beautiful BANGLADESH from inside and outside

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Dhaka Metrorail will Modern as Bangkok | Thai Ambassador

2022-04-23T14:31:00.004+06:00

The Dhaka Metrorail (MRT Line-6) will be as modern as the Bangkok Metrorail, said Thai Ambassador in Bangladesh Mr. Makawadi Sumitmore, praising the progress of the Dhaka Metrorail 21 April, 2022.

After inspecting the site of the Metrorail project in Uttara, he told to the newspapers, "The quality and facilities of Dhaka Metrorail will be in line with our (Thailand's) standards."

The Ambassador visited the site as part of the commemoration of the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Thailand and Bangladesh.

A leading Thai construction company, Italian-Thai Development Company PLC (ITD), is building a large section of Bangladesh's first metro rail (MRT Line-6).

Sumitmore said Thailand is involved in many economic cooperation efforts with Bangladesh and Dhaka Metrorail is one of the major projects. "Metrorail is an effective tool for improving the quality of life of the citizens and I am fascinated by the quality of work," he said.

The Ambassador hoped that the Metrorail project would help the people of the country to know more about Thailand's involvement and contribution in the development of Bangladesh. During the inspection, project manager Virat Kant explained the progress of the construction work.

Metrorail from Uttara to Agargaon is scheduled to open to the public by the end of this year and to Motijheel by December next year.

MRT Line 6 of Dhaka Mass Rapid Transit Development Project (MRT) is the country's first metro rail line from Uttara to Motijheel, 19.83 km long. It is divided into 8 contracts from CP-01 to CP-08.

According to the plan, MRT line 6 will be extended by 1.17 km to connect with MRT line-1 at Kamalapur railway station. ITD was awarded CP-03 and CP-04 in 2017 at a cost of BDT 37 billion. This includes construction of 9 elevated stations and viaduct from Uttara to Agargaon.

In addition, ITD has entered into a joint venture with foreign partners to work on other parts of the metro rail such as construction of warehouses and depots in Uttara North, construction of 4 elevated stations from Kawran bazar to Motijheel, construction of viaduct.

Project officials said ITD has created a total of about 6,000 jobs since construction began. ITD is involved in a number of infrastructure projects in Thailand and abroad, including the expansion of Suvarnabhumi Airport, Rupsha Bridge in Khulna, an integrated passenger terminal at Calcutta International Airport, and part of the National Highway Route NH-31C in West Bengal.

ITD has also assisted in the renovation of classrooms in Mariali Government Primary School. It is one of the two schools in Bangladesh participating in the Child and Youth Development Project under the auspices of Thai Princess Maha Chakri Sirindharna.

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Payra Power Plant Inauguration | Hundred Percent Electrification

2022-03-23T13:53:00.012+06:00

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has announced 100 percent electrification of the country. Shee made the announcement at a rally at Monday, 21^st March, 2022. Earlier, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina inaugurated the country's largest Payra power plant at Kalapara in Patuakhali. She inaugurated the “Payra 1320 mw thermal power plant” at 11:48 on Monday.

The Prime Minister reached the Payra power plant area at 10:42 am to inaugurate the Payra Thermal Power Station. Later at 11:15 am, Sheikh Hasina waved the flag and greeted 200 boats on the Rabnabad River adjacent to the jetty of Payra Thermal Power Plant. At this time, the diversity of life of the people of the coast is highlighted through this boat exhibition.

The Rabnabad river area was abuzz with various banners, festoons and slogans including song distribution on the boat. At that time, the Prime Minister waved his hand and greeted the fishermen in the boat. The Prime Minister was also seen capturing scenes of the boat show from his mobile. In the morning the boats were lined up at the mouth of the Rabnabad river. Of these, 100 boats were sailing, 100 boats had banner festoons with pictures of the Prime Minister and the remaining 20 boats had security personnel. A total of 880 fishermen in 4 different colors in each boat welcomed the Prime Minister.

Later, the Prime Minister participated in a cordial meeting organized at the Payra power plant. From this auspicious gathering, the Prime Minister announced 100% electrification in the whole country. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has said that the country is on the highway of development today as the democratic trend has continued in the country for the last 13 years. The government has succeeded in providing electricity to every household in the country.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina inaugurated the country's largest Payra 1320 mw thermal power plant at Kalapara in Patuakhali.

The Payra 1320 MW Thermal Power Plant is a 1,320 megawatt coal-fired power station built in Kalapara Upazila of Patuakhali District in southern Bangladesh. The Payra area in Patuakhali is going to be a major economic hub with a sea port, a special economic zone, an airport and the country's biggest coal-fired power plant that officially launched.

Source: BD-Pratidin

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BSMMU Super Specialized Hospital Awaiting Inauguration

2022-02-17T20:48:00.003+06:00

New and most modern feathers are being added to the healthcare system of the country. Multi Disciplinary and Super Specialized Hospital is going to start the journey in Bangladesh soon. All kinds of health services will be available in this new super specialized hospital. The construction work of this hospital established on 12 bighas of land in Shahbagh of the capital city Dhaka under BSMMU, the work of purchasing required medical and hospital equipments has been completed.

This Super Specialized Hospital is scheduled to be inaugurated next June after completing the rest work. Renowned Surgeon, Professor of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University (BSMMU), Project Director. Md. Zulfiqar Rahman told a Newspaper that in his 40 years of working life, he has worked in various hospitals across the country as well as in famous hospitals in UK and Singapore. He said that in our country, patients have to go to different places depending on the disease. To alleviate this suffering, the dream was to build a world class hospital with all services. With the tireless efforts of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, this hospital will bring a tide of change in the health sector of the country.

Hospital management is being developed by fully digitalizing it. All patient information will be stored through the Hospital Information Center (HIS). All types of healthcare services will be provided through five different centers in this hospital. Patients will get all the services under one roof. He also said that 140 people including doctors, nurses and health workers will be trained in Korea on services and management in the hospital. Training of 50 people is going on, another batch will go to Korea next in April.

The hospital will be modeled on the National University Hospital of the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Singapore. Joint Commission International (JCI) accreditation must be ensured to maintain the quality of services in the hospital. With this, the approval of the National Accreditation Board for Hospitals and Health Care (NABH) has to be introduced. The construction work of the hospital is completely finished.

A consignment of equipments has arrived at Chittagong port. All the work including the fitting of these equipments will be completed by the month of May. The hospital will be inaugurated in June and the admission of patients will start. With its launch, BSMMU's education, medical and research activities will be more dynamic and improved.

The initiative of this super specialized hospital was taken in 2012 on 3.8 acres (about 12 bighas) of land on the north side of BSMMU. The project was approved by the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) on February 2, 2016 at a cost of Tk 1,366 crore. On September 13, 2018, the Prime Minister laid the foundation stone of the project. A loan of Tk 1,047 crore has been received from the South Korean government for the construction of the hospital. Hyundai Corporation Korea is completing the construction work.

The hospital was designed by SUNJIN Engineering & Architecture Co. Ltd, Korea. The multi-disciplinary and super specialized hospital with 12 floors and three basements will have 750 beds. Around 7,000 patients will get service from its outdoor department every day. It has 100 ICU beds and emergency beds. Five different centers include Emergency Medicine, Maternal and Child Health Center, Cardiovascular Center, Hepatobiliary and Gastroenterology Center and Kidney Disease Center.

There will be twelve state-of-the-art operating theaters, where high quality surgeries, including various organ transplants, will be performed. The hospital project is arranged on these two bases: Hospital construction and Advanced training. Professor Dr. Md. Zulfiqar Rahman Khan said that there are 73 cabins in this specialized hospital. Of these, 6 will be for VVIP’s, 21 for VIP’s and the rest will be deluxe cabins.

The hospital will also have ward, surgical intensive care, medical intensive care, coronary care unit, neonatal intensive care unit and pediatric intensive care unit. The patient does not have to go anywhere else to get services in this specialized hospital. Inside the hospital there will be banking facilities, pharmacy, four cafeterias. There will be 16 elevators and an escalator, fire management, heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems. Activities will be controlled digitally from the central control room through CCTV cameras.

This hospital will open a new horizon in Bangladesh’s medical sector. Not only the rich people, the lower and middle class families of the country will get a greater scope to receive special treatment here.

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A New Mymensingh City Beside Brahmaputra River

2022-01-26T13:09:00.005+06:00

For more than two decades, the Brahmaputra River has been the lifeblood of Mymensingh. The river that made waves after waves is now silent. There are dead canal somewhere. Experts have come to think about the turbulent state of the turbulent river. But all the plans flew in the sky like a fairy of imagination, did not even show the desire to touch the ground.

