Junction road extension and development project around 5pm.
A giant stage for the inauguration completely blocked the left lane of the extended road from 1pm. The procession of the minister's political followers also clogged up the right lane from 4pm.
Until 6pm, few cars were able to get through the intersection.
CDA chairman Abdus Salam haughtily remarked to that before their project, the road remained blocked at all times.
"Our extension makes it possible to travel on that road. What's the harm in a few more hours of block?" he added.
The extension has created two lanes on the road whereas for many years it had been a one-way.
Salam remarked that citizens did not face much trouble from their road block since businesses in that area of the port city are closed on Friday
During the inauguration traffic was diverted to Nazir Ahmed Chowdhury Road where commuters experienced a temporary gridlock from the added pressure.
CDA announced at the inauguration that the entire fund of Tk 50 million for the 800 by 60 feet extension came from its own funds.
Unidentified gunmen shot dead a businessman, who recently returned home from Kuwait, at Mirpur in the capital on Saturday afternoon.
The deceased was identified as Haider Ali, 50.
The police said a group of criminals stormed into his residence at Maddha Pirerbagh and shot him around 2:30pm.
Haider died around 3:30pm on way to Dhaka Medical College and Hospital (DMCH), the police said.
Sub-inspector of DMCH police outpost Mozammel Haque told that it is yet to be ascertained whether the incident was the upshot of robbery or there was some other motive.
Haider's wife Selina Begum told reporters that her husband had returned to the country from Kuwait a few months ago and started investing in the stock market.
The body has been sent to DMCH morgue for autopsy, the police said.
Hundreds of thousands of devotees flooded the sandy banks of the river Turag on Saturday to pray and listen to sermons in the second phase of the Biswa Ijtema.
Many more are still streaming into the ground on Saturday after the three-day gathering began on Friday.
The rush is expected to continue until Sunday when the second phase of the meet culminates through the Akheri Munajat or final prayer around noon.
The Biswa Ijtema, or the World Congregation of Muslims, is known as the second largest annual Islamic event after the Hajj.
The gathering will be hosting the ritualistic dowry-less weddings prior to the Asr prayers on Saturday. Indian scholar Zobayerul Hasan will conduct the marriage after the Asr prayers.
Couples, who have enlisted their names in the wedding register, would be married off through the traditional ceremony of the Tablig Jamaat, a non-political group that organises the gathering.
Muslims from 32 districts of Bangladesh and from foreign countries are taking part in the second phase of the congregation, which shuns politics and violence, but works for the revival of the Islamic tenets.
Dressed in traditional robes and prayer caps, huge columns of devotees from far-flung villages and towns in Bangladesh, as well as across the world, made way towards the gathering site on Friday, braving overcrowded buses and ferries, and enduring long delays and a dense fog.
Ijtema's appeal has grown largely over the years among those who cannot afford to go to Meccah for the Hajj.
The second phase began after a four-day gap on Jan 20. The first phase of the annual world gathering ended with Akheri Munajat on Jan 15.
Biswa Ijtema has been taking place in Bangladesh (then Bengal) since the 1960s when it used to take place at Dhaka's Kakrail mosque.
In 1948, it took place at the Haji Camp in Chittagong, and shifted to Narayanganj's Shiddhirganj in 1958. With a steady increase in the number of devotees attending, the Biswa Ijtema was shifted to the banks of Turag in Tongi in 1966 and has been taking place there since then.
DISTRICTS IN SECOND PHASE
Organisers have said that the Ijtema ground has been divided into 38 khitas or blocks marked for 32 districts for the second phase.
People from Narayanganj got blocks one and two, Dhaka – blocks three and four, Cox's Bazar – five, Manikganj – six, Jamalpur - seven Patuakhali – eight, Pirojpur – nine, Tangail – 10, Netrokona - 11, Barisal – 12, Jhenidah – 13, Meherpur – 14, Mymensingh – 15, 16 and 17, Comilla- 18, Laxmipur – 19, Brahmanbaria – 20, Kurigram – 21, Noakhali – 22, Nilphamari – 23, Thakurgaon – 24, Panchagarh – 25, Chapainawabganj – 26, Bogra – 27, Pabna – 28, Naogaon – 29, Munshiganj – 30 and 31, Madaripur-32, Gopalganj – 33, Satkhira – 34, Magura – 35, Khulna – 36, Sunamganj – 37 and Moulvibazar – 38.
SECURITY
Tongi has been covered with a multi-layer security blanket with the presence of police, elite Rapid Action Battalion (RAB), Ansar and intelligence agencies. Law enforcers have divided the congregation venue and surrounding areas into five sectors.
RAB helicopters will hover over the venue and plain-clothed members of the elite force are also watching over each block.
River patrol teams started work on Thursday, patting down those entering the ground and watching from towers. Moreover, security personnel have mingled with the devotees in the blocks, dressed in white and wearing special caps.
RAB bomb squad members are also on the ground.
Gazipur police superintendent Abdul Baten earlier told that a total of 10,000 security personnel including RAB and police are working to ensure safety at the Ijtema ground. Overall security is being monitored with several RAB and police close circuit cameras.
