Agri-input Assistance Card, Cash Assistance program launched PM urges farmers to make best effort to turn Bangladesh food-sufficient

Netrakona, Feb 16-2010 (UNB)-Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina Tuesday urged farmers to go workaholic to make Bangladesh self-sufficient in food as her government launched a new helpline to assist the peasantry in cash and kind.

“Make best use of all facilities sponsored by our government. Increase food production to build a food-sufficient Bangladesh so that we do not have to rely on others for food. If we want to save the country, our farmers and agriculture will have to be saved,” she said.

The Prime Minister was addressing the inaugural function of the newly-introduced Agri-input Assistance Card and Cash Assistance program for the country’s farmers on Balikandi Madrasa premises in Teligati union in Atpara upazila.

The function virtually turned into a grand rally as thousands of people--farmers, women and children and Awami League workers--thronged the venue and the adjacent paddy fields.

To begin with, the Prime Minister distributed cards among 20 farmers. A total of 1.82 crore farmers of the country will get the incentives under the recipe.

With the Agriculture Input Assistance card, the farmers will receive money from banks as cash subsidy to buy diesel. For drawing the subsidy and monetary transactions, the farmers can open bank account for only Tk 10.

Moreover, the condition for keeping minimal money with a bank account also has not been tagged to operating the farmers’ accounts. Also, the farmers need not have any identifier to open the account. The agriculture-assistance card will be considered final identity for the farmers.

Under the scheme, first-ever such agriculture-welfare agenda in the history of Bangladesh, some 10 million Boro farmers will be given money through banks as direct subsidy on diesel used for irrigating croplands for the dry-season rice farming.

Marginal farmers will get Tk 800 and big farmers Tk 1000 as cash incentives.

The Prime Minister also pledged proper distribution of khas land and providing homeless people with houses for free under the people’s welfare agenda.

Agriculture Minister Begum Matia Chowdhury, Manjur Kader Koraishi MP, Agriculture Secretary CQK Mustaq Ahmed, Department of Agriculture Extension Director-General M Sayeed Ali also addressed the function. A farmers’ representative and a FAO representative also spoke on the occasion.

The Prime Minister in her address hoped that such banking facilities would be used for further facilitating the farmers in future.

“Money transactions at the grassroots level, moneysaving by farmers will bring a revolutionary change in the rural economy,” she said about the expected impact of the assistance scheme for the farmers.

Hasina gave directives to officials and field-level workers under the ministry concerned to take necessary steps so the farmers don’t have to face harassment in getting the assistance card.

“Any sort of corruption and irregularity in this sector, like in other spheres, will not be tolerated,” the Prime Minister said in a strong note of warning.

She said if any government official is found guilty of neglecting farmers, they will have to face stern punitive action.

She ordered the authorities concerned to ensure timely supply of quality seeds and fertilizers to the farmers for smooth farming.

“It is the responsibility of the government to take best care of the farmers who provide us with food,” Hasina said in an emphatic reminder.

She also assured the farmers of maintaining smooth electricity supply for irrigation during the paddy season.

“Though setting up new power plants takes time, we have been successful in establishing efficient management in the power sector and already we have opened another new power plant in Siddhirganj,” she told her audience.

About irrigation, the Prime Minister stressed the need for increasing use of surface water for agricultural activities to reduce pressure on groundwater resources.

In this regard, she said the government will dredge the river Brahmaputra and other major rivers of the country to increase their capacity for water preservation by removing silts.

Hasina deplored that her previous government had increased total power generation to 4300 megawatts from 1600 MWs, but the subsequent BNP-Jamaat government could not add even a single megawatt of electricity to the grid.

“If the BNP-Jamaat government could increase power generation in line with the national demand, the nation would not face the present crisis. However, hold patience; we are putting our best effort in removing the power crisis,” she said.

Hasina pointed out that her government, just after assuming office, reduced the food and fertilizers prices. “Now the farmers do not run after fertilizer rather fertilizers run after the farmers,” she said.

Web Portals of 64 Districts Launched Students happy over getting textbooks timely, thank PM

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on January 6 launched web portals titled 'Tatthya Batayan' of all 64 districts of the country.

The web portals will help the people get all information about their respective districts as well as education, health, agriculture, administration, history and other areas.

The web portals have been made at the initiative of Access to Information (A2I) Project in collaboration with the cabinet division and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).

Addressing the launching ceremony at the Prime Minister's Office, Hasina said making web portals is a significant step towards turning the country into a modern digital Bangladesh.

She said the government has already started the process of bringing all ministries and departments under e-governance system to curb corruption and make the government services faster and better.

She also said the government is working towards removing technological disparity among people of all classes and regions.

Later, the prime minister talked with the people in Panchagarh, Rajshahi and Rangamati.

STUDENTS HAPPY

Meem didn't expect so early in her life that she would have direct interaction with the prime minister from her hometown Panchagarh, some 344 kilometres away from the capital.

