সর্বশেষ
সর্বশেষ

Day: April 4, 2022

Tipu urges businessmen to sell essential items in just price

Staff Correspondent / Thelegalvoice24 : DHAKA, Commerce Minister Tipu Munshi today called upon the businessmen to sell essential items in just price. He also cautioned that each retail shop should have to have price list, otherwise stern legal action would be taken against them. The Commerce Minister also directed the National Consumer Rights Protection Directorate to beef up their vigilance in ensuring hanging of the pricelists in each and every shop. Tipu said this during his visit to the Kawranbazar Kitchen market today after meeting the leaders of the Kawranbazar Babosayi Somittee. “Except some shops, I have seen pricelists at most of the shops in Kawranbazar, It’s my directives if the price lists are not available at the shops, then steps will be taken. Yesterday, the business leaders have assured that the price of essentials won’t rise. They (FBCCI) have formed a committee of 46 members and they will monitor some 46 products,” he said. Mentioning that there is no dearth of essential items in the kitchen market, Tipu said the stock of each and every product is higher than the demand while the supply of items like edible oil, lentil, sugar and spices remained stable. He said after the VAT rate has been reduced on import of edible oil, some 80,000 to 90,000 tonnes of edible oil have been imported from abroad. “There is no crisis as the stock is higher than the demand. It’s my directive to the National Consumer Rights Protection Directorate, if anyone tries to cheat people during this time of Ramadan or sell products on higher prices, then none will be spared,” he cautioned. The Commerce Minister mentioned that the common people are now getting the benefits of reduction of tax and VAT on essential items adding that a taskforce has already been formed to monitor the market situation and they are working with due importance. Answering to a question, he said the wholesale market is under control, but in retail level, there might be some differences due to the transportation costs. “If the prices at the wholesale level remained stable, then I think the price may increase by Taka 1 or 2 in the remote areas.” Tipu informed that through the truck sales of the Trading Corporation of Bangladesh (TCB), some one crore families are being benefited of which 85 lakh of them are in the rural areas. He said if any family has five members on average, then some five crore people are being benefitted from such initiative and all credit goes to the Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. Tipu said around middle of this month, the products from the TCB will be given again while the Premier has urged the recipients to preserve the cards of the TCB. Replying to another question, the Commerce Minister urged all to inform him in case of any incident of extortion in the transportation and supply chain of goods. “Necessary action will be taken if there is any incident of extortion. A meeting will be held with the Home Minister soon following the allegation of extortion raised by the business community.” Citing that the price of fruits hasi ncreased to some extent centering the Holy Month of Ramadan, the Commerce Minister said that they would beef up their vigilance so that none could increase the price in illegal way. Commerce Ministry Senior Secretary Tapan Kanti Ghosh and Director General of the National Consumer Rights Protection Directorate AHM Shafiquzzaman were present, among others, on the occasion.

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Petrobangla gets Tk 4000cr as subsidy to import LNG in 2021-22 fiscal

Senior Reporter / Thelegalvoice24 : DHAKA, State Minister for Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Nasrul Hamid today said that Taka 4,000 crore has been given to Petrobangla as subsidy for the import of Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) in the fiscal 2021-22. The minister said this while replying to a tabled question by lawmaker M Abdul Latif in the House. He added that the demand for LNG imports in the current financial year amounted to Taka 23 thousand 367 crore and 48 lakh. Replying to another question from lawmaker Shameem Haider Patwary, the state minister said the total installed power generation capacity in the country at present is 25,514 megawatts (MW) including captive and off-grid renewable energy. Currently, the demand for electricity has increased to an average of 13 to 13.5 thousand MWs per day, he said, adding that the electricity is being generated as per the demand of the country.

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Bangladesh raises LPG prices for third month

Staff Correspondent / Thelegalvoice24 : Authorities have raised the prices of liquefied petroleum gas or LPG for the third month, citing a soaring cost on the international market. For the month of April, the Bangladesh Energy Regulatory Commission or BERC raised LPG prices by 3.5 percent to Tk 119.94 per kilogram. The prices of 12 kg cylinder, mostly used for cooking, have been revised to Tk 1,439 this month from Tk 1,391 in March. The 12.5 kg cylinder now costs Tk 1,499, hiked from Tk 1,449. The reticulated LPG has been priced at Tk 116.7 per kg including VAT, while Autogas or LPG used in vehicles now costs Tk 67.02 per litre at the consumer level. On Sunday, BERC in its monthly announcement said the new LPG prices were based on the prices of propane at $940 per tonne and butane at $960 per tonne, set by Saudi Aramco. Following price hikes for five consecutive months leading up to December, LPG prices dropped 4 percent per kg in January. The prices began climbing again in February.

