Dhaka Transport Coordination Authority (DTCA) organized a 7 days Capacity Development Training Program under the project “Mid-term Review and Updating of Revised Strategic Transport Plan for DTCA Area” at the BIAM foundation, Eskaton, Dhaka.  The closing and certificate awarding program was presided over by Ms. Neelima Akhter, Executive Director, DTCA which was held on 3rd February 2024. The honorable Secretary of the Road Transport and Highways Division, Ministry of Road Transport and Bridges, A B M Amin Ullah Nuri was the Chief guest of the opening program. The city is already facing chronic traffic congestion and if we do not take the necessary action now, the situation will further deteriorate. To address the rapid population growth and increasing traffic demand in the DTCA jurisdiction area, a transport master plan was developed in 2005 by the then DTCB known as the Strategic Transport Plan, STP. Later, it was revised in 2016 by DTCA with JICA’s assistance which is known as the Revised Strategic Transport Plan, RSTP.  Several projects were proposed in RSTP to resolve the traffic issues. To update the Revised Strategic Transport Plan, DTCA has taken the project for review and update the strategic transport plan for the DTCA area. The project is being implemented by DTCA with the assistance of ADB using the Technical Assistance Special Fund and Japan Fund for Prosperous and Resilient Asia & the Pacific. The updated Strategic Transport plan will dictate the future of the Transport system in Dhaka City. This assignment has been awarded to the consortium of OCG- SMEC- BCL-ACE-MSL-PRIMEX. Under the project, for capacity development of DTCA and other relevant organizations, the Transportation Planning training program was arranged. This was a unique 7 days training program and very few of its kind which include hands-on training on:  •    Trip Production/Attraction Model •    Analysis of Household Interview Survey Data •    OD Visualization and Trip Distribution Model •    Highway Assignment using TransCAD software •    Public Transport Assignment using TransCAD software •    Economic Evaluation and Analysis •    OD matrices update methodology using Building Floor Area Data •    Basic Traffic Impact Assessment using TransCAD software In the training, Microsoft Access and Excel were used for data analysis and visualization, whereas Kepler.gl, qGIS and TransCAD were used for mapping, OD matrix preparation, travel demand modeling, and visualization of the demand models. The training program was conducted by the TA Consultants, especially Team Leader Tomokazu WACHI, Takatoshi MORIWAKI, Keisuke AKIHO, Pallab Debnath, and other members were involved in arranging fruitful training on transport planning and modeling. In the training program, 17 participants were from DTCA. Apart from DTCA, delegates from other 13 organizations such as Capital Development Authority (RAJUK), Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP), Roads and Highways Department (RHD), Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC), Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC), Dhaka Mass Transit Company Limited (DMTCL), Bangladesh Bridge Authority (BBA), Bangladesh Railway (BR), and other organizations have participated in the training.   

Emphasising on India's climate commitments, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday said that the country has shown leadership in climate action and achieved its non-fossil installed electric capacity target nine years in advance. In a video message to the G20 Energy Ministerial Meeting in Goa on Saturday, the Prime Minister said India now plans to achieve 50 percent non-fossil installed capacity by the year 2030. “No talk about the future, sustainability or growth and development can be complete without energy. It impacts development at all levels, from individuals to nations,” the Prime Minister said at the meeting that brought together ministers from the countries in the G20 grouping. He pointed out that India is among the global leaders in solar and wind power and is making great efforts in green growth and energy transition. “India is the most populated nation and the fastest-growing large economy in the world yet we are moving strongly on our climate commitments... We achieved our non-fossil, installed electric capacity target 9 years in advance. We have now set a higher target, we plan to achieve 50 per cent non-fossil installed capacity by 2030," PM Modi said.  The G20 Energy Ministerial meeting is being held under the chairpersonship of Union Minister for Power and New and Renewable Energy, R K Singh. Earlier on Friday, Union minister Singh said that India has achieved its target of producing 43.6 per cent of its total energy through non-fossil fuel sources nine years ahead of the schedule of 2023.  The Prime Minister pointed out that the world looks to the G20 countries to this group to advance sustainable, just, affordable, inclusive, and clean energy transition and urged them to ensure that the Global South is not left behind, “We must ensure low-cost finance for developing countries,” PM Modi said.  “We must find ways to bridge technology gaps, promote energy security, and work on diversifying supply chains. And, we must strengthen collaboration on the 'fuels for the future,'” he said. Meanwhile in his video message today, the Prime Minister said more than 119 million families in the country have got LPG connections in the last nine years. “We have also achieved the historic milestone of connecting every village to electricity,” he said. "In 2015, we began a small movement, by launching a scheme for the use of LED lights, this became the largest LED distribution programme in the world. Saving more than 45 billion units of energy per year," the prime minister said.  He said that India's domestic electrical market, is projected to reach 10 million annual sales by 2030. "We have commenced the rollout of 20 per cent ethanol blended petrol this year. Our aim is to cover entire country by 2025," he said.  The Prime Minister said that for decarbonising India is working on a mission mode on green hydrogen as an alternative.   "The aim is to make India, a global hub for the production, use and export of green hydrogen and its derivatives," the PM said.  The Energy Ministerial meeting was followed by the launch of the Green Hydrogen Innovation Centre by the Union Minister for Power and New and Renewable Energy RK Singh and the Global Biofuel Alliance by Union Minister for Petroleum and Natural Gas Hardeep Singh.  Earlier on July 14, Power Secretary informed that the Energy Ministers from G20 member countries, nine invited countries and high-ranking officials from 14 international organizations will be part of the Ministerial meeting.  In the lead-up to the Energy Ministerial Meeting, a two-day 4th Energy Transition Working Group meeting concluded on Thursday in Goa. 

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina today said the least developed countries (LDCs) must focus on enhancing their trade-related infrastructure, building productive capacity and utilising preferential market access to be competitive in the global market. "For achieving these objectives, LDCs require support and investment for connectivity, human capital, trade finance and technology transfer," she said. The premier made this remarks while co-chairing the high-level thematic round table "Enhancing participation of least developed countries in international trade and regional integration" at the 5th United Nations Conference on LDCs at Qatar National Convention Centre (QNCC). She said trade will continue to remain a key driver of development for graduating and graduated LDCs. Sheikh Hasina said the graduating LDCs need extension of LDC-specific support measures, such as preferential market access and the TRIPS waiver for a certain period after graduation. Mentioning that the LDC group in WTO has already placed its proposals on these issues, she said, "Those proposals should be seriously considered by the international community, especially given the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic and the war in Ukraine." The prime minister said it is clear that LDCs need to re-double their efforts to achieve the targets that they have set for themselves in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and in the Doha Programme of Action. This requires concerted efforts at national, regional, and global levels, she said. "Our approach and commitments should be pragmatic, realistic, and well-designed to enhance LDCs' productive capacity," she said. She added: "I hope our deliberations will positively contribute towards achieving targets we have set for ourselves in the Doha Programme of Action." Focusing on Bangladesh, Sheikh Hasina said her government has placed significant emphasis on improving national and cross-border connectivity by constructing a multimodal transport system. "It will reduce costs, enhance efficiency, and promote regional and international trade," she said. She said that they are also implementing various initiatives aimed at developing skills, increasing productivity, improving intellectual property regime, and enhancing their competitiveness. She also said her government's policy is to engage the private sector to participate in national development.

The French-German relationship is in crisis again and this time, the spat seems more serious than usual. It also comes at a critical time, as it undermines the EU's ability to act in a crisis. A recent announcement that a Franco-German ministerial meeting is being pushed back to next January appears to have revealed a deepening rift between the two countries. The alliance between Germany and France is often described as "the engine" of the European Union and analysts say the current spat is undermining the EU's capacity to act. The Elysee Palace was quick to put the move down to scheduling difficulties for several ministers and a lack of time to prepare the meeting. "The delay does in no way give an indication of the current state of the Franco-German relationship," a spokeswoman told press last week, adding that it was indeed just a delay and not a cancellation. But her statement — and then the hastily scheduled visit by German Chancellor Olaf Scholz to Paris this Wednesday — failed to convince analysts. Vital cooperation "The Franco-German ministerial meeting generally does not yield many concrete results apart from nonessential decisions, such as setting up common language courses, and is an occasion to repeat the two countries' commitment to close cooperation," Stefan Seidendorf, deputy director of the Ludwigsburg-based think tank, the German-Franco Institute, or DFI, said.  "But these meetings and Franco-German cooperation are vital for the functioning of the EU — and never since the first one in 1963 has a meeting been cancelled," he told DW. Seidendorf explained that what works for the US in foreign policy doesn't work in Europe. The US presumes it can act alone, as it is big enough for other countries to see its actions as an example to follow. "But no European country is large enough to guarantee political stability by itself and we need a fundamental consensus between France and Germany, the bloc's two largest economies, which also represent the two most divergent standpoints. Other member states align with that compromise," Seidendorf pointed out. France and Germany, both going it alone Currently though, both Germany and France seem to prefer forging their own independent paths. Berlin recently voted through a €200 billion ($197 billion) emergency package to aid against rising gas and electricity prices at home, without informing France. That would have been common courtesy, especially as such an amount is likely to distort the market. What's more, at a recent NATO meeting, Germany signed a deal with 14 other NATO countries and Finland on a new air defense system called the European Sky Shield Initiative, or ESSI. The initiative aims to create a joint air defense program on the continent. But France was not included. This is even though France is already developing the so-called Mamba air missile defense shield together with Italy. Since the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February this year, military defense has gained new importance. Meanwhile at the EU's Summit of the Heads of State and Government last week, France's President Emmanuel Macron announced a deal with Spain and Portugal to build a new hydrogen and gas pipeline between Barcelona and Marseille. That project buries the so-called Midcat pipeline that would have linked Spain with France through the Pyrenees. Berlin preferred this pipeline, likley in the hope that Germany would eventually benefit from Iberian gas too. The French President also had a direct dig at his supposed ally. "It's neither good for Germany nor for Europe when Germany isolates itself," he said. No time to be sulking "Both sides are irritated with each other," Seidendorf commented. "Germany seems to think it can come to multilateral agreements with other small countries and circumvent France. And France is still waiting for Germany to accept Macron's pledge for deeper European integration that he made during his speech at Sorbonne University in 2017," the political scientist added. At the time the French President pleaded for a whole-of-eurozone budget and stronger military and tax cooperation, among other things. But Sophie Pornschlegel, a senior policy analyst at Brussels-based think tank, the European Policy Centre, doesn't find the show of bilateral sulking particularly amusing. "We don't have time for this — there's a war in Europe and we're facing an energy crisis," she told DW. Brussels-based analyst Sophie PornschlegelBrussels-based analyst Sophie Pornschlegel Brussels-based analyst Sophie Pornschlegel says this is no time for sulkingImage: Frederike van der Straeten (Berlin 2021) "If we're lucky, and it doesn't get too cold in the coming months, we'll get through this winter. But we'll need a long-term solution to deal with rising energy prices through, for example, an EU solidarity fund," she argued. Otherwise energy could become unaffordable, Pornschlegel added, and lead to an economic crisis and more unemployment. "The current rift in Europe plays into [Russian leader] Vladimir Putin's hands and hamstrings the EU's capacity to act," she stressed. A far deeper disagreement? France and Germany have areas where they traditionally disagree, such as on energy. For instance, France is in favor of nuclear energy whereas Germany is opposed to it. But, as Jacques-Pierre Gougeon, an expert on Germany at Paris-based think tank, the Institute for International and Strategic Relations, pointed out, the current crisis seems deeper than previous disagreements. "The spat is particularly grave," Gougeon told DW, "as some smaller EU member states, such as Poland and the Baltic states, are questioning Franco-German leadership."  Ronja Kempin, a senior fellow at the German Institute for International and Security Affairs in Berlin, also thinks the current argument reflects a deeper, more fundamental disagreement. "Macron has for a long time been pushing for the EU to function with smaller, issue-specific working groups and is opposed to an EU expansion before it's been reformed. He sees the EU as a way to widen France's power," she explained to DW. "Germany, on the other hand, sees an EU expansion as a way to transform and bring peace to countries," she added. Looking on the bright side DFI's Seidendorf still sees a silver lining. "German and French heads of state have often had to go through a learning curve to understand that the EU cannot function without the Franco-German couple." When they were in power, former German leader Ludwig Erhard, who was in power in the 1960s, and former French leader, Nicolas Sarkozy, who was president between 2007 and 2012, had to learn this too, Seidendorf pointed out.  It's "incredibly difficult" to come to a compromise with an ally who disagrees with you in certain key areas, he conceded. "But eventually they all come around." 

