The 18-member executive committee of the Anti-discrimination Student Movement has been approved. This information was given in a notification signed by the organization's convener Hasnat Abdullah and member secretary Arif Sohel on Thursday (November 21).

It said that the 18-member central executive committee of the Anti-discrimination Student Movement has been approved. The convener, member secretary, chief organizer and spokesperson of the organization will be members of this committee by virtue of their office.

Those who have been nominated to the committee are Mahin Sarkar, Rashidul Islam Rifat, Nusrat Tabassum, Lutfar Rahman, Ahnaf Saeed Khan, Tarequl Islam (Tareq Reza), Tariqul Islam, Meherab Hossain Sifat, Asadullah Al Ghalib, Mohammad Rakib, Cynthia Jahin Ayesha, Asad Bin Roni, Naeem Abedin, Mahmuda Sultana Rimi, Ibrahim Nirab, Russell Ahmed, Rafiqul Islam Aini and Muinul Islam.

To keep the market price of daily essential food items within the purchasing power of the general public, the government is reducing customs duty on imported food products and completely withdrawing them in some cases. In continuation of this, the government has reduced import duty and all advance taxes on date imports to keep prices at a bearable level during the coming Ramadan.

This information was revealed in a notification signed by National Board of Revenue (NBR) Chairman Md. Abdur Rahman Khan on Thursday (November 21).

According to the notification, in order to keep dates within the purchasing power of the general public during the month of Ramadan, the existing customs duty on date imports has been reduced from 25 percent to 15 percent, advance income tax has been reduced from 10 percent to 3 percent, and the existing 5 percent advance tax has been completely withdrawn, i.e. the total tax burden has been reduced from 63.60 percent to 38.70 percent.

The reduction in the existing customs duty on date imports could reduce the import cost of dates per kilogram from around Tk. 60 to Tk. 100, depending on the quality. The notification states that the reduction in customs duty at the import stage will increase the import of dates, increase the supply of dates in the market, and keep the selling price of dates within the purchasing power of the common people. 

The number of dengue patients is increasing day by day across the country. The death rate is also increasing in line with this. Nine more people have died from the Aedes mosquito-borne disease in the last 24 hours. With this, the death toll has reached 436. At the same time, 1,214 people have been admitted to hospitals across the country due to dengue.

This information was given in a press release on dengue sent from the Health Emergency Operation Center and Control Room of the Directorate General of Health Services on Thursday (November 21).

It is said that among the patients admitted to the hospital due to dengue in the last 24 hours, 82 are in Barishal division (outside the City Corporation), 94 in Chattogram division (outside the City Corporation), 430 in Dhaka division (outside the City Corporation), 195 in Dhaka North City Corporation, 141 in Dhaka South City Corporation, 117 in Khulna division (outside the City Corporation), 39 in Mymensingh division (outside the City Corporation), 91 in Rajshahi division (outside the City Corporation), 14 in Rangpur division (outside the City Corporation), and 11 in Sylhet division (outside the City Corporation).

In the last 24 hours, 1,335 dengue patients have been discharged from the hospital, a total of 80,050 dengue patients have been discharged this year from various hospitals across the country.

Dhaka: Non-governmental research organization Center for Policy Dialogue (CPD) believes that if prices are set based on market-based and international standards, it is possible to reduce fuel oil prices by Tk. 10-15. Because it is not clear how regulatory agencies set prices.

CPD gave this information at a dialogue titled 'Market-based Fuel Pricing: Government-led Initiatives and Possible Corrections' at a hotel in the capital on Thursday. The keynote address was presented by CPD Research Associate Helen Mashiat Priyoti and Program Associate Faisal Qayyum. CPD Research Director Khandaker Golam Moazzem, Special Fellow Dr. Mostafizur Rahman and Energy Expert Professor Dr. M Shamsul Alam were present. Golam Moazzem said that reforms are underway in all sectors. It is also felt in the energy sector. There is an opportunity to set fuel oil prices considering the interests of consumers. BPC does not need subsidies because they make big profits. Adjusting this profit will prioritize consumer interests, and will also have a positive impact on electricity.

In the main article, CPD said that if the price is determined based on market-based and international standards, it is possible to reduce the price of fuel oil by 10 to 15 taka. It is not clear how the regulatory agencies determine the price. CPD proposed to give the Bangladesh Energy Regulatory Commission (BERC) the responsibility, authority or legal framework to determine the price of fuel oil. They say that BERC will take the opinion of consumers through public hearings. In addition, it is important for the organization to quickly implement the pricing policy. CPD said that if you want to determine competitive prices, the interests of the consumer should be kept in mind. The price of fuel oil needs to be kept within the purchasing power of the consumer. In addition, if the price increases due to currency depreciation, it can be adjusted later. The main article says that it is not clear under which model or law the Bangladesh Petroleum Corporation (BPC) sets fuel prices. Consumers are also not comfortable with the prices. They have not received subsidies since 2015, because they make a profit. They adjust the losses by increasing the price of fuel oil.