Such a memorable moment came to her yesterday. The girl of 6-year-old, a student of class 1, was overwhelmed when Hasina talked to her through videoconferencing.

"Dear prime minister, how are you?" the girl asked Hasina with her sweet voice.

She thanked the prime minister for providing them with free textbooks on the very first days of the new year -- a tangible change that emanates from the 'Charter of Change'.

"I am very glad to have new books," an elated Meem said.

In reply, the prime minister greeted her and told her to be attentive to her studies. "When I was of your age, I also would become very happy to get new books," she said.

Hasina also talked to another girl student, Hironmoy Barman, of Class ten of the District Girls School. Barman, on behalf of all her fellows and schoolchildren, expressed gratitude to the prime minister for timely distribution of textbooks.

In the yesteryears, students used to suffer much for want of books for a long time at the beginning of an academic session, sometimes due to artificial crisis created by 'book syndicates'.

"It is almost unprecedented in my student life. Unlike previous years, I would not have to waste time for want of books this year," she said.

Hasina said the government had been strongly committed to ensuring timely distribution of textbooks as many students of poor families in the past suffered much due want of textbooks.

Hasina also talked to a cross-section of people of Rajshahi district.

Later, she talked to the people of Rangamati. Public representatives, government officials and civil society members of the hill district talked with the prime minister.

Replying to questions, Hasina expressed her government's strong commitment to ensure all necessary development of the Chittagong Hill Tracts.

She mentioned the government plan to set up a full-fledged university in Rangamati to ensure higher education of all the people living in the hilly region.

"The university is being planned as a unique one in Bangladesh," the prime minister told her audience.

We the stupid city dwellers

Despite dawn-to-dusk hard labour, traffic cops have failed to bring us, the Stupid city dwellers, under a discipline and system.

Some army personnel also have been deployed in some points of the city to control the traffic movement, but they are only on the VVIP roads.

In fact, the city’s traffic scenario has not changed yet. The common people still now have to spent one/two hour inside the over crowded buses just to go one/two km of distance.

In such a city is it possible to live on?? Only the Almighty Allah knows what is going to be happened to our fate.

SMS SERVICE FOR SEEKING ADMISSION INTO UNIVERSITY: a new era (courtesy-UNB,BANGLADESH

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has urged the country’s talented youths to come up with new ideas, plans and inventions to turn Bangladesh into a modern digital country in line with the Vision-2021.

The Prime Minister gave the call Sunday noon after inaugurating the SMS-Based Automated Registration of Admission Test procedure of Shahjalal University of Science and Technology (SUST) under the session 2009-2010.

On the occasion, a delegation of the SUST led by its Vice-chancellor Prof. Dr. Md. Saleh Uddin met with the Prime Minister at her Jatiya Sangsad office.

From now on, admission seekers will be able to complete the whole application process through sending and receiving mobile messages.

The admission seekers can have all information on the admission process through typing SUST HELP and sending it to 2777 number from any mobile phone.

The admission tests will be held in two categories -- A and B units.

To apply for a particular unit, an applicant needs to type first three letters of his/her board, roll number of the HSC examination, year and the unit’s category, and send these to 787 from Tele Talk prepaid number.

If the particular applicant has all necessary qualifications, in a return SMS, the SUST authorities will seek confirmation from the applicant for admission registration.

Once the applicant confirms, s/he will be registered and given a roll number, and for this, specific balance will be deducted from the mobile number.

The selected admission applicants will just go to the examination centre on the specific day. The applicants must carry attested photo when they will be appearing at the admission test.

The admission test’s result will later be published online and through mobile messages.

Students have to apply using Teletalk Prepaid Mobile Phone from 13 September 2009 to 20 October 2009 for the admission registration. The admission tests of A and B unit will be held on October 20 respectively at 10 am and 3 pm.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina expressed her happiness and satisfaction over the introduction of the SMS service for SUST’s admission application process.

Addressing the SUST delegation, the Prime Minister said Bangladesh just needs such type of innovative modern activities for attaining its desired development and prosperity.

“The present government will encourage every step towards flourishing of science and technology in the country,” she said.

Sheikh Hasina said the living standards of the country’s people would have to be upgraded through incorporating science and technology in all spheres of life.

Following request from the SUST delegation, the Prime Minister assured them of providing every support from the government to build an IT Building on the university campus.

WILL WE BE DESTROYED??

Over population is the biggest problem facing by Bangladesh. We often term corruption as our main problem, but, in fact, uncontrolled growth of population here in our small Bangladesh is failing every development attempt of the government and non-government organizations.

Besides, lack of practicing of good civic habits even by the well educated people have pushed Bangladesh’s capital city Dhaka towards destruction. Day by day, the metropolitan city is losing its livable fitness.

Industrial wastage pollution, sound pollution, defying traffic rules by the people, unplanned urbanization has made the city life almost impossible.

