Bangladesh to introduce daylight saving time likely from June 16
Bangladesh government has decided to switch daylight saving time from June 16 till September 30 in a bid to ensure maximum use of daylight to cope with crippling power crisis. Under the daylight saving time, clocks will be turned ahead by an hour, state minister for power Shamsul Haq Tuku told reporters on Tuesday after An interministerial meeting provisionally had decided to introduce the daylight saving system for an ‘extra hour’ of daylight. The switch will remain in effect from June 16 to Sept 30 but if implemented the next year, it will come in force from April 1, he said adding more meetings will further discuss the issue before a final decision is made in this regard. Electricity supplies to homes, businesses and factories across Bangladesh have been cut for several hours a day over the past few months as the country grapples with a power deficit as much as 7000 MW, by some estimates. Earlier, on April 5 the state minister said the government wanted to introduce daylight saving because it was much easier to conserve 1MW power this way than it was to produce an extra 1MW. The matter was discussed with all official stakeholders and their opinion was solicited. An official of the Power Division, who attended the meeting, said they sought opinions from 18-19 ministries and divisions including labor, planning, industry, foreign affairs, telecoms, information, shipping, law, civil aviation, tourism and education. Most of the ministries responded positively. Representatives of establishment, health, local government, and primary and public education ministries approved of the decision at the meeting, meeting sources said. Besides, the Meteorological Department in its opinion said that the 9am-5pm office hours can be adjusted to 8am-4pm from April 1 to September 30.
S: Asian Tribune
New house for Bir Protik Taramon
Heroic freedom fighter Taramon Bibi Bir Protik yesterday got as gift a newly constructed semi-pucca house on one acre of land at Araji Polashbari under Kurigram Sadar upazila yesterday, thanks to the initiative of district administration and 27 Rifles Battalion in Kurigram.
GIFT OF HONOUR: This newly constructed house at Araji Polashbari village in Kurigram Sadar upazila was handed over to valiant freedom fighter Taramon Bibi Bir Protik yesterday and Taramon Bibi Bir Protik (inset).Photo: STAR
State Minister for the Ministry of Liberation War Affairs Captain (retd) ABM Tajul Islam formally handed over the deed and key of the house to Taramon Bibi.
Following the district administration’s allotment of one acre of khas land at Araji Polashbari village adjacent to Kurigram town, Commanding Officer of 27 Rifles (BDR) Lt Col Shuman Kumar Barua arranged construction of the four room tin-shed semi-pucca house.
The district administration, Kurigram municipality, businessmen, BDR jawans and well wishers helped with money and labour to build the house at a cost of Tk 4,44,546, BDR sources said.
On the occasion of handing over the house to Taramon, a discussion was held on the premises of the newly constructed house yesterday.
State Minister ABM Tajul Islam was the chief guest while State Minister for Primary and Mass Education Md Motahar Hossen MP, Kurigram-2 lawmaker Md Jafor Ali and Ahmed Sultana Naznin, lawmaker in a reserved seat for women, were special guests at the discussion presided over by Deputy Commissioner Md Asaduzzaman.
Among others, Kurigram Municipality Mayor Abu Bakar Siddiq, Kurigram Superintendent of Police Mahabubur Rahman and Kurigram Law College Principal advocate Abraham Linkon spoke at the meeting.
Taramon Bibi, an inhabitant of Shankar Madhob village under Rajibpur upazila of the district, took part in the battles in Raumari and Rajibpur areas under Sector No 11 during the Liberation War in 1971.
Forgotten and neglected for quite a few years after the independence, she was recognised with honour as Bir Protik in 1995.
BGMEA to open sweater knitting training centre at NILPHAMARI
Bangladesh Garments Manufacturing and Exporters Association (BGMEA) has decided to open a sweater knitting and linking training centre for the poor youths of this district.
It has been disclosed recently here by sweater standing committee chairman of BGMEA Nazmul Hasan Bhuiya at a view exchange meeting with the journalists at the deputy commissioner’s conference room. The view exchange meeting chaired by ADC Moloy Kumar Roy was attended among others by Lt Colonel Abu Naser Md Toha and Major Anis. Speaking on the occasion, Nazmul Hasan Bhuiya said they have taken the decision at the initiative of Chief of Army Staff General Moeen U Ahmed. He also stated that Nursing Institute of Nilphamari had been selected as the venue of the training centre where 1,000 youths, both male and female, would be trained on sweater knitting and linking every year. The duration of the course will be one month and 100 youths will be trained in the course at a time. Equal numbers of male and female will be trained here. While explaining the initiative Nazmul Hasan Bhuiya said they have taken the initiative which will also help them recruit skilled manpower for sweater factories all over the country.
