BSS, Dhaka, 11 February : Reiterating the present government's firm commitment to protect the interest of the migrant workers, Bangladesh Foreign Minister Dr Dipu Moni today said the government is going to frame a comprehensive National Migration Policy keeping in mind their immense contribution to the country."The process for formulating a comprehensive National Migration Policy is going on to protect the interest of Bangladesh's seven million migrant workers who have been playing the key role in the country's economic development by contributing more than 10 billion US dollars a year," she told a workshop in the city.
The foreign minister said a comprehensive human trafficking law is also being enacted to prevent labor trafficking side by side with checking trafficking of women and children, while the government, as the regulator, with the help of the recruiting agencies and other stakeholders is making efforts to reduce the cost of migration and ensure compliance of laws by the migrant workers. န Photo : BSS
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Nothing short of separate state "Gorkhaland" : GJM chief
Jalpaiguri, 11 February : Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) chief Bimal Gurung today vowed to continue the agitation for a separate state and asserted his party will not accept any interim set-up.
"Nothing short of Gorkhaland is now acceptable for the morcha. No discussion on interim set-up anymore," Gurung told reporters after the GJM meeting at Kumani, on the border of Darjeeling and Jalpaiguri districts.
Jalpaiguri, 11 February : Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) chief Bimal Gurung today vowed to continue the agitation for a separate state and asserted his party will not accept any interim set-up.
"Nothing short of Gorkhaland is now acceptable for the morcha. No discussion on interim set-up anymore," Gurung told reporters after the GJM meeting at Kumani, on the border of Darjeeling and Jalpaiguri districts.
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School's out for World Cup matches in Bangladesh cities
Reuters, Dhaka, 11 February : Educational institutions in the Bangladesh capital Dhaka and main port of Chittagong will close during World Cup matches in the cities to help ease congestion around the venues, tournament officials said on Friday.
Bangladesh meet co-hosts India in the opening match of the tournament at the Shere Bangla National Stadium on 19 February, two days after the opening ceremony at the Bangabandhu National Stadium, also in Dhaka.... READ FULL STORY
Reuters, Dhaka, 11 February : Educational institutions in the Bangladesh capital Dhaka and main port of Chittagong will close during World Cup matches in the cities to help ease congestion around the venues, tournament officials said on Friday.
Bangladesh meet co-hosts India in the opening match of the tournament at the Shere Bangla National Stadium on 19 February, two days after the opening ceremony at the Bangabandhu National Stadium, also in Dhaka.... READ FULL STORY
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Tripura mourns Sankar Das' death, thousands pay homage
Agartala, 11 February : Thousands of mourners are paying last homage to AMC chairperson Sankar Das. The city chief died yesterday in AIIMS and his mortal remains were flown back to Agartala in the evening. Since arrival of the body thousands thronged to his home and later at CPI(M) DC office where the remains were kept. Chief MInister Manik Sarkar and other LF party colleagues of the departed soul offered their tribute to him there.Today morning at around 9.30 am a procession of mourners led the last journey. Das' body was brought to AMC office at Paradise Choumuhani where Finance Minister Badal Choudhury, Transport Minister Manik Dey, High Court Judge UB Saha, Chief Secretary S K Panda, political leaders like former Congress minister Ratan Chakrabarty, former AMC chairperson Dipak Majumdar, AMC councillors like Kalyani Dey paid floral tribute to Das. Hundreds of organizations and individuals offered floral wreaths to him.
From AMC office Das mortal remains would be taken to Aagartala Govt Medical College. He had donated his body to the college. န Photo : Parthajit Dutta
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Indian EC observers visit West Bengal for second time
Kolkata, 11 February : A three-member team of Election Commission observers, led by Bihar Chief Electoral Officer Sudhir Kumar Rakesh, today visited West Bengal for the second time to assess the law and order situation ahead of the Assembly polls.
Speaking to reporters after the conference, Rakesh said, "I have received some complaints and so we have come here. We will go to two districts today and two districts tomorrow." When asked whether they will go to Darjeeling where the law and order situation has deteriorated considerably in the last couple of days, Rakesh said "If needed we will got to Darjeeling even".
Kolkata, 11 February : A three-member team of Election Commission observers, led by Bihar Chief Electoral Officer Sudhir Kumar Rakesh, today visited West Bengal for the second time to assess the law and order situation ahead of the Assembly polls.
Speaking to reporters after the conference, Rakesh said, "I have received some complaints and so we have come here. We will go to two districts today and two districts tomorrow." When asked whether they will go to Darjeeling where the law and order situation has deteriorated considerably in the last couple of days, Rakesh said "If needed we will got to Darjeeling even".
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Gogoi asks Mamata for more 'railway projects' in Assam
PTI, Guwahati, 11 February : Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi today asked Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee to include several projects for the state in the forthcoming Railway Budget 2011-12.Gogoi sent a letter to Banerjee asking for new lines to strengthen the railway infrastructure in the North Eastern region and Assam, including a new line from Salona to Kumtai and Jorhat to Sivasagar.
He also urged for a transport corridor along the south bank of Brahmaputra, building of the six km Tirap-Lekhapani railway line for efficient and economical access to the Lekhapani coal mines to feed the upcoming 750 MW Bongaigaon Thermal Power Station (BTPS) of NTPC at Salakati in Kokrajhar district.
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Indefinite bandh entering 3rd day, hits life in Darjeeling hills
Siliguri, 11 February : Life was paralysed in the three hill sub-divisions - Darjeeling, Kurseong and Kalimpong - with the indefinite bandh, called by the Gorkha Janamukti Morcha (GJM) to protest Tuesday's police firing on its supporters at Sipchu in Jalpaiguri district, entering the third day today.