However, due to the will of the Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, neglect of the River has end. The river caught her eye. And now the oldest Mymensingh is changing around this river. After the declaration of Mymensingh as a division on 13 October 2015, various master plans were taken around the Brahmaputra River. The initiative was taken at the divisional headquarters on the other side of the river. When the municipality was transformed into a city corporation in October 2018, some new wards of the Char area were also included.

Today's Mymensingh is being built along the banks of the Brahmaputra, which runs through the heart of the city. An extended part of the city will be built on the other side. The people of Mymensingh will see a beautiful new city with latest facilities. The combination of old and new will unite this Mymensingh city with three bridges.

In a meeting of the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) in last year approved the construction of a bridge at a cost of about Tk 3,500 crore, which will be built in the Kewatkhali area of the city. The 1,100-meter arched four-lane bridge will be modeled on Australia's Sydney Harbor Bridge, the first in the country's history. When the construction of the bridge is completed in June 2025, the communication facilities of Mymensingh with Netrokona, Sherpur and Kishoreganj districts will increase. Besides, trade between Nakugaon and Haluaghat land ports with the capital Dhaka will increase. There are also plans to build two more bridges through Ghagdahar and Kacharighat-adjacent Zero Point areas.

On the other hand, the Ministry of Public Administration has given administrative approval to set up the much awaited divisional headquarters on 945.219 acres of land on the other side of the river. The Divisional Land Commissioner hoped that the DPP and TAPP of the headquarters would be finalized and sent to the project ministry in the shortest possible time.

The Divisional Commissioner said that Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has directed for proper compensation and dignified rehabilitation of the people of the acquired area. The present government has issued a notification to triple the value of the acquired land. So the victims will get a lot of land. 25 acres of land has been set aside for the affected people in the acquired area. They will be rehabilitated there. The rehabilitation process will start first.

Earlier, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina had given various instructions in a meeting at her office on September 17, 2016 to set up the Mymensingh divisional headquarters. Mymensingh is the twelfth city corporation of the country. From 21.73 sq km, the city is now 90.17 sq km. In 2020, the ECNEC was sanctioned Tk 1,575 crore to make this city a modern city. The newly expanded 68.44 sq km area has not seen any development. The City Corporation is spending the money on overall development including road development, expansion of drainage system, over bridges, footpaths etc.

With a population of over eight lakhs, this city is slowly being transformed into the smart city, which is now very much visible. Gauripur and Ishwarganj upazilas situated on the other side of the Brahmaputra River. The district administration has proposed to make an economic zone within Mymensingh city and those two upazilas. This was stated by Aminul Haque Shamim, President, Mymensingh Chamber of Commerce and Industry. He said there are plans to set up economic zones on 500 acres of land. If it is implemented, timely decision will be taken.

Mentioning the reason for this, he said that excavation work has been started to restore the navigability of the river. 30 percent of the work has been completed. With the return of full navigability, the communication of goods in the designated economic zone with the port will be easier as well as financially viable. Employment will be directly to two lakh people.

However, towards the end of 2011, there was a touch of development in Mymensingh. The four-lane road from Joydebpur crossroads in Gazipur to Mymensingh in an 88 km stretch changed the landscape of Mymensingh. The highway is about 63 feet wide. The width is even greater next to markets and business centers. The road was officially inaugurated in July 2016 at a cost of BDT 1,800 crore. And with the help of such communication system, Bhaluka and Trishal are now upazilas of heavy industrial area.

Soon the Mymensingh will be one of the most beautiful cities in the country.

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European Standard Mahalchhari – Sindukchhari - Jalliapara Road

2022-01-09T12:26:00.005+06:00

Last year, The Engineering Corps of the Bangladesh Army has constructed a new 15.5 km long hill road from Guimara in Khagrachhari to Mahalchhari. Using this road, people of Rangamati, Khagrachhari and Bandarban districts will now be able to move fast across the country including Dhaka without entering Chittagong city. This will save three hours for the people of Rangamati to reach Dhaka. The path will be reduced to 68 kilometers. Mahalchhari-Sindukchhari-Jalliapara of the Ministry of Road Transport and Bridges

The road was constructed by 20 Engineer Construction Battalion under the supervision of 34 Engineers Construction Brigade of Bangladesh Army. The construction work started in February 2019 and will be completed by December 2021, but it was completed in June 2021. As a result, although not officially inaugurated, the road has been opened to public traffic.

The main carpeting road is 18 feet wide. Outside, the hard solder (brick road on both sides) is about 11 feet. The road has 24 km side drain, 28 m culvert, 410 m gravity wall, 630 m retaining wall and 800 m parasiding.

Mahalchhari-Sindukchhari-Jalliapara road construction project director and 20 ECB captain Lt. Colonel Md. Amjad Hossain Didar said that the time and distance of inter-regional communication between Khagrachhari and Rangamati region will be greatly reduced through this road. The transportation and marketing of goods produced in the hilly areas will be much faster and will contribute to the expansion of the tourism industry. He said that at every stage of the construction project, emphasis is laid on carrying out development work without cutting down the hills and without harming the environment. The road will also be helpful in working on regional and internal security issues.

Major SM Khaledul Islam, project officer of the Mahalchhari-Sindukchhari-Jalliapara road construction project, said advanced engineering and technology have been utilized at every stage of the road construction. Advanced construction materials have been used. The people of the area will get the benefits.

The new road has gone through the green hills. Green vegetables planted on zoom farms on both sides and farms are growing. Many local Bengalis and hill families went out to walk on the road. A young man named Chapal Chakma said that there is a road to Khagrachhari through Mahalchhari. That is very inaccessible. The people of the area are very happy because of the new road.

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Steel Industries in Bangladesh Exporting Billet

2021-12-08T19:14:00.002+06:00

Billet is the middle raw material in rod production. This billet is heated and molded to make iron bars (rods). Even five years ago, this important raw material for making steel and iron products was dependent on imports. However, with the initiative of private sector entrepreneurs, that situation has now completely changed.

However, the policy of raising tariffs on imports, including coming out of the power crisis, has played a big role in this sector. The demand for billets was around 4 million tons a year even five years ago. At that time the amount of import was about 18 lac tons. Apart from this, the demand of about 21-22 lac tons was met by collecting billets and ship-breaking iron plates made in the country. But by increasing the production capacity locally in last five years, the entrepreneurs have completely changed that situation.

Although the annual demand is increasing now, almost all of it is being made in the country. Besides, billets have now started to be exported. Instead of intermediate raw material billets, now the raw material for making billets is old iron pieces. At one time billets were made only in Chittagong Steel Mills in Bangladesh. Apart from billets, ingots and corrugated sheets were also produced in this government factory.

Before the government closed the Chittagong Steel Mills, the BSRM group took the first initiative to set up a billet factory in the country in 1996. At present, BSRM, Abul Khair Group, GPH Ispat and KSRM are producing more than 90 per cent of the billet capacity in the country. China is the world's leading steel producer. The lion's share of billet imports to Bangladesh also came from China. And for the first time in that country, GPH Steel has shown the achievement of exporting billets from Bangladesh. GPH Group, currently the most enterprising billet exporter, has already exported one lac tons to China in four ships. Talks are now underway on billet exports to Dubai. Billets will be exported to the country only if they can ensure the price as per the demand.

Earlier, the company's first billet export started in 2009 in Sri Lanka. GPH Steel is producing billets using the latest technology of electric arc furnace 'Quantum EAAF' at the world's most advanced technology steel factory on the Dhaka-Chittagong highway in Kumira area of Sitakunda, Chittagong. In rod or billet production it is much more environmentally friendly and electricity-gas efficient than any other consideration. GPH Steel has taken steps to increase the annual billet production capacity to 1 million tons by combining new and old factories.

Even a few years ago, the rod factories did not have the capacity to make billets as per the demand. But now the picture is different. At the import stage, GPH are producing billets by melting old iron by setting up factories with new investment in a positive step of the customs-tax government policy. They are also exporting that billet.

The most important thing in this case is to ensure quality. They have a plan to increase exports to a large scale soon if there is government policy support including global branding while maintaining quality standards. By ensuring quality, it is possible to bring export success not only to China, but to any country in the world. The mission of the Prime Minister's Vision 2041 is being given good importance in our action plan.

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Steel and Iron Industry of Bangladesh

Steel and Iron Industry of Bangladesh

2021-11-28T14:15:00.007+06:00

The steel sector is a highest investment sector in the world. The development of a country is considered by calculating the per capita steel consumption of that country. At present, the average per capita steel consumption in Bangladesh is 45 kg. In view of the growing economy, especially the infrastructural development of the government, it is expected that the demand will increase to more than 70 kg in the next two years. The iron industry has been growing in the country since 1990. In the nineties, entrepreneurs came forward to invest in the sector one by one. Then the raw material of the rod became easily available for the old iron of breaking ship. Although the initial three decades have been in the traditional way, the country's steel sector is growing by relying on private sector investment, diversifying products and transforming into production.