Within the past two years, the number of cases of massive drug consignments originating from Afghanistan being intercepted by Indian security agencies has increased exponentially, so much so that media reports on these numerous busts no longer come across as surprising despite the huge amounts of drugs and money involved. Just this past week, reports of the seizure of 200 kilograms of Afghan heroin worth $1.45 million in Kerala were closely followed by those on 50 kgs of mephedrone that were recovered from a godown in Mumbai. These drug seizures certainly point to the close attention that the Indian government has paid to coastal intelligence and security since the Mumbai terrorist attacks in 2008, but the sheer scale of some of the seizures and the quantum of funding that would be required to mount the drug smuggling operations would have added to existing Indian concerns of the involvement of Pakistani intelligence agencies such as the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI). On 7 October, after having received intelligence inputs of a drugs-laden vessel that would enter Indian coastal waters, India’s Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) and the Indian Navy launched a joint operation off the coast of Kerala to intercept it. The operation led to the seizure of 200 kilograms of Afghan heroin from the Iran flagged vessel. There was nothing else on the vessel apart from the heroin. The NCB informed that according to preliminary investigations, the heroin had been sourced from Afghanistan and transported to Pakistan. NCB’s Deputy Director-General (Operations) Sanjay Kumar Singh said at a press conference on 8 October that “This consignment was loaded into the seized vessel off the Pakistan coast through a mid-sea exchange. The vessel then set off for the Indian waters for further delivery of the consignment to a Sri Lankan vessel. Efforts were made to identify and intercept this Sri Lankan vessel”. Singh added that “The boat along with the recovered heroin and six crew members on board were brought to the Mattancherry Wharf, Willingdon Island, Kochi. NCB has now seized the vessel and the 200 kg of heroin. The 6 Iranian crew members have also been arrested under relevant sections of NDPS (Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances) Act”. Singh revealed that the seized heroin was packed in 200 water-proof packets, and that each packet had ‘scorpion’ or ‘dragon’ seal markings that are unique to Afghan and Pakistani drug cartels. “Part of it was to be sold in India and the rest in the international market. We are trying to ascertain the Indian connections to this”, Singh said. He concluded that trafficking of Afghan heroin to India via the Arabian Sea and Indian Ocean has increased exponentially over the last few years. He said, “The southern route trafficking of heroin from Afghanistan – Afghanistan to Makran coast of Iran and Pakistan and then onwards to various countries in the Indian Ocean region including India – has gained prominence over the last few years”. Just last month, Indian law enforcement authorities had apprehended another fishing boat off the coast of Gujarat that had a crew of six Pakistani nationals who were carrying 40 kilograms of heroin. As Vaishali Basu Sharma wrote in The Wire, “The boat was seized in the waters near Jakhau harbour in the Kutch district. Sandwiched between the major drug production regions and located in one of the busiest maritime traffic regions of the world with perhaps the highest density of fishing vessels in its territorial waters, India is most vulnerable to the menace of narcotics trafficking. Expedited by a change from using individual air couriers to smuggling by sea, narcotics trafficking has increased substantially since 2019. Even without including the narcotics smuggled from the other border routes, the extensive Gujarat coastline along the Arabian Sea singly appears to have become the preferred route of traffickers. Just this year, law enforcement authorities seized more than 1,300 kg of heroin worth Rs 6,800 crore in various operations carried out in Gujarat, Delhi and Kolkata. The number of similar seizures by authorities in recent times is staggering. With a street value of almost Rs 5 crore (about $600,000) for a kilogram, even a few smuggled packets hold tremendous value for drug runners. On July 12, in a joint operation, the Punjab Police and the Gujarat ATS seized nearly 75 kg of ‘high quality’ heroin from a container at the Mundra port in the Kutch district”. Rupert Stone wrote in the Atlantic Council’s South Asia Source that in 2021, Gujarat police seized the highest amount of drugs in the history of the state, a whopping 800 times more than the previous year. The above seizures are just some recent examples. They pale in comparison to the massive recovery that was made in September last year, just a month after the Taliban took over power in Afghanistan on 15 August. Al Jazeera, citing Reuters, reported on 21 September 2021 that Indian officials had seized nearly three tons of heroin originating from Afghanistan that was worth an estimated 200 billion rupees ($2.72 billion). It elaborated that “India’s top anti-smuggling agency, the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI), seized two containers at Mundra Port in the western state of Gujarat on September 15 after receiving intelligence they contained narcotics. More than 2,988kg (6,590 pounds) of heroin was recovered in one of India’s biggest such hauls to date. Two people have been arrested in connection with the haul and investigations were ongoing”. It is not just Afghan heroin that is being sent to India, though. Also last month, the Delhi Police arrested two Afghan nationals for facilitating a consignment of 312.5 kg of methamphetamine worth $1.5 million into the country. Busting drugs originating from Afghanistan is no new thing for the Delhi Police, which has seized large consignments of heroin in the past. What was notable was that this was the first time that Afghan-origin methamphetamine had been seized. India Today magazine quoted sources in Delhi Police as saying that they had been monitoring the change in order to thoroughly investigate the emerging use of methamphetamine as the fulcrum of the evolving narco-terror