Forwarding agents at Benapole fear export and import through the land port may take a hit with the introduction of the car pass system.
"We are in favour of the new system but if it is not introduced in other land ports as well, trade activities through Benapole are likely to decline," Serajul Islam Seraj, vice-president of Benaploe Customs Clearing and Forwarding Agents Association, told on Saturday.
"It takes time to get used to any new system, and initially it is bound to causes delays," Seraj said. "But if it is only introduced in Benapole, exporters and importers may prefer other land ports, as they will be more lucrative for them due to the time factor."
Between 300 and 350 trucks come from the Indian side and about 100 to 150 trucks enter India with export items through Benapole at present.
The car pass system was inaugurated by finance minister Abul Maal Abdul Muhith and his Indian counterpart Pranab Mukherjee at Petrapole in India earlier in the day.
PASS TO DRIVERS
As part of the system, a pass will be provided to drivers of vehicles that cross the border to unload products. The pass will contain detailed information on products and drivers, and helpers of the vehicles.
"Under the new system our trucks will enter Indian customs area, and Indian vehicles can enter Bangladesh on reciprocal basis," Muhith said at the inauguration programme.
Mukherjee said, "Trade between India and Bangladesh is growing and we are taking steps to reduce trade gap between the two countries."
On a daily average, 327 vehicles entered Bangladesh in 2004-05, which went up to 658 vehicles in 2009-10.
In contrast, 73 Bangladeshi trucks carrying export items entered Petrapole, India, in 2004-05 and rose to 147 in 2009-10.
PROBLEMS AT BENAPOLE
Benapole is convenient for traders since, at 81 kilometres, it is the nearest land port from Kolkata and has all the facilities. But now, Seraj said, it is losing the edge due to congestion, lack of unloading equipment and high charges.
"Traders have to pay Rs 800 to Rs 1,000 if a truck waits for a day," Seraj said. "In some cases it takes five to seven days to unload products at Benapole."
"Goods from nearly 70 to 75 per cent trucks can be unloaded within a day but other trucks have to wait for their chance."
Asked why all trucks cannot be unloaded in a single day, Seraj said, "Labour shortage and lack of space in warehouse are the main reasons for that."
Benapole, declared a full-fledged Customs House in 2000, has 31 godowns. Other land ports are only land customs stations.
The Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) man, who was allegedly abducted by Indian 'smugglers' early Friday morning, is recuperating in the capital.
India's Border Security Force (BSF) handed over habilder Lutfar Rahman at the Akhaura border around 3am on Saturday, BGB's public relations officer Mohsin Reza told .
"Habilder Lutfar is sick. He has been sent to Dhaka," BGB-12 battalion commander lieutenant colonel Mostafizur Rahman told on Saturday. "He is being treated at the BGB headquarters hospital at Peelkhana."
According to BGB sources, Indian smugglers kidnapped Lutfar Rahman following a clash with a BGB team at Dalkia village in Sadar Dakkhin upazila on Friday morning.
The sources said BGB personnel opened fire when some Indian smugglers attempted to enter Bangladesh through the porous Tripura border with a cache of the banned cough syrup Phensedyl. While one smuggler, identified as Shah Alam, 40, died in the firing, fellow smugglers took away the body and also abducted the BGB habilder.
They later handed over Lutfar to the BSF at the Indian paramilitary force's Dhanpur camp.
The BGB said Shah Alam was a drug peddler from Sonamura in western Tripura, about 80 kilometres west of the state capital Agartala.
Quoting BSF officials, the Indian media reported that Shah Alam was a civilian and he died in BGB firing after some of its members entered Indian territory.
On Friday, BGB Battalion-33 Lt Col Aktaruzzaman told reporters that they had a flag meeting with BSF at zero point along Tarapukur border for Lutfar's release.
The one-and-half-an-hour-long meeting, also attended by BSF Battalion-29 Gausava Dhanpur Camp commander A K Helbaram and his deputy Anil Kumar, ended without a decision, Aktaruzzaman said.
Habilder Lutfar's 'abduction' comes close on the heels of some BSF members allegedly stripping and assaulting a Bangladeshi villager earlier this week along the West Bengal border.
Prime minister Sheikh Hasina again pointed the finger at the BNP on Saturday for conspiring the military coup and said that analysis of their statements and speeches make many things clear.
"If you have anything to say, come to parliament. There will be no more usurping power in Bangladesh by taking shortcuts, God willing," she said, addressing the opposition leader Khaleda Zia at a discussion in Ganabhaban.
On Thursday, Bangladesh army said in a media briefing that it foiled a plot by some hardline officers who were plotting to disrupt the democracy with the assistance of some non-resident Bangladeshis.
Thanking the military for frustrating the attempt to overthrow her elected government, Hasina said, "As a result, they and the country both have been saved."
Apparently referring to BNP chairperson Khaleda's remarks at a Chittagong rally on Jan 9 that 'even army personnel are being abducted', army spokesman, brigadier general Muhammad Masud Razzaq had said on Thursday, "Even a large political party sang along imaginary, misleading and propagandist news to bring allegations, which created unexpected and provocative debate among the army and conscious citizens."