Top entrepreneurs of the country say that the production capacity is being increased in advance keeping in mind the future demand of steels inside Bangladesh. One by one new and high-powered specialized rods are being added to the list of products. For this, of course, industries have to face new challenges. Due to the COVID-19 epidemic, the factories have been closed for a long time and huge losses have been incurred. Entrepreneurs are worried about paying their employees and even keeping the business running. Even though the factories have been reopened, they have recently suffered the most due to the scarcity of melting scrap in the world market. However, after the disaster, the country's heavy industrial sector has now started to turn around.

According to the Steel Manufacturers Association and Entrepreneurs, even 10 years ago, the combined production of MS rods in the country was 2.5 million tons per year. At present, the average annual production and marketing is about 6 million tons according to the demand. However, the combined production capacity of steel (rod) has now been increased to 9 million tonnes due to factory expansion measures of several companies including GPH. The pace at which the capacity of the factory is being expanded will increase to 10 million MT in the next two years. And then the production of MS rod will release an average of 7 million tons per year. The total investment of entrepreneurs in this sector is about BDT 50 thousand crore. At present about three lac people are directly and indirectly involved. The main reason for the growth of the steel industry in the last few years is the implementation of mega projects in the public sector, development of economic zones, power plants, construction of houses in the villages. In this context, the entrepreneurs focus on increasing production by expanding modern technology and factories.

BSRM:

Speaking of the country's steel sector, the name BSRM comes first. The East Bengal Steel Re-rolling Mills, established in the Nasirabad industrial area of Chittagong in 1952, was renamed Bangladesh Steel Rolling Mills or BSRM after independence. The first generation of the company was started by Akbar Ali Afrikawala. Later the current chairman of the group, Mr. Ali hossain son of founder Akbar Ali Afrikawala has been leading the company for almost 40 years. Changes in the quality of steel, including the manufacture of high-strength rods, have come about through his hands. There is no big or important project in the country where BSRM rods are not being used. The eight factories of BSRM Group now have an annual rod production capacity of 1.6 million tonnes and billet production capacity of 1.8 million tonnes. However, BSRM is moving ahead with the aim of increasing the combined production capacity to 4 million tonnes in both the cases. The company, which started about 68 years ago, is expanding its business using only its skills and experience in the steel sector. In 1983, BSRM started making quality products by bringing automatic machines from United Kingdom. The following year brought a variety of products to the sector with high-strength ‘cold-twist steel rods’. Then in 1987 BSRM took the first step to produce high quality 60 grade rods of international standard. Later, the Extreme 500W was launched in 2008. These 500W rods have more power than 60 grades. Marketing of the 80-grade BSRM Maxima began in 2015 for the construction of high-rise installations, nuclear power plants, tunnels and major bridges. BSRM is also preparing special rods of salinity corrosion for earthquake prone areas and coastal areas. BSRM is now setting up factories in Kenya and expanding business in Hong Kong.

AKS:

Another major giant in the steel sector is the Chittagong-based Abul Khair Group. Although flat steel was introduced in 1993 through corrugated steel production, rod production started in 2009. The company is marketing the rod under the AKS brand name. In the steel market, the production of steel in the first electric arc furnace in the country started with their hands. Abul Khair Group's steel plant has a rod production capacity of 1.4 million tons per year. Considering the market share, Abul Khair Group has established itself as a strong competitor of BSRM with long experience. The first TMT (Thermo Mechanically Treated) bar or rod in the country they bring to market. The company has also established a strong position in making billets. Abul Khair's group is self-sufficient in making about 1.2 million tons of billets.

KSRM:

Chittagong-based KSRM (Kabir Steel Re-Rolling Mill), the third largest steel market in the country, has been producing steel rods since 1984. Mohammad Shahjahan is the main entrepreneur of KSRM. The company initially had a production capacity of 150,000 tonnes with a semi-re-rolling mill. Europe's Pomini technology has later increased the production capacity of its own factory rods to eight million tons. The company is also working to increase the production of raw material billets between rods from six lakh to eight lakh tonnes. KSRM Factory is a 'Composite Steel Factory'. Such factories are producing rods of international standard by maintaining quality at every step from primary raw material (scrap) to rod production. At present, KSRM produces 55 lac cyclic load tolerant rods at 369 mega fingles. The company is also in the forefront of importing old ships to ensure the supply of raw materials for steel.

GPH Ispat:

GPH Steel has brought modern technology electric arc furnace through big investment in steel sector. The use of this technology produces the highest paid rods in a short time. Although the level of pollution depends on the type of industry, the quality of the infrastructure, the technology used and the management skills, the amount of damage is very small in the quantum arc furnace technology of GPH steel. GPH Ispat Limited's new factory is also ahead in efficient use of water. The world's most advanced technology has been used to treat wastewater here. In this system there is no chance of any waste or contaminated water going out. Rather it is conducive to the natural environment by purifying and reusing all waste water. Production is now underway at a new factory at Kumira in Sitakunda, Chittagong, at a cost of about Tk 2,500 crore. The company started steel production in 2008 at an auto factory in Sitakunda. However, the construction of the new factory started in February 2017 as its position in the local market continued to be strong. If fully operational, the company's annual rod production capacity, including new and old factories, will stand at about 1 million tons. Besides, the old GPH factory has an annual billet production capacity of 1 lac 68 thousand tons but the expanded new factory will produce 8 lac 40 thousand tons of billets. The new factory will have 500 W TMT bar and rods of different grades as well as various materials for construction of pre-fabricated buildings including sections, angles, channels, H beams, I beams. GPH products have been exported to several Indian states, including Sri Lanka and China. Last year, GPH Steel also had the credit of exporting billets from Bangladesh to the Chinese market for the first time.

Anwar Ispat:

Anwar Group is expanding the factory step by step by calculating the domestic demand of the steel sector. Khaled Iron and Steel Mills Limited was renamed as Anwar Ispat Limited in 2000. The company currently has a production capacity of 300,000 tons per year. Besides, billet production capacity is more than 1 lac 90 thousand tons. The company is working with the goal of increasing the existing capacity.

Manohar Hossain, current president of the Bangladesh Steel Manufacturers Association (BSMA) and managing director of Anwar Group, said, ‘Steel is a high-cost industrial sector. Where sales are more visible but profits are lower. The country is producing world class steel suitable for use in any important installation. Large projects require a lot of steel products. This growth of steel products will continue for the next 10 years. There is now more production capacity than demand. The combined production capacity of local entrepreneurs has now exceeded 5.5 million tonnes per annum. Entrepreneurs are working to increase the efficiency of using energy, chemicals and water in setting up or expanding factories. Entrepreneurs have to calculate additional compensation from waiting for the ship at normal time. This is having an impact on the economy by increasing costs. The country's steel sector will return to the desired growth after overcoming the slowdown in the steel market due to the corona.

Rahim Steel:

A subsidiary of Rahim Group in the steel sector, started its journey in 1968. By setting up a re-rolling mill, 40 grade rods were made in its factory from the beginning. However, being able to ensure quality to the customer increased the demand and at the same time the second factory was built in 1976. At present Rahim Steel is producing various types of steel products including 500 TMT bar, hot rolled plate, billet, shaft round bar. They are also demanding to market earthquake resistant rods in the country first.

Mostafa Hakim Group:

Mostafa Hakim Group has built expertise in the production and marketing of steel products for four decades. The group's two affiliates Golden Steel Limited and HM Steel and Industry have also recently expanded their business in the steel market. Golden Steel Limited's steel production capacity was 2.5 lac tons per annum. However, from this year, the production capacity has been increased to seven lac tons per annum through HM Steel, another subsidiary of Mostafa Hakim Group. The company is providing quality rods for the construction of economic zones including ongoing mega projects.

Bayazid Steel:

Bayazid Steel traveled to Nasirabad in Chittagong in 1986 holding the hand of entrepreneur Abu Bakar Chowdhury. Belgium's Temco technology was used in the factory in 2010 to produce rods. At present the production capacity is about one lac tons per year. The company has a rod making factory as well as a billet factory.

BSI:

The Bandar Steel Industries (BSI) factory at Madanpur in Narayanganj was established in 2002. Together with the automated re-rolling they make billet and BSI brand rods. Their products are fatigue tested from the United States. Seema Steel started in 1991 with the shipwreck. Boundary automatic re-rolling mills have been producing steel rods since 2003. The company's factory at Sitakunda has an annual production capacity of 60,000 tons.