The bandh had been total as shops, government offices, tea gardens and educational institutions remained closed. No vehicle plied, excepting the National Highway 31A linking the state with Sikkim on which buses escorted by police were spotted. The National Highway 55 wore a deserted look.
Siliguri, 11 February : Life was paralysed in the three hill sub-divisions - Darjeeling, Kurseong and Kalimpong - with the indefinite bandh, called by the Gorkha Janamukti Morcha (GJM) to protest Tuesday's police firing on its supporters at Sipchu in Jalpaiguri district, entering the third day today.
The bandh had been total as shops, government offices, tea gardens and educational institutions remained closed. No vehicle plied, excepting the National Highway 31A linking the state with Sikkim on which buses escorted by police were spotted. The National Highway 55 wore a deserted look.
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Trinamool inciting Darjeeling violence : Asok Bhattacharya
Kolkata, 11 February : West Bengal Urban Development and Municipal Affairs Minister Asok Bhattacharya Friday accused the Trinamool Congress of trying to gain political mileage by inciting violence in the Darjeeling hills and the Dooars in Jalpaiguri.
‘The Trinamool has no base in the hills. It is using the (Gorkha Janamukti) Morcha (GJM) to incite violence in the hills and gain political mileage,’ said Bhattacharya, who hails from Siliguri in Darjeeling district. Bhattacharya also accused the Trinamool, the GJM and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of joining hands to use violence to create political instability.
Kolkata, 11 February : West Bengal Urban Development and Municipal Affairs Minister Asok Bhattacharya Friday accused the Trinamool Congress of trying to gain political mileage by inciting violence in the Darjeeling hills and the Dooars in Jalpaiguri.
‘The Trinamool has no base in the hills. It is using the (Gorkha Janamukti) Morcha (GJM) to incite violence in the hills and gain political mileage,’ said Bhattacharya, who hails from Siliguri in Darjeeling district. Bhattacharya also accused the Trinamool, the GJM and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of joining hands to use violence to create political instability.
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Violence against our ideology : ULFA 'chairman' Rajkhowa
New Delhi, 11 February : Singing a new tune, the banned ULFA today said violence was against its ideology and all these years it indulged in violent acts as "there was a threat" to the state and its people.
Interacting with a group of Assamese students studying in the national capital, ULFA 'chairman' Arabinda Rajkhowa said the existing political setup poses a threat to Assam and its people that led to the formation of the group and its 31 years of insurgency movement.
New Delhi, 11 February : Singing a new tune, the banned ULFA today said violence was against its ideology and all these years it indulged in violent acts as "there was a threat" to the state and its people.
Interacting with a group of Assamese students studying in the national capital, ULFA 'chairman' Arabinda Rajkhowa said the existing political setup poses a threat to Assam and its people that led to the formation of the group and its 31 years of insurgency movement.
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Most pharmaceutical co's practice unethical drug promotion
UNB, Dhaka, 11 February : With a view to popularizing their brands, most of the pharmaceutical companies in the country allegedly practice unethical drug promotion alluring doctors with free samples and gifts to prescribe their medicines.Pharmaceutical companies practice drug promotion to boost sales and earn more profit, although it is clearly unethical according to the rules of the Drug Administration, Prof Dr M Sharfuddin Ahmed, secretary general of Bangladesh Medical Association (BMA), told UNB Staff Correspondent Rafiqul Islam.
“Drug promotion is a common feature in the country. But it is witnessed more in the rural areas aiming at attracting the village doctors to prescribe a particular brand of drug for their patients,” he said.
Prof Dr Sharfuddin, also chairman of the Eye Department at Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University (BSMMU), said though it is well known that currently Bangladeshi pharmaceutical companies produce standard medicines but all companies cannot produce quality products.He urged the authorities concerned for taking effective steps to stop unethical drug promotion in the country. According to the industry sources, the pharmaceutical companies allocate huge sums in their annual budget for gifts to be distributed among the medical practitioners.
The medical representatives visit doctors daily from morning to night, including at working hours of upazila health complexes, district hospitals and medical college hospitals. Dhaka Medical College Hospital and Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University (BSMMU) Hospital are no exception, the sources said.
A number of representatives of pharmaceutical companies, both local and multinational, told this correspondent that they often bribe doctors in order to promote their particular drugs.
M Shahin Shah, a medical representative of Alco Pharmaceutical Company, who recently left his job, said that the pharmaceutical companies offer attractive gifts to the doctor on various occasions. “Beginning with the new year, companies offer calendars to doctors and also gifts on special occasions like Eid, Puja and Victory Day.”
“The pharmaceutical companies offer doctors many things - from pens to cash money - as part of their promotional activities. Sometimes they even undertake decoration of the doctors and also offer sarees for doctors’ wives,” he said. Narrating his own experience, Shahin said that during his service as a medical representative, he offered crystal flower vase to a doctor and requested him to prescribe a particular medicine of his company. Instantly, the doctor prescribed the tablet for a patient without trying to know its quality.
He said that many companies give Tk 5,000-Tk 10,000 to popular and familiar doctors per month in rural areas to promote their drugs. This rate is reportedly higher in urban areas.
The former medical representative also informed that the pharmaceutical companies offer many other incentives to the doctors. These include free air ticket for foreign trip, computer, mobile phone, telephone, refrigerator, air-conditioner, table lamp, towel, calendar, diary and electronic gadgets including TV sets, and sometimes even rent of medical chamber.
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