"An analysis of their [opposition party] speeches and statements will make a lot of things to the people," Hasina pointed out, reiterating her stance that the main opposition is conspiring against the government.
The prime minister added that those who have come to power in the past using the military have harmed the armed forces through the coups and murders that they carried out.
The discussion organised to bring together Noakhali district Awami League and associate organisations was also attended by executive council members of the ruling party and leaders of all units in the district.
There have been allegations of a large number of extrajudicial killings against the elite anti-crime and anti-terrorism paramilitary unit of the police force.
"RAB has a stigma in its comparative success in some incidents of the past against terrorism and crimes. You're the key to put an end to the chapter of the history of RAB and open a new chapter," the US official said while speaking at the closing session of a training course at the RAB headquarters in the city on Wednesday.
The course was launched on Nov 29 last year with the help of US embassy in Dhaka and ended on Jan 5. Nineteen RAB officials who took part in the course were given certificates at the function.
Home minister Shahara Khatun was the chief guest while state minister for home Shamsul Haque Tuku, Dan W Mozena, inspector general of police (IGP) Hasan Mahmud Khandaker and RAB director general Mokhlesur Rahman were the special guests.
The US envoy said Internal Investigation Cell has devised a new system to receive complaints from the people, registration and taking cognizance of those. "It's the first code of conduct for RAB."
According to a report of New York-based Human Rights Watch (RHW), a human rights organisation, a total of 622 people were killed in the so-called gunfight with RAB from its formation in June 2004 to June 2011. While RAB have long been saying that its members retaliate to save themselves.
Last year, Amnesty International and different rights organisations urged the UK and USA not to provide any assistance to RAB.
Expressing gratitude to the US government for conducting the course for the RAB members, Shahara said: "This initiative will help ensure RAB's transparency and accountability in protecting human rights, and accelerating the administrative activities of the elite force."
The function was told that the internal investigation cell would investigate if anyone complains against any RAB personnel. The activities of the cell would be conducted under the supervision of the RAB DG and its Legal and Media Wing.
The home ministry also said the activities of the investigation and forensic wing of RAB were in progress. "Thus RAB will get a forensic lab enriched with modern and developed technology."
Shahara also said the government is committed to develop the service of RAB with modern technology.
Mayoral candidate Kamruzzaman Kamrul, who is the brother of Lokman, is trying to ride on sympathy votes demanding trial of the mayor killing case. Montajuddin Bhuiyan, another aspirant accused of the murder, is claiming that he was implicated as part of a conspiracy.
Following the murder of Lokman, a two-time gold medallist for being the best mayor, local unit of the ruling Awami League has been virtually split with MP Nazurl Islam Hiru supporting Kamruzzaman and most of the leaders of party's district unit including president Md Asaduzzaman backing Montaj, president of AL's town unit.
Kamruzzaman will contest the polls with 'cup-saucer' symbol, Montaj with 'pineapple', Amzad Hossain Bhuiyan with 'wall clock', Haji Afzal Hossain Mollah with 'telephone', Ariful Islam with 'optical glasses' and Mosabbir Ahmed Nasir with 'ink-pot'.
Lokman, also the general secretary of town unit of Awami League, was killed by masked gunmen on Nov 1.
The Election Commission has completed all preparations to hold the polls using electronic voting machines (EVMs).
Returning officer Md Abdul Wadud said voting would go on at 31 poling centres from 8am to 4pm.
He said web cams will be set up at all the poling centres.
Addressing a public rally in the Manikganj Govt Boys High School playground on Wednesday, she said during the last Awami League government (1996-2001) price of rice was Tk 10 per kg, but it increased under the BNP-led four-party coalition government to Tk 40.
"The prices of commodities have come within the reach of the people after the Awami League came in power for a second term," she added.
On the education scenario, the prime minister said now the students at the secondary level are getting books on the very first day of the academic year.
"Apart from making the students skilled in computer science, the government is offering them laptops at cheap prices," she said hoping that Doel, the first laptop brand to be assembled in Bangladesh, would reach every student in future.
Named after the national bird, Doel is believed to revolutionise the high-tech industry of the country.
Terming the government's role in the agriculture sector appreciative, Hasina said the farmers now can open bank accounts with nominal initial deposit. They are enjoying the scopes of cultivation taking loans from banks in easy instalments, she said.
Criticising the previous BNP-Jamaat government, the prime minister said: "That time there'd been no atmosphere of observing festivals in the country. But the countrymen now can observe Bijoy Dibash (Victory Day), Pohela Boishakh (the first day of the Bengali calendar) and other festivals through a festive and congenial atmosphere."
She said the trial of those who had committed crimes against humanity during the Liberation War in 1971 must be held "as it's a demand of the people." "None can save them."
The prime minister alleged that the previous BNP government had committed a massive looting and corruption and had not worked for the development of the country.
"They (BNP) had misappropriated the fund of Zia Orphanage Trust, and pushed the countrymen into a state of unhappiness through terrorism and criminal activities. That's why they experienced a big defeat in the last parliamentary elections."