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My new pandemic book is coming soon

International Desk / Thelegalvoice24 : I believe that COVID-19 can be the last pandemic. I know that might be hard to believe while we’re still trying to get COVID under control. The last two years have caused unbelievable amounts of hardship around the world, and it’s not easy to feel optimistic when you’ve endured the misery that so many people have experienced. But whenever I see the suffering that COVID has created–every time I read about the latest death toll or hear about someone who lost their job or drive by a school that is closed—I can’t help but think: We don’t have to do this again. This is something I’ve been thinking about for a long time, and COVID has only made it clearer that the world needs to prioritize eliminating pandemics as a threat to humanity. I’ve been following COVID since the early days of the outbreak, working with experts from inside and out of the Gates Foundation who are championing a more equitable response and have been fighting infectious diseases for decades. I’ve learned a lot in the process—both about this pandemic and how we stop the next one—and I want to share what I’ve heard with people. So, I started writing a book about how we can make sure that no one suffers through a pandemic ever again. The book is called How to Prevent the Next Pandemic. You can read it on May 3, 2022, and it’s being published by Knopf in the U.S. and Penguin Random House internationally. In the book, I lay out the specific steps we can take to not only stop future pandemics but, in the process, provide better health care for everyone around the world. I outline the lessons we can learn from this pandemic, the innovations we need to save lives, and the new tools we need to stop pathogens early and equitably. I also tell you about my regular conversations with public health leaders like Anthony Fauci and Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, my view of the vaccines that are stemming the tide, and what it’s been like to become the subject of conspiracy theories. The goal of no more pandemics ever is ambitious, but the progress we’ve made over the last two years—including the huge leaps forward we’ve made with vaccines and the knowledge we’ve gained about respiratory illnesses—has already set us on a path to success. The world now understands how seriously we should take pandemics, and momentum is on our side. No one needs to be convinced that an infectious disease could kill millions of people or shut down the global economy. If we make the right choices and investments, we can make COVID-19 the last pandemic.

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PM asks govt officials to ensure services for people

Senior Reporter / Thelegalvoice24 : DHAKA, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina today asked the government officials to ensure services for the people, saying Bangladesh became independent to change their fate. “You (officials) should always keep in mind that people are never deprived of getting services because the independence of the country has been attained for changing their destiny,” she said. The premier said this while addressing the certificate distribution and closing ceremony of 121, 122 and 123 law and administration courses at BCS Administration Academy in the city’s Shahbag area. She joined the function virtually from her official residence Ganabhaban here. Sheikh Hasina directed the young officials of administration to always think about the people and know the area and livelihood of the people of the locality where they are posted for discharging duties. “You (administration officials) have the highest opportunity to do the welfare of the people,” she said. She also said the young officials of administration would get the opportunity to work in a realistic manner whenever they are posted in higher positions in future through the work experience in the field level. The prime minister said that, “You will be the key to implementing Vision-2041 adopted by the government to turn Bangladesh into a developed country.” With State Minister for Public Administration Farhad Hossain in the chair, BCS Administration Academy Rector Mominur Rashid Amin delivered the welcome address. Chairman of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on the Ministry of Public Administration H N Ashequr Rahman and Senior Secretary of Public Administration Ministry KM Ali Azam also spoke. An audio-visual documentary on BCS Administration Academy was screened. On behalf of the prime minister, Farhad Hossain handed over the rector award, crests and certificates among the top positions recipients. A total of 99 participants took part in the 121, 122 and 123 courses. Three rector award recipients – Md Navid Rezwanul Kabir, Md Rakibul Hasan and Rezwana Afrin from 121, 122 and 123 courses respectively expressed their feelings. Besides, Mahua Afroze and Alauddin of 121, Sabrina Sharmin and Suma Khatun of 122 and Kazi Md Anik Islam and Mehedi Hasan of 123 course secured second and third positions respectively. The prime minister said that the trained and skilled civil service is one of the most associate tools to implement the commitment of her government. “What we make commitments, the administration implements it,” she said, adding that, “We want you to pull the country ahead with your knowledge, merit and innovative skills, and serve the people.” Referring to the second revolution taken by Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the prime minister said if he could implement the activities of the second revolution, Bangladesh would have been established as a developed country in ten years. But, Bangabandhu was not given this scope as he with most of his family members were assassinated brutally in 1975, she said. She added, “After the killing of Bangabandhu on August 15, people of the country remained deprived and exploited.” Mentioning that Bangabandhu gave directive to the public servants to always serve people, she said, “As a government official, I think that you should work to build the country with the spirit of War of Liberation, non-communal and developed Bangladesh”. She said she wants the country to move forward. After 21 years, she said Awami League assumed power in 1996 and in the five years, they increased the salary and facilities of government officials as well as continued endeavours to ensure the overall development and welfare of the countrymen. Sheikh Hasina said the Father of the Nation had started rehabilitation of landless and homeless people, but it was not implemented after his assassination. Following his footsteps, she said now her government has taken initiative to make sure that no people in the country will remain homeless and address-less. In this connection, she referred to the Ashrayan-2 project which has been implemented since Awami League assumed power in the second term, as in the first tenure in 1996 they implemented Ashrayan-1 project. She also extended her gratitude to the field level administration for successfully implementing the Ashrayan project.

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