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Yarn import jumps 13% as local production stops
Rtv news
06 Jul 2024, 18:32
Photo: File Picture
Bangladesh's textile and spinning mills are struggling to produce yarn due to a lingering gas crisis which has led to a jump in yarn imports of about 13% as fabric and apparel makers look elsewhere to meet the demand.
According to data from the Bangladesh Bank, the apparel industry imported yarn worth $2.64 billion in the July-April period of the just-concluded fiscal year, compared to products worth $2.34 billion during the same period in FY23.
Apparel exporters said the garment industry is facing a double whammy. Local textile mills and garment makers have been forced to increase imports despite the prevailing dollar crisis. Recent cuts to government incentives may further encourage imports. This reliance on foreign yarn could hurt the value addition of the RMG sector.
The gas supply crisis has also become a critical component in this situation. Typically, garments and textile mills require around 8-10 pounds per square inch (PSI) of gas pressure to run at full capacity.
However, gas pressure drops to 1-2 PSI during the daytime, significantly impacting production which continues even into the night in the major industrial zones, according to the Bangladesh Textile Mills Association (BTMA).
Low gas pressure has crippled production forcing 70-80% of mills to operate at around 40% of their capacity, industry owners say.
"We have been grappling with gas shortages over the past year, and our production has gradually declined. However, production has now plummeted below 40% of our capacity as the crisis intensified over the last month," said Rajib Haider, managing director of Outpace Spinning Mills Ltd, located in Mawna, Sreepur, while speaking to TBS.
The gas crisis is especially severe in areas such as Tongi, Joydebpur, Sreepur, Bhaluka, Araihazar in Narayanganj, Palash, Madhabdi, Madanpur, Savar, and Ashulia,
Mohammad Ali Khokon, president of BTMA.
"Despite having orders, spinning mill owners are concerned about meeting supply deadlines," If spinners fail to supply yarn on time, garment owners may be forced to import yarns, he added.
The entrepreneur also noted that reduced production has raised costs and reduced cash flow, making it challenging to pay workers' salaries and allowances on time.
Source: TBS
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Asif Mahmud got responsibility of Youth and Sports Ministry
As the head of the interim government, the Nobel Prize winner Dr. Muhammad Yunus took oath on Thursday. He promised to give a new Bangladesh. Apart from this, 16 more people have been kept as advisors.
Friday (August 9) around 11:30 Advisors of the Interim Government paid tribute at the Central Shaheed Minar led by Dr. Muhammad Yunus. After that, the responsibilities of various ministries have been handed over to the advisors. Where young student leader Asif Mahmud Sajib Bhuiyan has the responsibility of the Youth and Sports Ministry.
Asif Mahmud is one of the coordinators of the anti-discrimination student movement. He was active on social media during the movement. Asif came on Facebook Live and gave instructions to the agitators. He became the 'advisor of the interim government' from the coordinator of the anti-discrimination student movement.
Asif Mahmud's house is in Akubpur village of Muradnagar upazila of Comilla. His father's name is Md. Billal Hossain and mother's name is Roksana Begum. He was a former student of Adamjee Cantonment College and platoon sergeant of the college's BNCC club. He was a student in the 2017-18 academic year of the Linguistics Department of Dhaka University. This young student leader replaced Nazmul Hasan Papon.
Bangladesh Railway: Trains to start running across the country
Trains will resume across the country from tomorrow after being stopped due to security concerns amid violence and vandalism. However, freight trains will run from August 12. Mail, express, local, and commuter trains from August 13 and intercity trains from August 15.
Bangladesh Railway Director General Sardar Sahadat Ali confirmed this information to the media on Sunday (August 11).
He said, 'The trains will start running from tomorrow but the trains will run at full speed from August 15 including intercity.
Bangladesh Railway Public Relations Director Nahid Hasan Khan said in a circular sent to the media that the movement of Parabot and Jamalpur Express trains will be temporarily stopped. Intercity train tickets can be purchased from 5 pm tomorrow.
NSI new Director General Major General Sarwar
Major General Abu Mohammad Sarwar Farid appointed as new Director General of National Intelligence Agency (NSI).
The Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) reported this on Tuesday (August 13).
According to ISPR, Major General Abu Mohammad Sarwar Farid of Bangladesh Army has been appointed as Director General of NSI, Major General Mohammad Asadullah Minhazul Alam has been appointed as Commandant of DSCSC and Major General Khandakar Md Shahidul Emran has been appointed as Commandant of BMA.
Salman F Rahman and Anisul Haque arrested
Former prime minister Sheikh Hasina's adviser on private industry and investment Salman F Rahman and former law minister Anisul Haque have been arrested.
Law and order forces arrested them on Tuesday, August 13.
It has been reported that the former prime minister's adviser Salman F Rahman and former law minister Anisul Haque were arrested by the police from the Sadarghat area while escaping by sea in a case at Newmarket police station.
Application for 10 days remand of Salman F Rahman and Anisul Haque
The police have applied for a 10-day remand of former Prime Minister's Private Industry and Investment advisor Salman F Rahman and former Law Minister Anisul Haque, who were arrested in a murder case at Newmarket police station in Dhaka.
A hearing will be held in Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Mohammad Mamunur Rashid's court on Wednesday (August 14).
Earlier, the police arrested them from the capital's Sadarghat area while they were fleeing by boat on Tuesday afternoon.