Now the government must formulate a strict long-term project and implement it very boldly, otherwise the capital city in near future will obviously be

Bangladesh leads the world in facing climate challenges

Bangladesh, one of the worst sufferers of the global warming, is, gradually, becoming the spokesperson of the victim countries, specially of the Least Developed Countries to address the climate change issues and meet its compensation from the developed countries, the main responsible for greenhouse gas emission.

The observation was made by environmentalists, development journalists and educationalists.

Referring to the participation of Bangladesh delegation at the just concluded World Climate Conference-3, Geneva, Switzerland (September 1-5), the experts said the South Asian nation has been successful in proving its sincerity and strategic capacity to tackle the disastrous impacts of the climate change.

Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina led the 44-member delegation at the Geneva Climate Meet.

Sheikh Hasina at her statement at the conference explained to the international community about Bangladesh’s vulnerability to the climate unpredictability, her government’s plans and programmes to face the challenges.

The world leadership praised the statement of Bangladesh Premier saying that her statement will show many countries of the world the proper way to tackle the climate challenges.

The five-day gathering of national leaders, environmentalists, experts concluded with a call to create a global framework for climate services to common people.

Formulate complete action plan for river dredging, PM orders at maiden meeting of committee on dredging, water resources

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina directed the authorities concerned to immediately formulate a complete action plan for dredging the country’s rivers, which have mostly silted up and create water crisis in the summer and over-flooding in the rainy season.

She made the directive while chairing the maiden meeting of the recently formed high-powered committee on river dredging and water resource management at the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) Tuesday.

Sheikh Hasina also told the meeting that the proposed long-term river-dredging project should not be of more than 15 years as “rivers must be given back their navigability immediately”.

Besides, she said, the massive river-dredging project should be started through re-excavating Gorai River since its process had advanced much during the previous Awami League government’s rule with foreign development partners’ finances. She regretted that the subsequent BNP-Jamaat government stopped this one and other dredging projects.

The Prime Minister further asked the authorities to deploy two fulltime dredgers at the estuaries of the Karnaphuli connecting Chittagong seaport and Pashur River linking Mongla seaport to the Bay of Bengal to keep the two important shipping channels navigable round the year.

“Country’s rivers will have to be kept navigable to protect the people from unusual floods, tidal surges and rive erosion,” she said.

Prime Minister Hasina said Dhaleswari, Kapatakkha, Turag, Balu and other rivers will also be dredged in phases. At the same time, maintenance dredging will have to be continued periodically.

Prime Minister’s Press Secretary Abul Kalam Azad briefed news men after the meeting, which lasted three hours elaborately dwelling on the problems stemming from loss of navigability of rivers as well as aqua-resources.

Finance Minister AMA Muhit, Agriculture Minister Begum Motia Chowdhury, Planning Minister Air Vice-Marshal (rtd) AK Khandakar, Land Minister Rezaul Karim Hira, Water Resources Minister Ramesh Chandra Sen, Foreign Minister Dr. Dipu Moni, Shipping Minister Shahjahan Khan, Prime Minister’s Advisers HT Imam and Dr Mashiur Rahman and State Minister for Environment and Forests Dr Hasan Mahmud and secretaries concerned attended the meeting. Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister MA Karim and PMO Secretary Mollah Waheeduzaman were present.

The PM lamented that most of the country’s 310 rivers are dying and losing water-preserving capacity for lack of dredging.

“Dredging was not continued regularly in Bangladesh after the Second World War, which resulted in the present polluted, silted condition of most of the rivers,” she told the meeting.

She mentioned that the last Awami League government had planned the dredging of the rivers and started implementing several projects. But the BNP-Jamaat government had stopped the projects “only on political considerations, which later compounded people’s sufferings and caused waste of huge money”, she said.

Hasina noted that the rivers are just like arteries of human body. “If we can save our rivers, our existence will be saved.”

About the previously proposed 30-year-long project for river dredging, the Prime Minister said the scheme should not have over 15-year lifespan.

“We must have a total action plan immediately. There should not be any delay in this regard. Our rivers must be saved,” she said on a high note of urgency.

Sheikh Hasina mentioned her meeting with the representatives of various donor countries and agencies at the PMO few months back regarding mobilizing funds to launch the massive save-the-rivers project.

She also said she had talks with World Bank officials when she was in the United States during the last caretaker government’s rule about the necessity of dredging Bangladesh’s rivers and need for the development partners’ financial assistance in this regard.
“Our development partners are positive on providing assistance. But we need to chalk out the river-dredging project very effectively,” she told the preparatory meeting.

Hasina observed that increasing global warming caused global climate change, and countries like Bangladesh would be worst sufferer of the climate-change-caused natural disasters.

“We cannot sit idle. We will have to remain careful about the disastrous impacts of the climate change and take proper steps to save our people from the natural disasters,” she said.