matrix. The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), which is mandated with assisting Member States in their efforts to combat illicit drugs and international crime, and whose New-Delhi based UNODC Regional Office for South Asia (ROSA) has been working with governments across South Asia to address challenges pertaining to drugs, has also noted the enhanced flow of Afghan drugs into India. It observed that South Asia continues to face a multitude of drug related challenges that are exacerbated, in part, by its geographical location between the two main illicit opiates producing and trafficking regions of the world, namely the Golden Triangle and the Golden Crescent. The COVID-19 pandemic and socio-political developments around the world have further aggravated the problem. Against this backdrop, South Asia remains a target for traffickers smuggling illicitly produced opiates from Afghanistan to Europe and North America along the “alternate” southern route. In addition, coastal States in South Asia are vulnerable to maritime trafficking as a result of their exposure to trafficking routes across the Indian Ocean. It also noted a rising shift from trafficking in narcotic drugs to trafficking in synthetic drugs, including amphetamine type stimulants, and that access to drugs has also become simpler than ever with online sales. Major drug trade on the dark web had now exceeded US $315 million annually. The UNODC’s World Drug Report 2022 that was released in June says that “India is one of the world’s single largest opiate markets in terms of users and would likely be vulnerable to increased supply, as there are already signs that an intensification of trafficking in opiates originating in Afghanistan may be taking place eastwards”. It added, “Opiates are mainly trafficked along the route via Pakistan and/or via the Islamic Republic of Iran to India, for domestic consumption and re-export to countries in the region, and to Africa, for local markets and re-export to Europe”. The UNODC recently organized an expert group meeting (EGM) on the drug problem in South Asia. The EGM concurred that for effective operational responses to reduce supply, it was imperative to focus on all aspects of counter-narcotics capacity building, including intelligence-led investigations, effective interdictions, tackling the dark net, leveraged supply-chain, eradication programmes, integrated border management, financial intelligence units, and law enforcement as well as prosecutorial capacities, to effectively disrupt criminal networks. As G. Shreekumar Menon, former Director General at India’s National Academy of Customs, Excise & Narcotics, rightly pointed out to Moneycontrol, the scale of some of the seizures, especially the one in September 2021 in Mundra, raises serious questions. Menon said, “The Rs 21,000 crore ($2.72 billion) estimated amount is the market value of the drugs seized, which does not include the import cost of the consignment. The shipment and transportation cost of the consignment would also be significantly higher, raising doubts about who is behind funding and managing such a big consignment and for what purpose the sale amount would be used? The magnitude of funds involved through the sale of these drugs would most probably be used for financing terror activities in different parts of the country”. Historically, it is primarily the Pakistani ISI that has sponsored terrorism in India. The ISI’s involvement has been suggested by others too. The Delhi Police, which had in past years seized drug consignments linked to the ISI’s K-2 (Khalistan Kashmir) unit, has said it is probing whether the same channels were used to send the methamphetamine consignment to India. Vaishali Basu Sharma pointed out that  “Like the recent one on September 14, most of the seizures involve Pakistani nationals, believed to be enjoying the patronage of security agencies, who bring consignments up to a point about 150 nautical miles from Mandvi, from where it is picked up by locals and brought up to the coast in small boats”. Last year in April, Indian security agencies had arrested eight Pakistani nationals off Jakhau in Indian waters with a large quantity of heroin on board a fishing boat. In March 2021, they seized a boat in the Arabian Sea which was carrying a cache of 301 kilograms of heroin, five AK-47 rifles and 1,000 rounds of ammunition. India’s National Investigation Agency (NIA) was asked by the Union government to conduct preliminary investigations into the seizure, and it revealed that the international drug syndicate involved in the smuggling was based out of Pakistan. In Gujarat, this year alone security agencies have seized 717.3 kilograms of drugs and 16 Pakistani nationals and 3 Afghan nationals have been arrested along with the contraband. Meanwhile, Faizan Khan, writing in the Indian newspaper Mid-Day on 11 October, quoted  sources from Indian investigating agencies as revealing that most heroin consignments coming to Mumbai using different ports were being trafficked by one mastermind identified as Haji Saleem, who operated from Balochistan in Pakistan, Iran, and Afghanistan. The NCB’s investigations, the paper claimed, had found links to this ISI-backed Pakistani national. The consignment that was busted on 7 October near Kochi was also suspected to be linked to Saleem, Khan added. With international focus on its sponsorship of terrorism across the world having rendered that favoured instrument presently unfeasible on a large scale, the potential to hurt India had been reduced enough in the past few years for the ISI to be keenly sniffing out other avenues. The instability in the period of the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan, the abundance of heroin and methamphetamines being produced and now readily available in the country, and the ISI’s existing relationships with known dubious characters in the poppy growing regions of Afghanistan may all have informed and guided the ISI’s dicey policy diversion. If that is indeed the case, as it increasingly appears to be, it must be a matter of serious concern for the European Union (EU) too as according to the UNODC a sizeable chunk of the Afghan drugs that make their way to India and Sri Lanka are eventually destined for European nations.    