Among the leading companies in steel production are RSRM Steel, Magnum Steel Industries, SSRM. Apart from this, there are many small and traditional factories in the steel sector. Expert said that the steel is the biggest sector among construction materials. The market size of Steel sector of Bangladesh will be around 50 thousand crore BDT. Numerous big projects are being implemented in the public sector. It will increase continuously for the next 10 years i.e. till 2030. There is no substitute for using the latest technology to ensure the highest quality in steel products. That's why companies have come forward to use the latest technology, even if the investment is high. Iron ore, coal, limestone and small quantities of old iron are used as raw materials in basic factories. Bangladesh will at some stage move towards the basic steel industry, that is the expectation.

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Bangladesh Close to Full Electricity Coverage

2021-11-10T12:10:00.000+06:00

At present 461 upazilas of the country are now under 100% electricity. State Minister for Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Nasrul Hamid said 461 upazilas of the country have been fully electrified. Speaker Shirin Sharmin Chowdhury presided over the question and answer session in the National Parliament.

Replying to a question by Mamata Hena Lovely, the state minister said it has been possible to bring more than 99.5 per cent people of the country under 100 per cent electrification. With the exception of some remote off-grid areas in the Chittagong Hill Tracts, a roadmap has been formulated to ensure 100% electrification activities irrespective of grid-off-grid in Mujib Year and it is being implemented through intensive supervision.

Replying to another question from ruling party MP Kazim Uddin Ahmed, the state minister said 56.42 per cent of the country's electricity generated in the 2020-21 fiscal year was used in the residential sector, 10.58 per cent in the commercial sector and 28.40 per cent in the industrial sector.

The state minister for power said the use of electricity in the residential sector has increased due to the ongoing 100 per cent electrification activities. If the various activities of the government and the economic zones are introduced in phases, the use of electricity in the industrial sector will also increase in phases.

Replying to a question by government party member Nurnabi Chowdhury, the state minister said the power generation capacity target for 2021 was set at 24,000 MW considering the development of the power sector and the growing demand for electricity in the future. In the last 12 years, the target has been achieved by increasing the capacity to 25,235 MW including captive and renewable energy.

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RAJUK Purbachal New Town design Approval

2021-10-18T19:55:00.001+06:00

More than 95 percent of the 25,000 residential plots allotted in the Purbachal New Town project have been handed over. Already more than Two thousand plan and designs have been submitted to the selection committee awaiting approval. In the meantime, more than two hundred designs have been approved. Due to the COVID-19 situation the overall progress is little bit slowly. Approval will start from next month.

ABM Amin Ullah Noori, chairman of RAJUK, said the development work was nearing completion. Work is also underway to build some houses. A few bridges and roads will be completed in December this year. Construction of all lakes and bridges will be completed by next year. A 320 km pipeline network, 15 deep tube wells, an administrative building and a workshop will be constructed under the project to supply 340 million liters of water daily in the Purbachal New Town project area.

The project will ensure water supply to sectors number 1 to 5 in the Purbachal New Town project area by June 2022 and to all sectors in next phases by June 2025.

According to RAJUK's planning department, Sector 19 was designated as a CBD (Business and Commercial Zone) area. About 100 acres of land in this sector has been allotted to the Consortium of Power Pack Holdings Limited and Kazima Corporation. The company will build three iconic towers in Purbachal.

The number of universities has been increased from three to more in the last phase of the amendment. The number of hospitals and clinics has been increased from 27 to 44, the number of research and educational institutes from 5 to 21, the number of secondary schools and colleges from 6 to 28. However, the number of nursery and primary schools has decreased.

After the project was approved, RAJUK revised its design in 2004, 2005, 2009 and 2013. After that, the court had given prior permission to make any further changes in the design. Later in 2017, RAJUK took initiative to revise the design.

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COVID-19 Recovery Index | Bangladesh is Top in South Asia

2021-10-08T15:56:00.001+06:00

The whole world is devastated by the deadly COVID-19 Corona virus. Rich nations like America, Russia, Germany, Britain also lost their way due to this epidemic. However, Bangladesh has risen to the top of the South Asian Coronavirus epidemic recovery. Bangladesh is at the top of the South Asian countries in Japan's Nikkei Kovid-19 recovery index.

At the end of each month, Japan's leading English daily Nikki Asia Global publishes this corona index based on infection control management, vaccination programs and social movements. The index is based on a score of 0 to 90 based on four criteria.

According to the Nikkei index released on 6 October 2021, Bangladesh has improved 48 steps compared to the previous index. Nikkei compiled the index after reviewing the corona virus situation in 121 countries and regions around the world. Bangladesh is currently ranked 26th out of 121 countries in the world.

According to the index, Bangladesh is at the top among the six countries in South Asia with 60 out of 90 scores. Pakistan is second only to Bangladesh in this region. The country got a score of 58.5 against. Pakistan ranks 33rd globally.

On the other hand, India is one of the third largest economies in South Asia. India ranks 40th in the world. Nepal is 44th and Sri Lanka is 61st. At the bottom of the region is Afghanistan; The country ranks 97th in the world.

Bangladesh was ranked 74th in Nikkei Asia's previous index. The Japanese index said that the higher the position of the countries considering the lower rate of infection and the higher rate of vaccination and the relaxed social distance rules, the better their position in recovery from COVID-19.

Malta is at the top of this index with the highest score of 73. It is followed by Chile in second place (72 points), Bahrain in third place (72 points), United Arab Emirates in fourth place (71 points) and Saudi Arabia in 5th place with 70.5 places.

Nikkei Asia has been publishing this index of corona virus epidemics since July 2021. Although China has been at the top of the index since then, the country's position has declined by nine steps in September. The Philippines is at the bottom of the index (121st) with a score of 30.5. It is followed by Laos (120th), Gabon (119th), Vietnam (118th) and Barbados and Angola jointly 116th.

Last month, Bangladesh raised five places to 39th out of 53 countries in the US media Bloomberg's Covid Resilience or Covid Tolerance Index. Bangladesh was ranked 44th in this Bloomberg index last August.

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Mega Projects in Sylhet | Ongoing Development

2021-10-06T20:11:00.005+06:00

Development work is going on all over the Sylhet division. Efforts are being made to change Sylhet by implementing some mega projects. Several projects are implementing with the efforts of the local people's representatives to build a better enlightened Sylhet. Some projects have already been completed. Some are under implementation and some are waiting to start. The peoples think that the whole Sylhet division will change if the ongoing and pending projects are implemented.

Mega projects in Sylhet:

Mega projects undertaken for the development of Sylhet region include Sylhet Medical University, Sylhet Cricket Stadium-2 (Divisional Outer Stadium), Expansion and Modernization of Osmani International Airport, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Hitech Park, Sylhet-Dhaka Six Lane Highway, Sylhet-Tamabil Four Lane Highway, Sylhet Marine Academy, Sheikh Russell Textile Engineering College, Sylhet Textile Institute, Digital City Project, Excavation and Bank Conservation of 114 Rivers, Bangabandhu Multipurpose Complex, New BSIC Industrial City, Road and Drain Expansion, Beautification and Modernization projects.

Initiatives were taken to set up new medical universities to enhance the quality of higher education, research and services and to expand and develop existing facilities. Sylhet Medical University was established for this purpose. It is the fourth government medical university in the country. The process of acquiring 83 acres of land in South Surma for a permanent campus has started. Another mega project in the field of education 'Sylhet Marine Academy' has already been implemented. The academy has been set up on a 10-acre land on the banks of the Chenger canal in Badaghat area of Hatkhola union in Sylhet Sadar upazila at a cost of Taka 107 crore. On May 6, 2021, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina inaugurated the academy.

Besides, Sheikh Russell Textile Engineering College and Sylhet Textile Institute are being constructed on 10 acres of land in Tayab Sultan Mouza of Kuchai Union in South Surma for the development of technical education in Sylhet at the initiative of the Ministry of Textiles and Jute. On 1st November, 2018, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina laid the foundation stone of these projects. The cost of the two projects has been estimated at around Tk 210 crore. Of these, Sheikh Russell Textile Engineering College is being built on 5 acres of land at a cost of Tk 110.36 crore and Sylhet Textile Institute is being built on 5 acres of land at a cost of Tk 95.65 crore.

The communication system is going to be the most developed during the tenure of the present government. Development projects have been taken in parallel by road, air, rail and waterways. The Sylhet-Dhaka six lane highway project is finally going to start after overcoming many complications. The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has already approved a loan of over Tk 15,000 crore for the project. The total cost of the project has been estimated at more than Tk 17,000 crore. The project was approved by the ECNEC in February this year. If the highway is upgraded to six lanes, the economy here will change. Industry and tourism will get new momentum.

The Dhaka - Sylhet six lane highway is expected to open new horizons of trade potential with the northeastern states of India. In addition to this highway, the four lane upgrade project of Sylhet - Tamabil highway has already been approved by ECNEC. It will be financed by the Asia Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB). Out of the proposed cost of Tk 3,586 crore, Tk 615.48 crore will be spent from the government's own funds and Tk 2,970.55 crore from AIIB loans. If this highway is upgraded to four lanes, import and export with India through Tamabil land port will increase. At the same time, the tourism sector in Sylhet will also see a huge improvement.