About the development of Manikganj, Hasina, also the president of the ruling Awami League, said a power plant would be set up in Aricha Ghat area of Shibalay upazila in the district.
The plant would resolve the power crisis in the area, she added.
The prime minister said industries would be set up in the area to create jobs for the unemployed youths.
Presided over by Manikganj district AL president Golam Mohiuddin, the rally was addressed, among others, by local government and rural development minister Syed Ashraful Islam, shipping minister Shahjahan Khan and local MP Jahid Malik Swapan.
In the first phase, 1,573 candidates who passed in the general cadre category will be interviewed until Feb 20, the Public Service Commission said in a media release.
The schedule for other candidates will be let known later.
The oral exams will be held from 10am Feb 6 at the commission's head office. The interviewees have been mailed their admit cards.
If any interviewee does not received their admit card three days before the date, they will be able to collect it from the commission's office by submitting two authenticated passport size photos, the release said.
All candidates must bring certified photocopies of all their certificates at the time of interview.
The result of the written test of the 31st Bangladesh Civil Service (BCS) was announced on Jan 12.
A total of 6884 candidates passed the test. Of them, 3,066 came out successful in the general cadre, 2,805 in general and vocational, and 1,011 in professional cadres.
A total of 141,465 candidates sat the preliminary test of the 31st BCS examination held on May 27 last year.
The move was the latest in a series of dramatic announcements and clarifications going on since Monday around public servants' money in the stock market.
Public administration senior secretary Abdus Sobhan Sikder told on Wednesday evening that the circular had been withdrawn temporarily and would be issued again later 'with corrections'.
The circular, which was issued in the afternoon, had drawn attention of public servants to the fact that their rules of employment, the Government Servants (Conduct) Rules 1979, forbids them from making speculative investments or engaging in a business that creates a conflict of interest.
The circular quoted Rule 15 of the conduct code which says: "No government servant shall speculate in investments. For the purpose of this sub-rule, the habitual purchase and sale of securities of notoriously fluctuating value shall be deemed to be speculation in investments."
The stern telling-off in the circular could hardly be guessed at the Securities and Exchange Commission press meet on Wednesday morning, where chairman M Khairul Hossain boldly announced that no decision had been taken to stop government officials and employees from investing in stocks.
It all started on Monday, where in a slip-of-the-tongue moment, prime minister's press secretary Abul Kalam Azad let out that the latest cabinet meeting had discussed keeping public servants off the stock market.
A panicked DSE and CSE suspended trading on Tuesday, but could not evade the free fall of DSE general index, which lost 178 points within the first five minutes of trading on Wednesday.
Small investors protested the entire day in front of DSE, fighting with the police all over Motijheel.
About the slight change in modus operandi, this mugger 'Siddique' (name changed on request to protect identity) told : "The possibility of getting caught increases if we use auto-rickshaws or taxicabs. The police now keep a sharp eye on these vehicles. Besides, their numbers have also decreased."
According to him, they first steal a car or a motorcycle and then use it to zoom in on victims and forcibly take away valuables from them.
Detective Branch (DB) of police's Dhaka metropolitan deputy commissioner (south) Mohammad Monirul Islam also said such offenders usually use stolen motorcycles.
Siddique said it also makes sense to abandon the stolen vehicle and flee after mugging, he added.
EASY BAIL, BACK TO 'BASICS'
While most such snatching and mugging cases are not solved, thanks largely to indifference shown by the victims for recovery of the robbed items, lack of enforcement also comes in the way of police in strictly dealing with these assailants.
Noor-e-Alam Habu, a mugger, told : "I was held in such cases on several occasions but was freed after serving four or five months in jail."
He said the syndicates "deal with" the police and have particular lawyers to try such cases.
Asked why he returns to the same job after being freed on bail, Habu said, "I have no other means to fall back on. My bosses are Tunda Masud and Nazrul Islam Gira. And though I've never seen them and only execute orders I receive over phone, their men will kill me if I want to leave this line."
He said on more than one occasion he tried to mend his ways and become a "good person". "But couldn't," he added.
DB officer Monirul also said, "The hijackers and carjackers return to the same job after bail. We do not get permission even to grill them (thoroughly). As a result, a single person is held several times."
Lawyers, however, blame the police for the bails hijackers get.
Mahbub Hasan Rana, a lawyer in Dhaka District Judges' Court, said: "Carjacking is a non-bailable offence in line with Section 379 of the Penal Code. But the accused get bail for weaknesses in remand petitions filed by the police, apart from secret deals (struck with the syndicates)."
He said the police should be more active to investigate and make reports in such cases.
Election commissioner Sohul Hossain said on Tuesday the experimental project will be applied at the Narshingdi mayor by-elections.
Lutful Kabir from BUET Institute of Information and Technology said they had developed a software that would work in three steps to collect and calculate the result.
In the first step, the assistant presiding officer will SMS the results of their centre to the office of the returning officer.
The central database placed there will then send another text to the assistant presiding officer asking for confirmation of the result.
Once the result is confirmed through a third SMS, it will be stored in the database and added up.
Sohul said if the pilot project succeeded, the commission would consider applying it to bigger elections.
Lutful Kabir said EVMs can spell out polls results immediately.
