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“PM visits to India have been very successful and fruitful”
Information and Broadcasting Minister Hasan Mahmud on Friday said the visit of PM Sheikh Hasina to India has been very successful and fruitful.
“The biggest achievement of the visit is the opportunity to export Bangladesh’s garment products to third countries free of duty using India’s territory. For which Bangladesh has been trying for many years,” said Hasan, also joint general secretary of Bangladesh Awami League.
Expressing his gratitude to the Prime Minister for achieving a lot for Bangladesh through a successful visit to India, Hasan said that the BNP had talked many things about this visit to India, but it should remain silent now as the visit has been successful.
The minister said these as chief guest while addressing Bangladesh Journalists’ Welfare Trust cheque distribution ceremony at S Rahman Hall of Chattogram Press Club (CPC) on Friday noon.
Chattogram Union of Journalists (CUJ) President Mohammad Ali presided over the function while Managing Director of Bangladesh Journalist Welfare Trust Subhash Chandra Badal, CPC President Ali Abbas, Member of Bangladesh Journalist Welfare Trust Kalim Sarwar, Vice President of BFUJ Shahidul Alam, General Secretary of CPC Chowdhury Farid and General Secretary of CUJ Shamsul Islam, among others, addressed the function.
The minister said whatever Bangladesh got from India was achieved by Awami League and incumbent Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina while Khaleda Zia had forgotten to talk about the proper sharing of Ganges water when she visited the neighbouring country.
He said Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman made an agreement in 1974 and “the enclaves were supposed to be handed over to us under the treaty.”
“Our relationship with India is based on equity. Our government has taken everything from India. In 1974, the Enclave Agreement was signed. No one could bring that enclave under our control except the AL government,” he added.
The AL government under the supervision of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina had realized the enclaves after many decades of the agreement and the size of the country Bangladesh has increased, he said.
“In fact, our relations with India are excellent, this has been elevated to new heights under the leadership of Bangabandhu’s daughter Janonetri Sheikh Hasina and Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The relation is to create the opportunity to export the products of Bangladesh duty-free to third countries by using the land area of India,” the information minister said.
Terming Journalist Welfare Trust a place of hope for journalists across the country, the minister said if a journalist dies, his family is given a one-time Tk 300,000.
“If a journalist is sick, he is given Tk fifty thousand to two lakh. No country in this sub-continent, including India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and Nepal, provided such support to journalists during the Corona period,” he added.
A total of 4,000 journalists have been supported by the government through the Journalist Welfare Trust so far, he added.
Hasan said Bangabandhu’s daughter has established the Bangladesh Journalist Welfare Trust considering the demand for journalists.
“Later, the Prime Minister said, I don’t know how long I will stay in power, I want to make a permanent arrangement for the journalist community. Accordingly, the Journalist Welfare Trust law was passed by parliament. The government gives grants every year. An opportunity to accept donations from well-wishers is also kept here,” he said.
Hasan Mahmud said, “We never consider anyone’s party or opinion in the distribution of welfare trust checks.”
“I belong to the party, I am the minister of the party government, but when I am performing the duties of the state, I try to see everyone with two eyes equally, so that everyone gets the support of the state. Those who stand in front of the Press Club and raise their voices against us, we have also helped them from the Trust,” the broadcasting minister said.
He said, “Sometimes we see that there is an attempt to spread confusion in Bangladesh by taking advantage of the situation in the world.”
“Some newspapers and electronic media are trying to create confusion among people by hiding the world situation and exaggerating the situation in Bangladesh. This is nothing new. Even when we started the construction of Padma Bridge, they had also spread confusion,” he added.
Hasan requested the journalist leaders across the country, including Dhaka-Chattogram, and every media house to arrange group insurance for journalists as per the Wage Board.
Later, the information minister handed over cheques of assistance to 36 journalists of Chattogram.
In light of the current situation, Bangladesh Bank has mandated that all banks and financial institutions refrain from charging additional fees for late payments of credit card bills and loan installments.
The central bank issued this directive through two separate notifications on Wednesday, providing a significant relief measure to the financially burdened.
Borrowers and credit card holders who were required to make payments during the curfew and public holidays now have until July 31 to settle their dues. Bangladesh Bank has explicitly stated that banks and financial institutions are prohibited from imposing any extra interest, penalties, or late fees for installments or credit card bills due between July 18 and 25. Furthermore, no savings schemes shall be canceled for non-payment of installments during this period.
The central bank’s notification acknowledges that many borrowers and credit card users have struggled to meet their payment deadlines due to the prevailing circumstances.
Additionally, numerous depositors have been unable to make timely deposits into various savings schemes, including the Deposit Pension Scheme (DPS). To address these challenges, the new guidelines will be in effect from July 18 to 25, covering dues on loans, credit card bills, and savings scheme installments.
According to the directive, if the outstanding loan and credit card payments are settled by July 31, any accrued interest, penalty interest, additional interest, excess profit, or late fees will be waived. Similarly, if savings scheme installments are paid by July 31, no late fees or penalties will be imposed.
Moreover, any interest, penalty, or late fee already collected on loans, credit cards, or savings schemes must be refunded or adjusted, as per the Bangladesh Bank directive.
The Bangladesh Bank (BB) has announced an extension for the payment period against imports of industrial raw materials from 180 to 360 days, a measure now set to remain in place until December 2024. This policy, initially scheduled to end in June of this year, has been prolonged to facilitate trade transactions, according to a BB circular issued today.
“To support trade transactions, it has been decided to extend the policy support until December 31, 2024. The extended usance period will not apply to imports under EDF loans, as previously stipulated. All other relevant instructions remain unchanged,” the circular stated.
To ensure timely payment of salaries and bonuses to garment industry workers before Eid-ul-Azha, the branches of banks in key industrial areas will remain open on a limited basis on June 14, 15, and 16.
The Bangladesh Bank (BB) issued a notification stating that bank branches in Dhaka metropolitan, Ashulia, Tongi, Gazipur, Savar, Bhaluka, and Narayanganj will operate on these days to facilitate financial transactions for garment sector employees.
Typically, Friday and Saturday (June 14 and 15) are weekly holidays, and Sunday (June 16) will be closed for Eid. Despite these closures, the BB has mandated that banks in industrial regions stay open to manage the disbursement of wages and bonuses and facilitate the sale of export bills.
Additionally, bank branches in Chattogram metropolitan and industrial areas will also be open to support garment workers’ payments and the processing of export bills.
The BB has instructed banks to coordinate with local authorities to ensure adequate security at the branches during this period.
Eid-ul-Azha, one of the most significant religious festivals for Muslims, will be celebrated in Bangladesh on June 17.
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