According to DMP sources, Salman F Rahman and Anisul Haque are trying to escape after receiving information from intelligence sources that a police team went to the Sadarghat area. The two leaders thought it was a safe route and tried to escape by river route when they were arrested from there.
Incidentally, a student and a hawker were killed in a clash in front of Dhaka College on July 16 during the anti-discrimination student movement. In this regard, a murder case has been registered at Newmarket police station. It assumed that Salman F Rahman and Anisul Haque had been arrested as the instigators of those murders.
Superfluous of Hajj Expenses, Air fare / Jubo League leader Taslim Behind the Scene!
M Shahadat Hossain Taslim, an influential leader of Awami Jubo League has formed an unprecedented 'commercial syndicate' with the Holy Hajj. He is the presidium member of Jubo League, the youth organization of Bangladesh Awami League, and the president of the Hajj Agencies Association of Bangladesh (HAAB). At his behest, air fares for hajj pilgrims were increased unusually. This is because he is the General Sales Agent (GSA) of Bangladesh for the Flynas Airlines, a budget Saudi Arabian air carrier.
Three airlines carry hajj pilgrims. These include Biman Bangladesh Airlines, Saudia Airlines and Flynas Airlines. Around 90 percent of Hajj passengers are expected to travel on Bangladesh Biman and Saudi Airlines flights. And Flynas Airlines is supposed to carry 10 to 15 percent passengers.
However, breaking the rules, Taslim carried more than half of the passengers of Bangladesh Biman in Flynas flight. Thus, Taslim and the members of his syndicate took hundreds of crores of Takas from the pockets of pilgrims.
After the recent fall of the Sheikh Hasina government, the Hajj agency owners have spoken out against the arbitrariness of Taslim. They demanded to save the hub and the pilgrims from the `Taslim Syndicate’.
The agency owners said that, in 2023, Hub President Taslim became the General Sales Agent (GSA) of Flynas Airlines in Bangladesh. That year, the air fare of pilgrims increased from Tk 58,000 to Tk 1,98,000. Taslim worked behind this rent upsurge. And he took the extra fare in his pocket through Flynas Airlines.
In the year of 2023 Taslim reduced the number of flights of Bangladesh Biman and carried 20,000 passengers on Flynas. The same number of Hajj passengers carried this year as well. The extra rent went into the pockets of him and his syndicate. Taslim Syndicate is the `real villain’ of airfare hike.
HAAB members complain that Taslim has held the HAAB hostage by using the influence of Jubo League's presidium membership. Therefore, people of other political ideologies cannot come to the leadership of the Hub. In this regard, Taslim was very welcomed by former finance minister AHM Mustafa Kamal, former Prime Minister's adviser on industry and private investment Salman F Rahman and former Feni MP Nizam Hazari.
Under their umbrella, Taslim monopolizes and continues the Hajj trade. Hub members believe that Taslim also fled the country after the fall of Sheikh Hasina's government recently.
Hajj agency owners said Taslim and Awami Ulama League along with some opportunistic license owners took over the hub office in 2019. Later he declared himself as the the president of HAAB. He was assisted by the then State Minister for Religion Sheikh Abdullah(late) and Jubo League President Omar Farooq Chowdhury and Jubo League leader Ismail Hossain Chowdhury Samrat.
The victims said that the air fare for Haj in 2019 was Tk. 1 lakh 28000 . That rent increased to Tk.1 lakh 40,000 in 2022. In the next year, the air fare increased to Tk. 1 lakh 98,000. Despite widespread criticism, the rent was not reduced. Shahadat Hossain Taslim, the leader of the Haj Syndicate, acted as the mastermind behind the fare hike.
HAAB leaders said Taslim Syndicate members have been collecting additional air ticket fare and 1 percent house rent for the last 6 years. During this time, they embezzled Tk. 7000 crore. Not only that, he made the hub office a hangout for Jubo League and Ulama League.
HAAB leaders also said that almost every evening, the Taslim Syndicate conducts alcohol-gambling in the HUB office. Currently the hub office is occupied by his committee of Ulama League and his fellow Hajj license holders. The Taslim Syndicate has smuggled Tk. thousands of crores abroad by creating a syndicate in Malaysia.
Nazim Uddin, the owner of Al Nafi Hajj Travel Agency, told a media that this syndicate must be shattered and HAAB needs to be unblemished. He also advised that Airfare should be reduced and Hajj should be made within the reach of common people.
Meanwhile, Taslim could not be contacted as he was in hiding after the recent fall of Hasina's government.
New Routine Revealed of Postponed HSC Exam
The new routine for the HSC and equivalent examinations, which were postponed due to the situation surrounding the quota reform movement in government jobs and the change in government, has been revealed. The rest of the exams will start from September 11.
The schedule was published on the Dhaka Secondary and Higher Secondary Education Board website on Thursday (August 15).
Click here to see the HSC exam schedule: https://www.dhakaeducationboard.gov.bd/data/20240815145651126185.pdf
The postponed HSC exam is scheduled to be held from 11 September 2024.
Earlier, HSC and equivalent exams were postponed several times. First, the last July 18 exam was postponed. Then the HSC and equivalent examinations of all education boards on July 21, 23, and 25 were simultaneously postponed.
After this, another phase of the examination was postponed from July 28 to August 1. The next exam was scheduled to start on August 4, but it was postponed. Finally, on August 11, the remaining exams were scheduled to be conducted in the new schedule, but the HSC and equivalent exams were postponed indefinitely due to the burning of question papers.