"But summing up the results from individual centres takes a lot of time. The SMS system will help us calculate the results much more quickly," he said.
Manager of Bangladesh Inland Water Transportation Corporation's Mawa terminal Sirajul Islam told ferry services were halted from around 6:30am as heavy fog disrupted visibility.
Seven ferries with over 2,000 passengers on board were stranded in the middle of the Padma River, he said.
The halt in ferry operations saw large traffic gridlocks on both sides of the crossing, Islam said.
Services resumed around 9:40am when fog started to ease, he added.
The International War Crimes Tribunal gave the order as the prosecution said its 15th witness, Madhushudan Gharami, a man of 80, was still not physically well enough to testify.
Prosecutor Rana Das Gupta told the court that they could not produce the witness since he was not well after having travelled a long way.
The tribunal, set up to try crimes against humanity during the 1971 Liberation War, has indicted the Jamaat executive council member Sayedee on 20 counts of war crimes, including murder, rape, arson and loot.
The tribunal also deferred its ruling on taking charges against Jamaat assistant secretary general Mohammad Kamaruzzaman.
Nizamul Huq said that the tribunal had not been able finish reading all the documents to able it to give an order regarding cognisance of the charges.
Sayedee's is the first case to proceed to trial at the tribunal. The prosecution on Sept 4, 2011, proposed the framing of charges against Sayedee on 31 counts for crimes against humanity and genocide in the first case of the tribunal. The tribunal indicted Sayedee on 20 counts on Oct 3.
The tribunal also ordered Jamaat's guru, and a former party chief, Ghulam Azam to jail on Jan 11. His indictment hearing, as well as that of the current Jamaat chief Matiur Rahman Nizami, has been scheduled for Feb 15.
Apart from Sayedee, Jamaat chief Matiur Rahman Nizami, secretary general Ali Ahsan Mohammad Mojaheed and assistant secretaries general Mohammad Kamaruzzaman and Abdul Quader Molla, and Bangladesh Nationalist Party's standing committee member Salauddin Quader Chowdhury, also a lawmaker, have been detained, along with others, on charges of war crimes.
The tribunal, however, on March 31 last year, granted conditional bail to former BNP MP and minister Abdul Alim. The bail was extended further on Jan 16 ordering him to be present in the court on Mar 15, when the prosecution has been directed to submit formal charges against the BNP leader.
"All physicians must be present at their places of work to serve the people, otherwise stern action will be taken," Sheikh Hasina on Tuesday once repeated the warning that she has dropped at various doctors' gatherings.
She was inaugurating the newly-constructed academic building of Shaheed Suhrawardy Medical College Hospital in the capital.
When sought to know from a doctors' leader whether the warning had any impact, a flat "no" was his response.
"You can create immediate panic (among doctors), but it's not the solution," said former president of Bangladesh Medical Association Rashid-e-Mahbub, and added: "This is kind of rhetoric to cover up own failure (sic)."
He, however, declined to elaborate on 'failure'.
Despite prime minister's repeated warning, state minister for health Mojibur Rahman Fakir, in a surprise visit, on Jan 7 found 19 doctors absent from their duties at Bhaluka Upazila Health Complex and Gouripur Upazila Health Complex under his own constituency.
He instructed the health secretary to initiate action.
"Besides, being at the workplace is one thing and serving people is another. It's a very different profession (medical). You cannot serve, if you don't have commitment," he said.
"If they (government) really want to change the situation, they will have to overhaul the whole management," Mahbub said throwing a poser: "Do they (doctors) get any incentive for staying at a remote place? Is there a proper system in place that can make them stay there?"
"You can post as many specialists you want in an upazila hospital, but they won't stay there if they don't have proper work-related facilities," he went on.
Mahbub suggested local-level recruitment of doctors, not from far-off places. "If you recruit doctors from Sylhet division, they won't be able to come to Dhaka," he said.
During East Pakistan days, there used to be only one director in the health sector and the number of doctors was around 250, he pointed out.
"But now you see 250 doctors in an upazilla now, yet all being monitored by the central administration," he said.
The prime minister in her speech on Tuesday was categorical: "Doctors, who are posted in the rural areas, will have to go there with their family, and there is no way to avoid the arrangement."
She said her government has been working tirelessly to take healthcare services to the doorsteps of people.
"It is people who will decide who would stay in power. Our responsibility is towards them…to serve them," she said.
The benchmark index of the country's premier bourse experienced a precipitous fall at opening.
The Dhaka Stock Exchange (DSE) general index plummeted 151.25 points, or 3.10 percent, to stand at 4713.04 points at 12:06pm.
Shares worth Tk 843.85 million changed hands until then, with losers heavily outnumbering gainers 213 to 11. Seven issues remained unchanged.
Meanwhile, retail investors are demonstrating in front of the DSE from 11am demanding suspension of trading in the capital market until it stabilises.
They are chanting slogans demanding resignation of the prime minister and the Bangladesh Bank governor.
Traffic on the street in front of the DSE has been halted for the demonstration.
'CONFUSION AND SUSPENSION'
After a day's of suspension, trading at the DSE resumed half an hour behind schedule on Wednesday.