Initiatives have been taken to convert the meter-gauge railway in Sylhet-Akhaura section to dual-gauge with the long efforts of Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen in railway development. If the project is implemented, the rail communication system with Sylhet-Dhaka and Sylhet-Chittagong will be greatly improved. Travel time will also decrease. Mega projects have been taken up for the development of roads and railways as well as waterways. The foreign minister had sent a proposal to the shipping minister to dig 114 numbers of small and big rivers in Sylhet division to increase the use of waterways and control floods. The Ministry of Shipping has taken initiative to rescue, excavate and conserve the river.

Mega project has been taken to upgrade Sylhet Osmani International Airport to a full-fledged international airport. Two projects have been taken for the development of the airport at a cost of Tk 2,568 crore. Of this, the runway is being upgraded at a cost of Tk 452 crore. The work of this project is almost at the last stage. Besides, a full-fledged international terminal with modern facilities is being constructed at a cost of BDT 2,116 crore. New cargo houses have been constructed and scanners have been installed at the airport. The project includes modern ATC towers, taxiways and aprons, modern fire stations, new boarding bridges, baggage handling systems, flight information display systems and other state-of-the-art terminal building related equipment. If the Tk 2,500 crore project is implemented, Osmani Airport will be used as a hub for air communication.

Several big projects have also been taken up in Sylhet to increase industrialization and employment. Among them, 'Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Hi-Tech Park' is being implemented in the colorful area of Companiganj in Sylhet. The construction of ICT Park is progressing fast. Meanwhile, the work of filling up the project, flood control dam, visual bridge, installation of internal roads and lights, construction of electrical substation, project site office, administrative building, ICT Business Center, Sheikh Kamal IT Training Institute is nearing completion. Though construction of 'Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Hi-Tech Park' has started on 175 acres of land, a proposal has already been sent to the ministry to acquire more 85 acres of land as the demand of entrepreneurs and investors is increasing day by day.

Bangladesh Small and Cottage Industries Corporation (BSIC) have taken initiative to set up another new industrial city in Sylhet for the development of small scale industries. It will be the third industrial park in Sylhet. A project has been taken to set up this industrial park on 500 acres of land. BSCIC Sylhet Office said priority would be given to agro-machinery, chemicals, food processing, pharmaceuticals, jute and jute products, leather processing products, handicrafts, plastics and women entrepreneurs in the eco-friendly industrial park. Priority will also be given to light engineering institutes.

Another new government hospital is being built in Sylhet to develop the health sector. Construction of a new 250-bed Sylhet District Hospital at Chauhatta in the metropolis is in full swing. During the tenure of the present government, huge development has been achieved in the stadium of Sylhet. Another new stadium has been built next to the Sylhet International Cricket Stadium at a cost of around BDT 25 crore. Known as Sylhet International Cricket Stadium Ground-2, the stadium was officially inaugurated about six months ago. The ICC had been asked to approve the recognition as an international venue. Built on about 3 acres of land, the stadium has been turned into a full-fledged sports complex.

The economy of Sylhet is the fourth largest in the Peoples Republic of Bangladesh. In recent years, Sylhet is experiencing major infrastructural developments, and projected to be the forefront of Bangladesh's economic growth.

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Admission test date of all Universities in Bangladesh

2021-09-26T15:51:00.002+06:00

Public universities are going to take the admission test for the first year of graduation of the 2020-2021 academic year, which is stuck due to the COVID-19 Corona virus epidemic. The government could not take the higher secondary examination as the educational institutions were closed in March 2020. The results are then published with the student’s auto-pass.

After that, the students did not have to wait for the university admission tests battle as the infection situation deteriorated. After more than a year, the incidence of corona virus has decreased and public universities have announced new schedules for admission tests. In Bangladesh University of Professionals, the admission test has been completed so the admission process has also started from September 20. On Saturday 25-September 2021, the Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Aviation and Aerospace University took the admission test against 60 available seats.

University of Dhaka Admission Circular:

Due to the epidemic, Dhaka University is taking admission test in the departmental cities outside the campus for the first time. Earlier, the test was scheduled to take place between July 31 and August 14, but was delayed due to corona virus. The Admission Test for 2020-21 will start from 1st October in 8 divisional cities:

Unit ‘Ka’ : 1st October, 2021
Unit ‘Kha’ : 2nd October, 2021
Unit ‘Ga’ : 22nd October, 2021
Unit ‘Gha’ : 23rd October, 2021
Unit ‘Cha’ : 9th October, 2021
IBA : 11th October, 2021

For details Admission information please visit (https://admission.eis.du.ac.bd).

Bangladesh University of Engineering - BUET Admission Circular:

Though the admission test of Bangladesh University of Engineering was scheduled to be held on 10th June, it was postponed due to epidemic situation. According to the new schedule:

Pre-selection test will be held on 20th and 21st October 2021. With the selected students in the final exams of Group ‘Ka’ and ‘Kha’ will be held on 6 November 2021.

Further information regarding the Admission Test of BUET can be found at (http://ugadmission.buet.ac.bd/).

Admission test of Combined (Guccho) Engineering Universities (CUET, KUET, RUET):

Though the integrated admission test of Chittagong, Khulna and Rajshahi Universities of Engineering and Technology was scheduled to be held on August 12, it was postponed. New Schedule:

The exams of ‘Ka’ and ‘Kha’ unit will be held on 13th November 2021, In addition to the main exam, the ‘free hand drawing’ exam will also be taken.

Further information on this test can be found on the website (https://admissionckruet.ac.bd/).

Guccho admission test of Agricultural Universities:

A bunch of admission tests will be held on 27 November in Seven universities offering degrees in agricultural science. Earlier, the test was scheduled for July 31. These seven universities are Bangladesh Agricultural University

Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Agricultural University
Sher-e-Bangla Agricultural University
Sylhet Agricultural University
Patuakhali University of Science and Technology
Chittagong Veterinary and Animal Sciences University
Khulna Agricultural University

Further admission test information can be found on the website (https://admission-agri.org/).

University of Chittagong Admission Circular schedule:

Unit ‘A’ : 1st & 2nd November, 2021
Unit ‘B’ : 27th & 28th October, 2021
Unit ‘C’ : 29th October, 2021
Unit ‘D’ : 30th & 31st October, 2021
Unit ‘B-1’ & ‘D-1’ : 5th November, 2021

Further details information about Admission Test University of Chittagong can be found at (https://admission.cu.ac.bd/).

Jahangirnagar University Admission Test schedule:

The authorities plan to conduct admission test of 10 units of Jahangirnagar University between 7th November to 18th November, 2021. However, the final schedule has not been fixed yet.

Further details will be announced later on the website (https://juniv-admission.org/).

Rajshahi University Admission Circular:

The admission test was scheduled to be held on August 16-18, but it was postponed due to COVID-19 situation. As per the new schedule the exams will be held on:

Unit ‘A’ (Humanities) : 5th October, 2021
Unit ‘B’ (Commerce) : 6th October, 2021
Unit ‘C’ (Science) : 4th October, 2021

The exams will be held in three steps every day. Further details admission information can be found on the website (https://admission.ru.ac.bd/undergraduate/).

Bangladesh Textile University Admission Test schedule:

Bangladesh Textile University has postponed the examination on August 20. However, the candidates have to collect the admission papers between 26 September to 30 September. The test may be held on 12th November.

Maritime University Admission Test Circular:

The examinations of four faculties of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Maritime University were scheduled to be held on June 4 and 5 in the divisional cities of Dhaka, Chittagong, Rangpur and Khulna, but were postponed. Though there are plans to take the admission tests on 19 & 20 November, it has not been finalized yet. The university's admissions website said, "The examination schedule is being rescheduled, which will be announced on the website later." Please visit the website for further details, (https://applyonline.bsmrmu.edu.bd/Admission/Home).

Dhaka University of Engineering and Technology – DUET Admission Test Circular:

Admission test for 9 departments of Dhaka University of Engineering and Technology, Gazipur will be held on September 29 and 30. The authorities have informed that the exams will be held in two shifts from 10 am to 12 noon and from 2 pm to 4 pm every day.

20 University Guccho (Combined) admission test schedule:

This is the first time that 20 universities are taking part in the integrated admission test. The bunch admission test is starting with the admission test:

Unit ‘A’ : 17th October, 2021
Unit ‘B’ : 24th October, 2021
Unit ‘C’ : 1st November, 2021

Further detailed information can be found on the website (https://gstadmission.ac.bd/). The 20 universities in the group are:

Jagannath University
Islamic University
Khulna University
Cumilla University
National Poet Kazi Nazrul Islam University
Begum Rokeya University
Barisal University
Rabindra University
Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Digital University
Sheikh Hasina University
Shahjalal University of Science and Technology
Haji Mohammad Danesh University of Science and Technology
Maulana Bhasani University of Science and Technology
Noakhali University of Science and Technology
Jashore University of Science and Technology
Pabna University of Science and Technology
Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman University of Science and Technology
Rangamati University of Science and Technology
Bangamata Sheikh Fazilatunnesa Mujib University of Science and Technology
Patuakhali University of Science and Technology.

