PM stresses worker-owner's responsible role in country's prosperity



News desk, Barta24.com
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina

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Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina today urged the workers and owners of the industries and factories to play a responsible role in ensuring each other's rights and country's prosperity.

"The owners invest money and workers give labour in a factory. Their investment and toil keep the factory running alongside increasing production and thus the country's economy becomes strengthened," she said. 

The prime minister said this while addressing a discussion on Great May Day at the Bangabandhu International Conference Centre (BICC) here organised by the Ministry of Labour and Employment.

She virtually joined the function from her official Ganabhaban residence in the city.

The premier asked the labour leaders not to pay heed to the foreigners' prescriptions in solving problems rather to settle those with their own ways.

Sheikh Hasina said that all have their own responsibilities to run an organisation.

She said the owners will have to ensure appropriate salary for the labourers and suitable environment and safety measures for the workers while the workers have to give their best efforts to run the factories.

"It's the labourers' duty to work sincerely to keep their factories, where they work for livelihoods, operative and it's the owners' duty to ensure the well-being, working environment and safety of the labour force," she said.

Sheikh Hasina hoped that Bangladesh will go ahead if there remains a cordial relationship between the owners and workers of the industries and they work complementarily with each other.

She said the owners and workers should cherish the spirit of the May Day and take the country forward.

The prime minister spelled out her government’s various measures to ensure labourers’ welfare that included increasing minimum salary range, building dormitories, ratifying ILO conventions and protocols, establishing Bangladesh Shramik Kallayan Foundation and enacting necessary laws and rules.

She said some labour leaders are still running after the foreigners to solve the problems of Bangladesh's industries.

She added: "I don't know why some labour leaders make complaints to the foreigners although we have done many things for the welfare of them--- I don't know if there is anything that serves their interest or anything to exchange."

The prime minister urged the labour leaders to meet her if there is any problem, saying that she can realise the demands of labourers from the owners.   

She criticized the so-called labour leaders who go to the foreigners with complaints about the country's labour situation and are inclined to involve the foreigners to resolve problems instead of finding local solutions.

"We're able to solve our own problems. I would like to tell the labour leaders to come to me if you have any problem instead of crying before the foreigners. If there is anything beneficial for the labourers, I can realise it from the owners," she said.

State Minister for Labour and Employment Ministry Begum Monnujan Sufian gave chairperson’s remarks while Chairman of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on the Ministry of Labour and Employment M Mujibul Haque spoke.

Country Director of ILO (International Labour Organisation) Tuomo Poutiainen, President of Bangladesh Employers' Federation (BEF) Ardashir Kabir, and Acting President of the Bangladesh Jatiya Sramik League Nur Kutub Alam Mannan also spoke on the occasion while Secretary of the Labour and Employment Ministry Md. Ehsane Elahi gave the address of welcome.

On behalf of the prime minister, Begum Monnujan Sufian handed over the cheques of financial assistance to 10 labourers and their family members from the fund of Bangladesh Shramik Kallayan Foundation. 

A documentary on the activities of the Labour and Employment Ministry was also screened at the function.

The prime minister stressed the need for forging unity of owners and workers and solving their problems through discussions.

Referring to this year's theme of the Great May Day, "Shramik-Malik Ekota Unnnyaner Nischoita (Workers-owners unity, assurance of development)" she said, "Development requires cordial relations between the owners and workers."

Sheikh Hasina said her government is implementing 90 percent of the annual development plan with own financing which was earlier done by the money from the foreign funds and building of the Padma Bridge with own finance is the main testimony for the country.

"We don't need to go to the foreigners," she said with a proud voice, mentioning that Bangladesh is now a self-reliant country in food production.

Bangladesh turned into a developing nation, she said, adding her government is working to make the country a developed and prosperous one by giving people an improved and better life as envisioned by Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.

Sheikh Hasina said though Bangladesh is an agricultural country, it dearly needs industrialization for desired development.

So, the government has given importance to industrialization in a planned way without harming the arable lands and has been setting up 100 economic zones across the country which would create new employment opportunities and increase production, she said.

Paying her rich tributes to the heroes of May Day, the prime minister said they have established the workers' rights through their supreme sacrifice.

Since independence, Sheikh Hasina said the Bangabandhu and Awami League government was always dedicated to the welfare of the working class people, adding that Bangladesh has so far signed 36 ILO protocols and conventions for protection of the rights of the workers.

"I do not know whether any country in the world signs so many ILO protocols and conventions," she added.

Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman in his every step, had demonstrated himself as a dedicated person for the oppressed people, she said.

"We believe in Bangabandhu's ideology,” she continued.

Sheikh Hasina said Bangabandhu nationalized all abandoned industries after independence to protect the workers' rights and declared May 1 a public holiday.

"So it's our duty to work for the labourers," she said.

   

Dhaka is the sixth most polluted city in the world, Seoul is on top



Staff Correspondent, Barta24.com
Photo: Collected

Photo: Collected

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Today, Dhaka is sixth in the list of the most polluted cities in the world. The air quality of the capital has become 'unhealthy' with an Air Quality Index (AQI) score of 172 at 6:50 am today.

South Korea's capital Seoul topped the air quality index with 343. South Korea's Incheon, Pakistan's Lahore, Vietnam's Chiang Mai and India's Delhi occupy the second, third, fourth and fifth places in the list with AQI scores of 217, 187, 179 and 177 respectively.

