Four- lanes Dhaka-Chittagong highway to be completed by May: Quader

DHAKA: Road Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader today said the much awaited Dhaka-Chittagong four-lane highway project will be completed by May this year.



"The work of the project is going on in full swing and expecting its completion by May," he told the journalists emerging from a coordination meeting on the ministry's development projects at secretariat, said a press release.

The minister said the government has taken an initiative to build 225 kilometer long Dhaka-Chittagong expressway at a cost of about Taka 70,000 crore for ensuring the journey in a short time between the two vital cities in the country.

He said the construction work of 16 big and small bridges have been completed in Sylhet region.

He also said Shahid Sheikh Kamal Bridge and Shahid Sheikh Jamal Bridge will be opened to traffic on February 25.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is expected to inaugurate the bridges, he added.

Road Transport and Highways Division Secretary MAN Siddique and Chief Engineer of Roads and Highways Department Ebne Alam Hasan, among others, were present on the occasion.

Source: BSS

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PM for BD-Maldives collaboration on deep sea fishing

DHAKA: Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina today expressed her government's interest in the joint venture collaboration with the Maldives for exploring deep sea fishing alongside tapping the huge potential of food processing industries.

The Prime Minister showed the interest when the newly appointed Maldivian High Commissioner in Dhaka Mohamed Asim paid a courtesy call on her at her office here this morning.

PM's Press Secretary Ihsanul Karim briefed reporters after the meeting.

He said the Premier expressed satisfaction that a large number of Bangladeshis are employed in the Maldives and they are contributing to the economy of both the countries.

Putting emphasis on regional connectivity through the BBIN and BCIM initiatives, Sheikh Hasina also underscored the need for strengthening air link with all the SAARC member countries.

Referring to Bangladesh's friendly relations with the Maldives, the Prime Minister said Dhaka is always ready to extend further cooperation to Male.

About the government's stride towards "digitalisation", she said that the programme is "progressing fast" and her government has been providing over 200 various types of digital service through the countrywide Union Digital Centers.

Citing huge potentials in establishing food processing industries in Bangladesh, the Premier said that joint cooperation between the two countries could be made in this sector for unlocking such a potential.

Regarding the Maldives interest in taking "soil" from Bangladesh, Sheikh Hasina said that the Maldives could take "soil" from Bangladesh.

The Maldivian high commissioner highly appreciated Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's initiative towards building "Digital Bangladesh".

He also expressed his gratitude to the Prime Minister as a large number of Maldivian students are now studying in Bangladesh in various disciplines, especially in medical science.

In this connection, Sheikh Hasina said that two more medical universities would be set up in Chittagong and Rajshahi.

The high commissioner also conveyed greetings to the Prime Minister on behalf of the Maldivian president.

PMO Secretary Suraiya Begum was present, among others.

Source: BSS

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PM urges Qatar to hire more Bangladeshi manpower

DHAKA: Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina today urged the Qatari government to recruit more workers from Bangladesh to meet the manpower demand of the Middle Eastern country on the occasion of the World Cup football to be held in Qatar in 2022.

"A huge development is now taking place in Qatar on the occasion of the World Cup Football 2022 ... so we want to export more manpower to Qatar to fulfill its manpower demand," she said.

The Prime Minister made the request when newly appointed Qatari Ambassador to Bangladesh Ahmed Bin Mohamed Al-Dehaimi paid a courtesy call on her at her office here this morning.

After the meeting, PM's Press Secretary Ihsanul Karim briefed reporters.

In response to the request of the Premier regarding the recruitment of Bangladeshi workers, the ambassador said Bangladesh could contribute to Qatar's development efforts by sending more workers.

"We need more manpower for not only the World Cup Football, also achieve our Vision 2030 programme," the envoy said.

In this connection, Dehaimi said a delegation from Qatari labour ministry would visit Bangladesh in the next 10 days to discuss the issue of recruiting Bangladeshi manpower.

Putting emphasis on exploring bilateral cooperation in new areas, the Prime Minister said an LNG terminal is being set up at Moheshkhali in Cox's Bazar.

"The work of the terminal would be finished in the next two years and Bangladesh would import LNG from Qatar," she said.

Illustrating her government's tremendous success in the socioeconomic field, Sheikh Hasina said: "Our main goal is to ensure welfare of the people and establish a hunger and poverty-free Bangladesh."

Recalling her visits to Qatar, the Premier also laid stress on frequent exchange of high level visits between the two countries.

In this regard, she mentioned that the Bangladesh President already invited the Qatari Emir to visit Bangladesh. "I myself also invited the Qatari Prime Minister to visit Bangladesh," the PM said.

At the outset of the meeting, the Premier welcomed the new Qatari envoy in Bangladesh and expressed satisfaction over the existing excellent relations between the two countries based on common historic and religious ties.

Sheikh Hasina said 90 percent people in Bangladesh are Muslims and Bangladesh always maintains very good relations with the Muslim countries like Qatar. "We want to further strengthen the ties," she noted.

Highly appreciating the dynamic leadership of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, the new envoy hoped that Bangladesh would be able to achieve its Vision 2021 much earlier as the country is advancing in a more faster pace.