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Master plan around Karwan Bazaar

2021-09-19T21:07:00.008+06:00

Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC) has taken a master plan to set up a state-of-the-art business hub at Karwan Bazar in the capital city Dhaka. There are plans to remove the market and build seven-star hotels, entertainment centers, convention centers and indoor playgrounds on 12 bighas of land. The DNCC will issue bonds in the market to raise the required 6 to 7 thousand crore BDT. However, the big challenge in implementing this master plan is to move the Kacha Bazar.

Mr. Atiqul Islam said that there could be no wholesale market inside the capital. Here extortion, illegal trade, parking trade are all there. City Corporation also needs to take some initiatives to transform Bangladesh into a developed country. Markets need to be improved. The city corporation market in Gulshan-2 is risky. We will demolish the existing structure and make DNCC city center on 9 bighas of land there. 'He added,' In the planned city center at Gulshan-2, the people of the city will be able to spend time with their families in a green tidy environment for entertainment, shopping, eating and indoor games.

He also said, ‘following this, I have taken a plan to transform the market of Karwan Bazar into a business hub. There will be a cultural center, opera house, theater, seven star hotel, convention center, shopping mall, food court, indoor playground. It will be the heart of the capital. The plan will be implemented on 12 bighas of land in Karwan Bazarincluding the kacha bazar area. We will start working according to this plan by 2023.’

Regarding the plan to finance the development work, Mayor Atiqul Islam said, "If the city corporation gives the land to the developer for the development work, they want to give 30 percent to the city corporation with 70 percent." To solve this problem, I have decided to release "municipal bonds" in the market to provide funds for development. By raising money through this bond we will make modern market, civic center, business hub. When it comes to buying bonds, people have doubts about the company. But if the city corporation releases the bond, there will be no doubt about getting the money back. We are trying to take it as a test case and release a bond worth BDT 1,000 to 2,000 crore in December. There are plans to issue bonds worth TK. 6,000-7,000 crore for the caravan market.

Professor Shibli Rubaiyat-ul-Islam, chairman of the Bangladesh Securities and Exchange Commission (BSEC), told Newspapers that raising funds for development through bonds is a new initiative. If the municipal bond is successful, the government will be able to take initiative to raise money through bonds in other development works. This will reduce the debt pressure on the government. Development work will not stop for foreign aid.

The economist Nazneen Ahmed said, "We want the country's bond market to develop. If people invest in bonds, they have to pay back with dividends. Bonds have some rules. Bonds can be issued in those cases where there will be profit. If DNCC collects money through bonds in accordance with the rules of Bangladesh Bank, it will be good.'

The big challenge in implementing the plan to make Karwan Bazar a business hub is to move the raw materials market (Kacha Bazar). This issue has been unresolved for a long time. The city corporation has set up wholesale markets in Jatrabari, Gabtali and Mohakhali to accommodate the traders of Karwan Bazar. The Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) passed the 'Three Wholesale Raw Market Construction Project in Dhaka City' on October 4, 2006. The project was undertaken to improve the market and supply system of agricultural products as well as to reduce traffic congestion in the Kawran Bazar. There were plans to build these three wholesale Bazaars at Mohakhali, Aminbazar and Jatrabari. The work was completed in June 2015 at a cost of around Tk 350 crore with a three-point extension. The traders of Karwan Bazar had several meetings with the previous late DNCC mayor Anisul Haque to remove the market in the newly constructed area. But the raw market has not moved in six years.

Asked if removing the market is a challenge to create a business hub, DNCC Mayor Atiqul Islam said, "We have to implement this initiative for the development of the whole capital." We have had discussions with the traders of Kawwan Bazar. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has agreed to our initiative. Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal an MP from the area, assured full cooperation in the initiative. COVID Hospital has been set up in the market built in Mohakhali. Now 860 shops will go from Karwan Bazar to Jatrabari Bazar and the rest will be taken to Gabtali Bazar. The traders will have the same size shop in the new kacha bazar same size of shops as the traders had in Karwan Bazaar. This will alleviate the traffic congestion in the Kawran Bazaar and turn the whole area into a scenic setting.

President of Karwan Bazar Small Kacha Bazar Traders Multipurpose Association said that the wholesale markets in the capital will be under the control of the city corporation. We expect everyone to do business from there. But there are privately owned wholesale markets and shops. The city corporation has no initiative to stop that. The traders have no objection to go if there is a better system than the Karwan Bazar. Just a few days after hearing the kacha bazar will move to Gabtali, Jatrabari.

Mayor Atiqul Islam said, "We have had a series of meetings with traders to move the Karwan Bazar" For a long time, they have been looking for a road behind the Gabtali Market to facilitate access to Bangladesh Agriculture Development Corporation (BADC) land. Agriculture Ministry has become agreed. Now we will create a separate way to enter and exit the market as per the demand of the traders.

Minister of Agriculture Abdur Razzak said, "We want to coordinate everything. The DNCC informed us that there was a need for a road to and from Gabtali Market. Knowing that this road will benefit the traders, we have given the land of BADC. Many times many good initiatives do not see the light due to lack of coordination. We want to stand by any good initiative with a big mentality in the interest of the state, in the interest of the people.

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Apartments | Flats at RAJUK Purbachal New Town Project

2021-09-15T14:08:00.014+06:00

RAJUK is implementing Purbachal New Town Project with a view to developing a modern, well planned and fully functional township near Dhaka City, Introducing an independent, full-fledged township or satellite city in Rupganj Upazila of Narayanganj district and Kaliganj, Gazipur district.

The Purbachal New Town project will be a modern well-planned smart green city within a total area of 6227 acres of land. The complete planning includes a plan for 25,016 Residential Plots of various categories, along with sufficient administrative, commercial, educational, institutional and social infrastructures as well as scopes for high-rise Apartment blocks for apartment construction to solve acute shelter crisis.

Under this project, the project was taken up on 150 acres of Khilkhet Thana in Dhaka district, 15,000 acres of Kaliganj Thana in Gazipur district and 4, 757 acres of Rupganj in Narayanganj district under the Capital Detailed Area Plan (DAP) area. Around 60,000 apartments will be constructed in the whole project. As per RAJUK sources, all the preliminary work of the project has already been completed. Its implementation will start in a very short time.

Plans have been made to build a total of 60,000 apartments in Purbachal New Town project:

8 high-rise apartment blocks
9 low-income apartment blocks
There will be several standard type apartments ranging from 1500 sq ft to 3500 sq ft, three types of flats for lower, middle and upper class buyer
There will be also 400 - 500 sq ft flats for lowest income people
The average height of the buildings will be between 20-50 floors
The project will include basement, car parking and other amenities
Each block will be modernized with proper use of sunlight and rain water including park / playground, mosque, deep tube well, adequate security system, garden facilities etc.

According to the latest general meeting of RAJUK, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has approved the creation of the required number of plots and allotment of plots among the original residents and general victims of the Purbachal New Town project. Based on the Prime Minister's approval, RAJUK decided to create 1,197 three-katha plots on 89 acres of land from the Highrise Apartment Block in Sectors 15 and 28 of the project by Data Experts (Pvt. Ltd.), a consulting firm for the Purbachal New Town project. As a result, a total of 14 blocks of apartments, including 5 high-rise apartment blocks and 9 low-income apartment blocks, will remain for construction.

In this case, out of 5 high-rise apartment blocks in the remaining 3 sectors: One sector (Sector-3) through PPP basis, 2 blocks and 6 blocks for lower income people in 6 sectors (Sectors No. 8, 9, 10, 13 and 25) and 2 sectors of high rise apartments through RAJUK (Sector No. 2 and 30) It is recommended to implement the work as a pilot project by formulating DPP in 3 blocks of 3 sectors (Sector No. 3, 4 and 18) for low income people, as a guideline for construction of high rise apartment block in PPP method.

According to RAJUK sources, several officials are already working to finalize the Purbachal new town project. They will take the project to the final stage after judging and analyzing all the issues. The chairman of RAJUK told that some officials have been given the responsibility. They will check everything and present it to us. After that we will make the final decision.

As per the information’s provided (14th December, 2020) on the official web site of RAJUK, the present situation of the Purbachal New Town Project is as per followings:

Site development:

Site development works of sector 1-5, 8,9,11,12,13,14, 17-20, 22, 23 and 29-30 have nearly been completed. In other sectors, the site development works are on-going. Site Development of Gazipur part has been started and process is 60%.