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) chairman M Khairul Hossain on Wednesday told reporters that business would resume at 11:30am.
Fear of a negative impact on the capital market brought about by the 'confusion' over investment in the stocks by public servants forced authorities to suspend trading in the twin bourses on Tuesday.
The DSE board had said the decision to stop Tuesday's trading was taken in the 'interest of the investors' after two weeks of a bearish trend. The board sat for an emergency meeting at 10am and the decision to suspend trading came immediately afterwards.
Trading on Chittagong Stock Exchange (CSE) was also suspended around five minutes after the start on Tuesday.
After the meeting, Mosharraf Hossain, chief executive officer of the DSE, said on Tuesday the suspension order was issued as the confusion over investment could impact the market negatively.
He said the order was intended to avoid any further confusion.
"A bewilderment was noticed in news reports on investment in capital market by government officials (civil and military). DSE authorities think this might create confusion among the investors and impact the capital market negatively," Mosharraf Hossain said on Tuesday.
"So, trading has been halted in the interest of the share market and the investors," he added.
The cabinet on Monday cleared a proposal to amend the income tax law to reduce income tax on investments. Abul Kalam Azad, the press secretary to prime minister Sheikh Hasina, later said, "We know the capital market is risky. It is inappropriate for those in government service to engage in such business."
The comments created confusion as to whether the government was trying to prevent state officials from investing.
Later Azad told that he had made and 'off the record' remark about the government officials and employees investing in the market and that there was a misunderstanding among journalists on the matter.
The law in force stipulates that public servants cannot be involved with any other profitable ventures, but they have been investing in the capital market thanks to legal loopholes.
Party chairman Hussein Mohammad Ershad MP will lead the two-day long-march, which will start from the party's Banani office in the city at 9am.
JP secretary general A B M Ruhul Amin Hawlader in a press release here on Monday said the motorcade of 2,000 cars would set out from Dhaka and another 2,000 cars will join it after it reaches Rangpur town.
The long-march will stay overnight in Rangpur on Tuesday and will restart from Rangpur Zilla School the next morning for Teesta Barrage at Dalia in Nilphamari district.
Ershad will address a public rally on Teesta Barrage ground on Wednesday afternoon. He will also address 16 street rallies during the two-day long-march, Ruhul said in the media statement.
"Though India is our friendly neighbouring country, they want to turn Bangladesh into desert by constructing dams on different common rivers. We'll create awareness among the people [against the dams] through the long-march," he said.
The JP secretary general alleged that India was behaving inhumanly with Bangladesh.
Though the deal on Teesta water sharing was expected to be signed during Indian prime minister Manmohan Singh's visit to Dhaka in September last year, the attempt remained unfruitful as West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee raised her objection at the last moment.
Later, Manmohan said the issue of not signing the Teesta deal was sorrowful.
Agriculture of the country's northern region depends mostly on water of the Teesta, a common river that flows through West Bengal. Bangladesh wants sufficient share of its water in all seasons throughout the year.
Investigation officer Syed Aminul Islam, also National Legal Aid Centre director, submitted the probe report to law ministry on Jan 2.
Syed Aminul said there were allegations that vacation judge ASM Aminul Islam granted bails to accused in cases filed over fake currency notes, drug peddling and murder of private university student Kamrunnahar Nadia.
"Validity of the allegations has been found in some of the cases," he said.
Comilla district and sessions judge ASM Aminul was given the jurisdiction to hear cases at vacation bench in December last year.
Following the media newspaper reports, the law ministry had constituted the one-member probe committee.
"At the end of the day, what matters is wealth creation, growth and employment, and one of the ways to achieve these are to boost the private sector," British secretary of state Andrew Mitchell said at a media briefing here on Monday.
Mitchell, who arrived in Dhaka on Saturday, has met prime minister Sheikh Hasina, as well as the foreign and finance ministers, besides visiting some British aid projects.
On Monday, he reaffirmed that British aid to Bangladesh would be increased in the coming years. "The aid is scaled up to £1 billion for this year and the next three years," he said.
He said the money would be spent on upgrading basic service, developing the private sector, and fighting climate change.
ON TERRORISM
Noting that terror activities were not seen in the country over the last three years, Mitchell said, "It is a matter of great confidence that Bangladesh is free from terrorism."
Referring to the 2004 grenade attack on Anwar Chowdhury, the then British high commissioner to Bangladesh, he said no such event has recurred in the last three years since this government assumed office.
ON GRAMEEN BANK
Mitchell said he and the British government are great admirers of Prof Mohammed Yunus and the Grameen Bank for their role in "lifting millions of poor out of poverty".
"Bangladesh," he said, "should be proud of this Nobel laureate."
Asked if he discussed Yunus or Grameen Bank with prime minister Hasina, Mitchell said he talked about them with foreign minister. "I told her (Dipu Moni) that Prof Yunus has made immense contribution to help poorest of the poor. Now Grameen Bank has 8.3 million clients and 90 per cent of them are women," he said.
"The foreign minister also agreed with it."