An AQI score between 101 and 200 is considered 'unhealthy' for sensitive groups. An AQI score between 201 and 300 is considered 'very unhealthy'. And an AQI between 301 and 400 is considered 'hazardous', posing a serious health risk to residents.

AQI in Bangladesh is determined based on 5 parameters of pollution, namely - Particulate Matter (PM10 & PM2.5), NO2, CO, SO2 and Ozone (O3).

Dhaka has been suffering from air pollution for a long time. Its air quality generally becomes unhealthy during winters and improves slightly during monsoons.

In March 2019, a report by the Department of Environment and the World Bank stated that the three main causes of Dhaka's air pollution are brick kilns, smoke from vehicles and dust from construction activities.

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Taka 400 crores laundered through digital Hundi, controlled by Dubai



Staff Correspondent, Barta24.com
Photo: Collected

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Police's Criminal Investigation Department (CID) has arrested 5 people for allegedly laundering around Tk. 400 crore abroad through Digital Hundi using Mobile Banking Service (MFS).

CID Chief Additional IGP Mohammad Ali Mia informed this in a press conference at CID headquarters on Thursday (March 28) afternoon.

The arrested are - Nasim Ahmed (62), the owner of Tasmia Associates, Fazle Rabbi Sumon (32), the territory sales manager of Agent SIM, Md. Kamruzzaman (33), Zahir Uddin (37), representative of Jet Robotics Apps Bangladesh and Khairul Islam alias Pius (34).

Additional IGP Mohammad Ali Mia said, a gang has smuggled around Tk. 400 crore abroad through digital Hundi using mobile banking services. Five members of this gang were arrested during the operation.

He said that Tk. 400 crores illegally came to Bangladesh through Jet Robotics app in the last few months. Police traced the app through intelligence.

He also said that the money of this gang was transacted from the Chattogram based distribution house. Five members of the gang were arrested in separate raids in Dhaka and Chattogram on Wednesday night.

He said that Tk. 28 lakh 51 thousand cash was seized from them at the time of arrest. He said that they used to rent development agent SIMS and deliver money through them to the grassroots level.

The head of CID said that Mamun, the master of this gang lives in Dubai. He is using agent SIM here. This app used for smuggling cannot work outside 48 SIM along the specific link sent from Dubai. Only seven people can enter this app.

Referring to this as a modern form of Hundi business, he said, money is being circulated in the country through this app by blocking remittances coming to Bangladesh. Already we got 5-7 more such organizations who are working like this.

He said, in the last three months, Tk. 400 crores have been hindered from coming to Bangladesh through Jet Robotic Apps. Five people using these apps have been arrested and their devices seized.

He said, Chattogram's development distribution house Tasmia Associates company has 1000 Bkash Agent SIMs. These agent SIMs who are not performing well, the agent SIMs provide DSOs to the users of Jet Robotic Apps.

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Demand for punishment for those responsible for electrocution death in Moulvibazar



Staff Correspondent, Barta24.com, Dhaka
Photo: barta24.com

Photo: barta24.com

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The death of 6 members of the same family due to electrocution in Moulvibazar is very shocking and heartbreaking. The chairman of the National Human Rights Commission Dr. Kamaluddin Ahmed said that the main responsible person and institution should be brought under accountability.

He made this comment at a discussion on 'Role of Media in Protection of Human Rights and Consumer Rights' organized by 'Business Digest' at a hotel in the capital on Thursday (March 28).

The Chairman of the Human Rights Commission said, after investigating the incident of Moulvibazar, appropriate legal action should be taken against those responsible and necessary measures should be taken to prevent the recurrence of such incidents. We could not do anything for one family, but we have to do for hundreds of such families.

He also said that the issue of rights is directly and indirectly the daily practice of the media. Media can question all the irregularities; make people aware of their rights and duties and play an important role in establishing rights. We can carry out reformative activities only in view of the news published in the media.

Dr. Kamal Uddin Ahmed called on the media workers to take all-out efforts to spread the necessary knowledge about the constitution, law and rights among the people.

At one stage of the discussion, he said about the recurrence of fires, we have not learned proper lessons from the big fires and explosions in Nimatli, Newmarket and Bangabazar in the past years. Had we taken effective measures, recurrence of fires could have been prevented.

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Suggestion to introduce Human Rights Wing in the Foreign Ministry



Staff Correspondent, Barta24.com, Dhaka
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Parliamentary Standing Committee on Ministry of Foreign Affairs has recommended setting up a new wing on human rights to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The suggestion was made at the parliamentary committee meeting held at Jatiya Sangsad Bhavan on Thursday (March 28). After the meeting, this information was informed in a press release of the Parliament Secretariat.

The meeting recommended taking necessary steps to recognize March 25 as International Genocide Day. A proposal was made in the meeting to visit the Rohingya camps Kutupalong and Bhasanchar with the members of the Standing Committee of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Chairman of the committee AK Abdul Momen chaired the meeting and members of the committee and Foreign Minister Hasan Mahmud, Shahriar Alam, Nahim Razzak, Nizam Uddin Jalil, Nurul Islam Nahid, Habibur Rahman, Saimum Sarwar, Zara Zabeen Mahbub took part in the meeting. #

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