Construction of Road:

Road construction works in sector no 1, 3, 4, 5, 8, 9, 11, 13, 14, 17, 20, 29 and 30 have been mostly completed. In sector no. 2, 7, 10, 18 and 19 road construction works are going on. In other sectors, roads will be constructed after significant progress of development works.

Construction of Bridges:

At Narayanganj part, construction of 3 nos. bridges has been completed 25 nos. is ongoing and work progress is 70%. Construction work of rest of the Bridges is in the process of tendering.

Construction of 300 feet wide Purbachal Link Road:

Construction of all the Bridges (6 Nos.) and other structures (underpass, sluice gate etc.) on the Purbachal Link Road will be completed and road construction work is expected to be completed soon.

Utility services:

Electric poles are already erected at sector 1, 3, 4, 5, 11, 13, 14, 17, 23, 30. Installation of electric Sub-Station at sector # 4 will be completed by February, 2015.

For updated and latest information’s please visit the official website of RAJUK.

It will be the biggest Planned Township in the country. The Project area comprise of about 6227 acres land located in between the Shitalakhya and the Balu River at Rupgonj thana of Narayangonj district and at Kaligonj Thana of Gazipur district, in the north-eastern side of Dhaka. The Township will be linked with 8(eight) lane wide express way from the Airport Road/Progati swarani crossing.

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Sell of Real Estate Companies in Bangladesh is Increasing

2021-09-11T13:03:00.003+06:00

Even though all sectors of business and commerce in the COVID-19 period have been affected, Businessmen in the Real Estate Sector are hoping that they will be able to recover from the catastrophe. In the first eight months of last year, the sales of real estate companies in Bangladesh have increased by 15 to 20 per cent over the same period this year. The flat registration fee was slightly reduced last year by the Government.

Besides, sales of Plots and Apartments (Both new and used) have also increased. However, the prices of construction materials have gone up during this period. In the budget, the government provides some opportunities for investment in the housing sector of Bangladesh. Bank loan interest rates have also been reduced. Expatriates are also investing in this sector. Overall, Flat sale in various locations in Dhaka and other major cities of the country have increased.

REHAB President Alamgir Shamsul Alamin Kajal said the real estate sector of Bangladesh will be boosted in COVID-19 period. Not just this sector, there will have a positive impact on the entire economy of the country. As there are investment opportunities in the current situation, a lot of money will be added to our economy.

The President of REHAB also said that the activities of construction related sub-sectors including rod, cement, brick and sand, which are involved in the recovery of the housing sector, will increase. This will increase the revenue collection of the government.

Previous flat registration fees in Bangladesh:

4 percent gain tax
3 percent stamp fees
2 percent registration fees
2 percent local government tax and
3 percent value added tax (VAT)

Present flat registration fee in Bangladesh:

4 percent gain tax (same as before)
1.5 percent stamp fees
1 percent registration fees
1.5 percent local government tax and
2 percent value added tax (upto 1,600 square feet)

Now the demand for commercial flats and apartments has increased in the following area inside Dhaka city:

Gulshan
Banani
Baridhara
Motijheel
Dilkusha

Besides, demand for residential flats has increased in Dhaka:

Dhanmondi
Mohakhali
Lalmatia Housing Society
Kalabagan
Uttara Model Town
Bashundhara Residential Area
Karwan Bazar
Vijaynagar
Nikunja
Wari
Segunbagicha

Demand for flats in Chittagong / Chattogram:

Khulshi
Agrabad
Nasirabad

Demand of commercial, residential and studio flats / apartments in other major cities such as Sylhet, Cumilla, Feni, Noakhali, Coxsbazar, Rajshahi, Narayanganj, Gazipur, Mymensingh etc are also increasing day by day.

Some real estate company owners are saying that the price of construction materials such as Rod and Cement are also increasing. As a result, they are a little scared.

Home loans are announced for government employees at 5 percent interest arate. It inspires hope among real estate businessmen. The annual market of the real estate companies in Bangladesh / housing sector in the country is now around Tk 60,000 crore. The annual growth in this sector is 15-17 percent. The annual demand is 1 lac 20 thousand flats.

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Bangladesh Holds Top Position in the World Breastfeeding Ranking | WBTi Report

2021-09-06T12:58:00.007+06:00

Breastfeeding offers innumerable health, development, and economic benefits to both the mother and child, and nations. At present, only 41% of infants of 0-6 months are exclusively breastfed globally. It is very important for every country around the world to increase rates of optimal breastfeeding and infant and young child feeding practices. The World Breastfeeding Trends Initiative (WBTi) assists countries to assess and monitor the status of and benchmark progress in implementation of the Global Strategy in a standard way.

The WBTi is based on the WHO's “ Tool for the national assessment of policy and programmes on infant and young child feeding” and `1measures ten parameters of policy and programmes that protect, promote and support optimal infant and young child feeding (IYCF) practices. It identifies gaps and calls upon governments to bridge these. WBTi maintains a Global Data Repository of the policies and programmes in 98 countries.

Based on the 10 indicators on policy and programmes (on a scale of 100) the WBTi published a report of World Ranking where Bangladesh is at the Top Position with a score of 91.5 (out of 100). WBTi provides objective scoring and colour coding to it’s 10 indicators of policy & programmes. Each indicator is scored out of a maximum of 10 and gets the colour code as Red, Yellow, Blue, and Green in ascending order of performance based on the WBTi guideline.

Bangladesh 91.5
Sri Lanka 91
Afghanistan 89
Cuba 87.5
Gambia 83
Bolivia 81
Turkey 80
Elsalvador 79.5
Niger 77
Kenya 77
Kuwait 77
Malawi 75.5
Bahrain 74.5
Ukraine 74
Mongolia 73.5
Vietnam 73
South Africa 71.5
Brazil 70
Ghana 69.5
Zambia 69.5
China 69.5
Maldives 69.5
Cambodia 69
Mali 68
Philippines 68
Zimbabwe 67.5
Nigeria 67.5
Cameroon 66.5
Argentina 66
Malta 65.5
Croatia 65.5
Panama 65
Pakistan 64.5
Mozambique 64
Georgia 64
Venezuela 64
Jordan 63.5
Dominican Republic 63.5
Nepal 63
United Republic Of Tanzania 61.5
Nicaragua 61.5
Lesotho 61
Burkina Faso 61
Thailand 60.5
Portugal 60.5
Bosnia And Herzegovina 60
Swaziland 59
Uganda 59
Malaysia 58.5
Guatemala 58
Seychelles 57.5
Armenia 57
Costa Rica 57
Gabon 56.5
Republic Of Korea 56.5
Moldova, Republic Of 56.5
Brunei Darussalam 56
Saudi Arabia 56
Ethiopia 55
Fiji 55
Bhutan 55
Egypt 55
Kiribati 53.5
Sierra Leone 53
Italy 52
Indonesia 51.5
United Kingdom 50.5
Macedonia 50.5
Peru 50.5
Colombia 49
Switzerland 48
Belgium 48
France 47.5
Ecuador 47
Sao Tome And Principe 46.5
Uruguay 46.5
Lebanon 46
Mexico 45.5
India 45
Botswana 44.5
Chile 44.5
Honduras 43.5
Morocco 42.5
Belize 41.5
Timorleste 41
United States 40.5
Taiwan 40.5
Austria 40
Singapore 40
Oman 39.5
Lithuania 38.5
Palau 35.5
Spain 35
Paraguay 34.5
Germany 33.5
Australia 25.5
Cape Verde 22.5
Libya 19

Advantages of Breastfeeding:

Breastfeeding is one of the most effective ways to ensure child health and survival.
Breastmilk is the ideal food for infants. It is safe, clean and contains antibodies which help protect against many common childhood illnesses.
Continued breastfeeding also pause ovulation and menstruation.
Breastmilk provides all the energy and nutrients that the infant needs for the first months of life
Breastmilk continues to provide up to half or more of a child’s nutritional needs during the second half of the first year, and up to one third during the second year of life.
Breastfed children perform better on intelligence tests, are less likely to be overweight or obese and less prone to diabetes later in life.
Mother who breastfeed have a lower risk for depression and they also have a reduced risk of breast and ovarian cancers.
It saves time and money.

To see the full report visit the official website of World Breastfeeding Trends Initiative (WBTi).

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Dhaka Metrorail has Completed Performance Test

2021-08-31T20:35:00.009+06:00

The people witnessed the official test run of Metrorail on the line (MRT Line-6) lay on the flyover (viaduct) on 29 August, 2021. The experimental operation started from the depot built for Metro Rail in Dhaka's Uttara. Road Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader inaugurated it. NM Siddique, Managing Director, Dhaka Mass Transit Company Limited (DMTCL), a representative of the Japanese Embassy in Bangladesh, the head of JICA Bangladesh office and a representative of Metrorail's consulting firm were present on the occasion.