Asked about his reaction to Yunus's removal from Grameen Bank, Mitchell said, "The foreign minister referred to some rules and regulations of the country in this regard, and we agreed with it."
ON ASSISTANCE
Mitchell clarified that the assistance Britain provides must be result-oriented, as it is taxpayers' money. "Britain is in trouble but we stood by our commitment to provide aid to Bangladesh," he said.
He also stressed that this fiscal aid depends on robust delivery of results, emphasising value for money, and accountability for every British pound spent. "There must be result (achieved with) the taxpayers' money spent on different projects," he stressed.
Visiting Khulna, Mitchell met some extremely poor communities vulnerable to climate change, and also went to households headed by women who have received grants to establish small businesses and generate income.
"What I saw today is clear proof that aid works," he said. "The people I have met – and 15 million more around the country - are being supported by UK Aid, which is improving hugely their ability to cope with natural disasters."
"I have resigned in view of the prevailing circumstances," he told journalists at the university's administration building around noon on Monday after submitting his resignation.
A media release issued by the public relations office said, "Professor Dr Mohammad Arju Mia has willingly stepped down from the proctor's post, considering the existing situation (that) arose following the death of Zubair Ahmed, a fourth-year student of English department."
He turned in his resignation to allow the university's "regular activities to continue", the statement added.
Though he has resigned as proctor, Arju still retains the posts of provost of Shaheed Rafique-Zabbar Hall and president of the university shop owners' association.
On January 8, some activists, allegedly owing allegiance to the Bangladesh Chhatra League, assaulted and stabbed Zubair Ahmed, who succumbed to injuries the following day at a private hospital in Dhaka.
Students and teachers raised their voice almost immediately, with students still carrying on their boycott of classes. They have made four demands of the JU authorities, including resignation of the proctor.
DEMAND 'PARTLY MET'
Raihan Rhyne, a teacher of the Philosophy department, said: "Our demands have been fulfilled partially. Our key demands, the resignation of the proctorial body and rustication of miscreants from the university, are yet to be fulfilled, though.
"We have also demanded that the university administration pay compensation to Zubair's family. Our movement will continue till the authorities fulfill all our demands."
Addressing the media after the proctor's resignation, the students announced that they would carry on their protests till all their demands are met.
English department student Hafiz-al-Asad said, "We have presented a memorandum to vice-chancellor Sharif Enamul Kabir. Our next (set of) programmes will be announced after the syndicate meeting in the afternoon.
"We believe the proctor has been forced to resign amid strong protest and criticism from the students, as also for negligence to his responsibilities."
Three students have so far been shown arrested by the police for their alleged involvement in the killing. The university administration permanently rusticated three students found guilty in the case.
A security officer was also sacked regarding this incident.
A professor of Chemistry department, Arju Mia was appointed as the proctor in mid-2009.
Authorities concerned told that they took the decision after a technical committee's recommendation. The committee's advice came following reports of infections after receiving permanent birth control methods.
"It was a mistake to advise antibiotic after implant (a long-acting birth control method)," said Dr AKM Mahbubur Rahman, the line director of Clinical Contraception Services Delivery Programme, who signed the memorandum -- possesses a copy.
A investigation found the family planning authorities have no evidence about infections after simple procedures of vasectomy (for men) and tubectomy (women).
Field staff from different places confirmed that they did not submit any reports of infection among users of permanent methods – vasectomy and tubectomy -- to the directorate.
It is also learnt that the line director issued the letter even before a committee's meeting to decide on the antibiotic for each dose.
The memorandum instructed medical officers under the family planning directorate to give 14 pieces of Ciprofloxacin tablet twice a day for seven days. It also instructed them to give the tablets after surgical procedure.
Line director Mahbubur Rahman said it aims to prevent infection: "We took the decision following a national technical committee's recommendation."
'INCORRECT DOSAGE'
But pharmacologist Dr Md Sayedur Rahman of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University said the doses mentioned in the letter is "not correct".
"For preventive use, it's a single dose each day for a maximum 48 hours," he said. In case of infection after procedures, the staff should look into the instruments they used during those minor procedures, he said.
"There is no chance of infection if you properly sterilise the instruments, gauge and bandages," Dr Sayedur Rahman said. In minor surgeries, he added, a single dose of antibiotic is recommended just before the surgery.
He also criticised the choice of Ciprofloxacin since it is resistant to almost half the bacteria. "Do they have any assessment whether the antibiotic Ciprofloxacin will work?" he asked.
PROBLEMS IN DIRECTORATE
It is still unclear why the family planning directorate took the decision on immediate antibiotics, but an official (name withheld on request) told that it involves a huge contract for drugs. The directorate, the anonymous official said, has targets of ensuring over 0.4 million permanent methods in a year as part of its population control programme.
Line director Dr Rahman confirmed that they would buy Ciprofloxacin this year. But "I cannot say its cost right now," he said. "We will buy it along with other drugs."
Diverging with pharmacologist Dr Sayedur Rahman, he said, "Different antibiotics should be administered in different doses as preventive measure."
Not willing to produce any evidence of infections, he contended: "We have a shortage of doctors for family planning services. Nearly 800 posts are lying vacant. So we cannot do all procedures in clinics -- sometimes we set up camps where a doctor has to carry out 50 or 60 cases.