Expressing satisfaction over the existing bilateral ties between Bangladesh and Qatar, the ambassador said he wants to take the relations to a new height during his tenure.

In this connection, Dehaimi said Qatar attaches importance to its relations with the Islamic countries.

He also placed emphasis on cooperation in education sector between the two countries.

PM's International Affairs Advisor Dr Gowher Rizvi and PMO Secretary Suraiya Begum were present on the occasion

Source: BSS

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Mango sprouting creates eye-catching looks in Rajshahi

Prothom-alo24.com Desk: As the winter season says goodbye, hundreds and thousands of mango trees have started sprouting buds in Rajshahi region,traditionally known as the hub of the delicious fruit.

The blooming mango flowering at this stage predicts an excellent production of the most popular fruit in the region this season, if the climatic condition remains favourable till its harvesting, experts and scientists said.

Principal Scientific Officer of Fruit Research Station Dr Alim Uddin said the prevailing climatic conditions are suitable for mango flowering and budding and thousands of mango trees have already worn eye-catching looks with huge blooms. Flowering began at the end of January and will continue till mid-March.

Around 55 to 60 percent mango trees have already sprouted buds in Chapainawabgonj while 65 to 70 percent in Rajshahi as suitable climate has been prevailing for farming. The remaining trees are expected to sprout by mid-March in some cases.

Saleh Ahmed, Additional Deputy Director of Department of Agriculture
Extension (DAE), said the farmers have been caring and taking measures to make mango farming successful everywhere.

The farmers should contact with the agriculture officers at the field
levels and control the attacks by hoppers and some other pest attacks on the mango flowers, if any, for better mango formations and productions.

After witnessing the present condition both the growers and the officials are very much optimistic over high yield of the seasonal fruit.

"Buds started appearing in mango trees in the mango orchards in Chapainawabgonj this season before the end of winter," said Nurul Islam, a mango grower of Shibganj under Chapainawabganj.

Principal Scientific Officer of Regional Horticulture Research Centre
(RHRC) in Chapainawabganj Dr Shafiqul Islam said most of the commercial varieties of mango in the region are known as alternative or irregular varieties because they have the maximum yield after each alternative year.

There are around 35 lakh mango trees of different ages on some 23 thousand hectares of land in the region, said the DAE officials concerned.

The number of growing mango trees has been increasing in the region for the last couple of years following greater interest among people.

Mango, the leading seasonal cash crop of the northwestern region, vitalizes the overall economy of Rajshahi and Chapainawabganj districts.

Farming of mango has been increasing every year and the gardeners are
earning huge profits by cultivating high yielding and hybrid varieties like Amropali side by side with the traditional and popular indigenous varieties.

The farmers and villagers have been showing more interests in mango
farming, one of the most important seasonal cash crops of the region in recent years with a view to increase its productions and achieve economic well-being.

With expansion of mango farming everywhere in the region, large numbers of people are becoming engaged in different jobs from nursing to marketing the juicy fruit during the season.

Concerned scientists, researchers and extension workers should come forward with more practical approaches to help massive cultivation of both exotic and locally developed alternate bearing mango varieties in the region.

Source: BSS

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Oil prices fall as conditional 'freeze' deal disappoints

Prothom-alo24.com Desk:  Oil prices fell Tuesday after a conditional agreement between Saudi Arabia and Russia and two other producers to limit output offered scant hope for an easing of the global oversupply.

US benchmark West Texas Intermediate for March delivery fell 40 cents (1.6 percent) to $29.04 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange.

Brent North Sea crude for April delivery slumped $1.21 (3.6 percent) to $32.18 a barrel in London.

In a bid to stabilize an oversupplied market, Russia and OPEC members Saudi Arabia, Venezuela and Qatar said they had reached a preliminary deal to freeze output at January's level, but only if other major producers followed suit.

Saudi oil minister Ali al-Naimi said Tuesday's decision was "the beginning of a process which we will assess in the next few months and decide whether we need other steps to stabilize... the market."

Michael Lynch of consultancy Strategic Energy and Economic Research said the announcement was a mixed bag.

"People want to see some kind of production cut from OPEC and other producing countries and they didn't get it," Lynch told AFP. "But you've gone from refusal to discuss or consider it to the Saudis and the Russians actually talking."

City Index analyst Fawad Razaqzada said the announcement under delivered compared with expectations.

"The news has actually disappointed the market slightly because some people had hoped to see a cut rather than a production freeze," Razaqzada said.

Citi Futures analyst Tim Evans said the deal appeared to be designed as "far more of a political statement than a support for oil prices." He said it allows Saudi Arabia to blame the likely demise of the agreement on Iran, which has planned to boost oil output with the lifting of international sanctions following its nuclear agreement with major powers.

Iran will almost certainly reject the deal because "to agree to cap exports now as part of a wider OPEC deal would basically mean Iran had accepted restraints on its nuclear program in exchange for nothing," Evans said.

Iran said in response to the announcement that "there is room for discussion" but Oil Minister Bijan Zanganeh added that Iran "won't relinquish" its market share.

Source: BSS

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