As soon as the train started running slowly over the flyover immediately after the inauguration, the present government officials, employees, technicians, engineers and media persons standing on both sides of the line observed the rail movement. At this time many people applauded and applauded. Many people take photos with the train to capture the memory of this historic moment, including taking pictures and videos of experimental train movements.

At this time, the security personnel had to work hard to handle the crowd. This Metrorail runs on electricity through the connection of a power transmission line placed on a lovely pillar above the line. Minister for Road Transport and Bridges Obaidul Quader said Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will inaugurate three mega projects in the year 2022. In June the Padma Bridge, later the Karnafuli Tunnel and the Metrorail Line-6 which is the dream of the young generations, will be inaugurated at the end of the year. "It's a milestone," he said. Metrorail is no longer a dream, it is a visible reality. Critics will criticize and propagate, we will respond at work. The Sheikh Hasina government responded. We are responding by constructing mega projects including Metrorail and Padma Bridge.

The minister said that it would take six months to complete the work of Metrorail Line-6. Total work has progressed 68.29 percent till July 31 for the MRT-6. Work progress from Uttara to Mirpur is 88 percent. The minister recalled, "I came to see the depot work progress activities and suffered from fever for three days due to rain felled in my face." But today, it is very good that Sheikh Hasina's contribution, Metrorail is visible. This movement is passenger less. The train will run experimentally between four stations from Uttara to Mirpur Pallabi in the capital. This movement is called 'performance test'.

Total number of 24 sets of trains will run on Metrorail-6 route from Uttara to Agargaon. In the meantime, four sets of trains have already arrived in the country. The first set of trains reached the depot in Dhaka last April. Each of these trains consisting of six carriages, made the trip from its depot and back after crossing three stations on its way without any passengers. Each train can carry a maximum of 2,308 passengers at a time. The trains are being manufactured by Kawasaki Heavy Industries Limited of Japan. Later the trains were brought to the country by ship from the seaport of Kobe in Japan.

The overhead construction of metro rail can help the Bangladeshi government's efforts to ease traffic gridlock in Dhaka. Once the project is implemented, a train with six air-conditioned spacious coaches will operate every four minute and will carry some 60,000 passengers each hour. The MRT Line-6 consists of 16 elevated stations and electricity-powered light rail tracks. In addition, total six Metrorail routes will start within 2030.

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Real Estate Companies in Bangladesh are Rising

2021-07-12T23:33:00.005+06:00

During the COVID-19 Corona virus period, buyers in the housing and real estate industry of Bangladesh are increasing. Entrepreneurs in the sector saying that the demand for buyers has increased so much in recent times that top class Real Estate companies in Bangladesh do not have unsold flats. Companies that had stopped building construction work for so long have now come forward and resumed their construction.

Demand from buyers is on the rise as the government provides undisclosed investment facilities in the housing sector. Currently, the highest demand for Apartment / Flats in Bangladesh is among government employees. Some investors demand land and plots. In such a situation, the concerned companies have demanded to reduce the interest and registration cost of loans in the housing sector to 7 percent. The real estate sector in Bangladesh is now a lucrative investment destination for buyers and investors. The registration cost of buying flats and plots is now 10 percent and it comes with single digit or one digit interest loan.

In this regard, Real Estate and Housing Association of Bangladesh-REHAB President Alamgir Shamsul Alamin Kajal said that the real estate companies in Bangladesh are now getting good response from buyers. The situation is such that even good companies are not able to sell flats to the buyers. Buyers are growing every day in recent times. Interest in buying flats and plots is increasing among them. As a result, many companies are taking up new projects to build flats inside Dhaka, Chattogram and other cities across the country.

The undisclosed income is also being invested in the housing sector. Owners of companies are demands the interest rate on bank loans and registration cost of flats and plots should be reduced to 7 percent. Some banks are now keen to lend. Some banks are giving loans at 7 percent interest rate. The recovery in the housing sector is also boosting the overall economy.

Business in the housing industry is coming back. Buyers respond more than ever. This is due to two reasons- one is that money laundering has decreased during the Corona period. Another is the government's undisclosed investments facilities for two consecutive financial years. All in all, the real estate company in Bangladesh is now in a good position.

JCX Developments Limited is a state-of-the-art flat builder in the country's elite Bashundhara residential area inside Dhaka city. Iqbal Hossain Chowdhury, the managing director of the company and director of FBCCI, a top organization of businessmen, told that there has been a lot of demand from buyers for good quality flats in recent times. This demand has been created mainly due to undisclosed money investment facilities. As a result, there is a huge interest of buyers for flats in Bashundhara R/A.

Investors have lots of interest for both ready and used flats in Dhaka city. Some searching keyword in Google are: Used flat sale in dhaka, Low price flat in dhaka, Flat sale in dhanmondi, Studio apartment in dhaka, Used flat sale in mirpur, Ready flat for sale in mohammadpur dhaka, Ready flat sale in dhaka, Flat for sale in dhaka uttara, Flat sale in banasree, Dhaka housing adabor etc.

In the national budget for the fiscal year 2020-2021, the legal directive to allow higher revenue and economic activity in the private sector said that no matter what is in the country's customary law, no one can raise any question about the investment of undisclosed money. To take such an opportunity, taxpayers have to invest undisclosed money in land, flats, buildings and apartments, banks, savings certificates, stock exchanges, bonds or any other such securities. To avail this facility, income tax at the rate of 10 percent has to be paid. Investing in undisclosed funds will reduce money laundering and tax evasion. The move is expected to boost mainstream economy, employment and revenue growth. This facility will be continued in the new fiscal year 2021-22 as well as provision has been made to impose penalty at the rate of 5 per cent on other undisclosed funds.

According to the concerned, the annual market of the real estate companies in Bangladesh / housing sector in the country is now around Tk 60,000 crore. The annual growth in this sector is 15-17 percent. The annual demand is 1 lac 20 thousand flats. Overseas income / Remittance and undisclosed money owners buy more real estate properties. Expatriate income of Bangladesh did not decrease during COVID-19 period. Besides, there is an opportunity to invest undisclosed money by buying land or flats. As a result, trade in this sector has increased a lot. The catastrophic disaster that hit 458 sub-sectors of the housing industry in Corona is now a beacon of hope. Around BDT 2 lac Crore have invested in more than 2,000 industries in this period.

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Japan will build Smart City in Bangladesh

2021-07-09T20:47:00.001+06:00

Smart cities, are the result of the growing importance of orienting our life toward sustainability. There are different parameters by which a city ranks more highly than another. To achieve this 10 key dimensions are considered: Governance, urban planning, public management, technology, environment, international projection, social cohesion, mobility and transportation, human capital and economy.

The development of 'smart cities' has been a top priority for many countries and Bangladesh may soon join their ranks. In a bilateral meeting with Bangladesh's ICT Minister Junaid Ahmed Palak and the Japanese Ambassador Naoki expressed Japan's interest in building a smart city in Bangladesh. Last year Japan has set aside a 250 billion yen (US$ 2.4 billion) fund to support Smart City projects by Japanese companies and improve decarbonization measures in 26 cities across ASEAN.

According to Mr. Naoki, Japan has contributed in many sectors, including infrastructural development of Bangladesh. There are currently more than 300 Japanese companies operating in Bangladesh - three times as much as in the last 10 years.

Japan is the largest Asian export market for Bangladesh, amounting to USD 1.3 billion. Despite the many challenges posed by the Covid-19 epidemic, Japanese companies are ready to expand their business in Bangladesh.

Naoki called for the development of strategic relations to further enhance cooperation between the two countries. He said that ICT sector is now the main driving force of the economy of Bangladesh. The Japan International Cooperative Agency (JICA) can further enrich Bangladesh's plan to become a developed economy by the year 2041 by assisting in the development of technology-dependent human resources.

Naoki emphasized the importance of collaboration to further expand cooperation between the two countries through the development of strategic partnerships between Japan and Bangladesh.

To further strengthen Bangladesh's ICT sector, ICT Minister Junaid Ahmed Palak made a number of proposals to the Ambassador, including on cyber security, e-waste management and e-governance. Palak said, "We have already sent a proposal to ERD to set up a Bangladesh-Japan ICT University,".

Japan has allocated 2.4 billion to support Japanese companies in the Smart City project and the development of carbon-free systems in 28 ASEAN cities. Tokyo expects all 26 cities to present their smart city projects by the end of this year, and eligible projects will be selected by March.

Japan expected these 26 cities across ASEAN to present their Smart City development plans at the end of last year, with eligible projects to be picked by March this year. It also expects Japanese companies to have basic plans for these cities with feasibility studies conducted. However, at the time of writing, its progress is still unclear

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