"In such situations, quality can be compromised (and) it increases the risk of infection."
He claimed that antibiotic was also used before 2000 when a director instructed not to use over 15 percent cases. "But after the instruction we saw a decline in permanent method receivers. Probably people did not come in fear of post-procedure infection."
According to the director, the decision to administer antibiotics was taken "after the technical committee's recommendation".
NO 'ILLOGICAL USE', PLEASE
Technical committee member Prof Md Ismail Khan, also head of Dhaka Medical College's pharmacology department, said he is opposed to any "illogical" use of antibiotics.
"I have recommended that antibiotics could only be used if there are proper evidence of infection," he said. "Sometimes we can use antibiotics to cut post-surgery infections cost."
Khan, however, did not want to comment when asked whether any evidence of infection has been placed in their technical committee meeting. "Ask the directorate for evidence," he said. "I am a technical person (and) I can only talk about technical aspect of drugs."
He reiterated that it is "illogical" to use antibiotics if aseptic measures can be taken before those procedures.
Prof Khan confirmed that they did not take any decision about which drug will be used in which form.
Another technical committee member (name withheld to protect identity since he is with the family planning directorate) said their field staff have never reported about infections from those who underwent permanent birth control methods.
He said a small committee had been formed to decide the antibiotic to be used, and its dosage. "But they issued the instruction before our meeting," he said.
He said Ciprofloxacin would not have been the choice if they could meet.
In reply, the line director maintained, "We have fixed the dose after discussing it with clinicians later."
He said, "We made the correction after an inadvertent mistake –giving the antibiotic after implant."
According to doctors, in implant a small, flexible tube is inserted under the skin in the inner upper arm. A simple procedure, it has little chance of infection.
In vasectomy, a permanent contraception method for men, a small cut it made in the skin of the scrotum, usually under local anaesthetic. Vas deferens that carries sperm to the penis are cut and tied or sealed with heat.
In female sterilisation, a small cut is made in the lower abdomen under local or a light general anaesthetic. The fallopian tubes are then cut and tied, or sealed or blocked, usually with clips.
The public administration ministry issued separate orders to this effect on Monday.
Six of the incumbent DCs have been relocated elsewhere, while the transfer order for the rest four is yet to be issued.
Of the newly appointed DCs, deputy secretary of the local government department Anol Chandra Das has been appointed the DC of Pirojpur district, chief executive officer of Jhalokathi district council Khandaker Mostafizur Rahman as the DC of Bhola district, private secretary to the state minister for public works Nurul Islam as Gazipur district DC, CEO of Pabna district council Mohammad Jafar Ullah as the Natore DC, deputy director of Bangladesh Government Press (BG Press) Mohammad Zakir Hossain as the DC of Sherpur district, deputy director of Urban Primary Health Care Project-2 Dr Mohammad Anwar Hossain as Satkhira DC and deputy director of the local government department in the Dhaka divisional commissioner's office K M Tariqul Islam as the DC of Bandarban district.
Deputy secretary of the health and family planning ministry Khaja Abdul Hannan has been shifted as the DC to Jhenaidah district, deputy secretary of the public works ministry Sarwar Mahmud to Bogra district and deputy secretary of the Roads and Highway department Dr Shah Alam as the DC to Chapainawabganj district.
The cabinet cleared a proposal in this regard in a meeting chaired by prime minister Sheikh Hasina on Monday.
Her press secretary Abul Kalam Azad said the change was made to make the capital market dynamic and bring investors' confidence back in the market.
The amendment proposes cutting taxes on mutual fund investment income. Also, the 10 percent tax on foreign investors' profit would be removed.
Tax on source on brokerage house commissions is proposed to be reduced to 0.05 percent from 0.1 percent.
Azad also said, "We know the capital market is risky. It is inappropriate for those in government service to be in this business."
Then he said, "Later the ministry will issue a paper on the matter."
The comments created confusion as to whether the government was trying to prevent state officials from investing.
Later Azad told that his remarks about the government officials and employees investing in the market were 'off the record' and it was a misunderstanding with the journalists.
The law in force stipulates that public servants cannot be involved with any other profitable ventures, but they have been investing in the capital market, thanks to legal loopholes.
The Khondoker Ibrahim Khaled-led panel formed to investigate last Dec-Jan crash in the market had also proposed shutting the door on the opportunity for government officials to put their money into stocks.
TRAFICKING LAW APPROVED
The cabinet meeting also approved anti-human trafficking law with capital punishment as the highest penalty.
The draft law was approved earlier on Dec 12 last year in the cabinet and was brought there again on Monday for some additions and corrections.
WAGE COMMISSION PROPOSAL CLEARED
The cabinet also gave final approval to the proposals of National Wages and Productivity Commission-2010.
The proposal fixes workers' pay in state-owned institutions from Tk 4,175 to 5,600.
A Tk 700 medical allowance is also proposed, as well as Tk 100 tiffin allowance and a transport allowance of Tk 150 for them.
The commission was formed in Oct 19, 2010 with former secretary Mahe Alam as its head.