Source: Financial Express.
Growing tea gardens changes life of Panchagarh people
The overall socio-economic condition of common people is changing fast in Panchagarh following a faster growth of the tea sector.
Local tea growers, chamber leaders and officials concerned opined that setting up of more tea processing industries, competitive markets at the grass roots for tea leaves, supply of natural gas and resolving problems like power crisis could accelerate the production of tea. At the same time, hundreds of Panchagarh females, who lived in utter miseries due to abject poverty for years together, are now changing their fate and achieving self-reliance by earning wages as plucking workers in the dozens of tea gardens at the officially recognised third Tea Zone of the country. The growing tea sector in Panchagarh has ushered in a new hope for further enhancing the standard of socio-economic life and women empowerment, they said. The female workers are yet to get their just wages from the garden-owners as the growing tea-farming sector in the region has been facing manifold problems including present unfair prices of the tea leaves for the tea farmers. Presently, over 7,000 skilled an unskilled workers, mostly women, have been working in 246 tea gardens, including 18 big estates, 13 medium-size and 215 small-scale gardens set up on more than 1,815 acres of land in Tentulia and its surrounding areas, they said. Of them nearly 2,300 workers, mostly women, are working alone at the giant Kazi and Kazi Tea Estate (KKTE) at Tentulia which has earned reputation in both national and international markets by producing, processing and marketing the famous and most popular Mina Organic Tea and earning foreign exchange.
Small-scale tea farmer Mozahedul Hassan of village Dwarikamari in Sadar upazila while talking to BSS said he has been growing tea in 7 bighas of land after selecting 20 bighas for the purpose and lifting 50 to 60 kg tea leaves every week from the garden.
Small-scale tea farmers Abdur Rahman of village Dorjipara, Esahaq Ali Mandal of village Pediagoach and Raju Mia of village Majhipara in Tentulia upazila and Motiar Rahman of Sadar upazila expressed similar views to BSS recently. Development Officer of Panchagarh Regional Tea Board Amir Hossain today told BSS that there are tremendous scopes for expansion of the tea farming area in Panchagarh and Bangladesh Tea Board has been providing necessary trainings to the selected farmers and per hectare subsidy of Tk 14,000. Assistant Manager of TTCL Manjur Hassan said smooth supply of 220-volt power is required for processing and producing tea and the required voltage is not available most of the time, which compels using power generators that increases production costs.
According to Director of Small-scale Tea Farming Project and Director of Bangladesh Tea Board (Dev) Azharul Islam, the government has taken steps for expanding newer Tea Zones for further increase of tea production in the country to meet the growing demand.
Source: BSS
Handloom Industry flourishes in Northern Bangladesh
The distressed women and unemployed young girls have been successfully changing their fates by sewing readymade handloom garments everywhere in the northern region in recent years.
By sewing handloom garments and marketing those, over 20,000 distressed women, divorcees and young girls of different rural and urban areas in all 16 northern districts have been becoming self-reliant and making financial contributions to their families.
The women affairs department, social service department, youth development department, other government organisations, reputed NGOs like RDRS, ASA, BRAC and dozens of local NGOs are playing vital role in encouraging the women by providing trainings, sewing machines, credits and input supports.
Production of readymade garments made of handloom fabrics has been growing fast as more and more women and teenaged girls are becoming interested in adopting sewing as a profession.
The female sewers are producing mainly garments such as blouse, petticoat, semiz, kamiz, salwar, scurf, maxi, baby wears, shirts, pants, fotua, caps and other readymade wears for men, women, babies, girls and people of all ages.
Housewife Ful Banu, 28, of village Boalmari under Roumari upazila in Kurigram said, ‘I sew baby clothes and my husband sells them. Now we living better than we what we lived three to four years ago.’
Housewife Romesa Begum of village Echakuri, young girl Jasmine Akhter of village Khatiamari and housewife Chhoki Begum of village Notanpara in the upazila also narrated similar stories of their fightback. Business community leaders in the regions said there were potentials of setting up of composite textile and spinning mills at many areas of the region for industrialisation and creating job opportunities.
Source: BSS(Rangpur), Newage