        India's renewable energy capacity (excluding large hydro) stood at 114.07 GW till June-end this year, while 60.66 GW of projects are under various stages of development, Parliament was informed on Tuesday. India has set a target of having 175 GW of renewable energy capacity, including 100 GW of solar and 60 GW of wind energy, by 2022. "Against the target of achieving 175 GW of Renewable Energy (excluding Large Hydro) installed capacity by 2022, a total of 114.07 GW renewable energy capacity (excluding large hydro) has been installed in the country as on June 30, 2022," Minister of State for New and Renewable Energy Bhagwanth Khuba said in a written reply in the Rajya Sabha. Further, he said capacity of 60.66 GW is under various stages of implementation, while 23.14 GW capacity is under various stages of bidding. In another reply, Minister of New and Renewable Energy R K Singh said the share of renewable energy (including large hydro) in the total installed electricity generation capacity in the country was 39.85 per cent as on June 30, 2022. "Under Component-B of PM-KUSUM Scheme, Government has allocated over 3.59 lakh standalone solar pumps to various States. Out of this, over 1.23 lakh standalone solar pumps have been installed as on June 30, 2022," the minister said in reply to another question. Under the scheme, standalone solar pumps up to 10 HP capacities have been installed. However, central financial assistance is restricted to 7.5 HP pump capacity, Singh said. The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy is working towards achieving 500 GW of installed electricity capacity from non-fossil sources by 2030.   Source: The Economic Times

Chattogram Port Authority (CPA) Chairman Rear Admiral M Shahjahan said the capacity of the port would be increased 3 to 4 times after completing the construction of Bay Terminal and Matarbari Port Development Project. Besides, the authority has taken short-, medium- and long-term strategy to cope with increasing growth of cargo, containers and vessel handling of the port in line with user friendly one. The CPA chairman said this while exchanging views with journalists in observance of 135 Chattogram Port Day at Shahid Munshi auditorium hall on Sunday. The Port Chairman informed that Cox's Bazar district administration had handed over 283.27 acres of land under the Matarbari Port Development Project to the port authorities on March 30. “Tenders will be called for the construction of the port. The Matarbari terminal will be able to accommodate ships with a depth of more than 18 meters,” he added. The CPA Chairman said as part of directives of present government, an initiative has been taken to make the Newmooring container terminal fully operational after procurements of handling equipment. He informed that the district administration handed over the documents of 67 acres of privately owned land under the Bay Terminal project to the port. “The Ministry of Land has been requested through the Ministry of Shipping to allocate another 803 acres of land in favor of the port at a symbolic price.  The port authorities are working to build 1,500 meters long multipurpose terminal by 2025”, he added. He said the construction work of Patenga Container Terminal (PCT) for handling 4.5 lakh TEU's containers a year is 90 percent complete. The project is being implemented at a cost of Tk 1,229.56 crore.     “The container capacity has been increased to 55,000 by constructing 560,000 square meters yard in a decade to increase the capacity of the port.  A total of 390 different types of cargo and container handling equipments including ship to shore key gantry crane, mobile harbor crane, rubber tiered gantry crane has been collected,” he added. A total of 32 lakh 14 thousand TEUs containers were handled in Chattogram port in 2021 with growth of 13.19 percent.   The main programme of the day included hoisting of the national and CPA flags at the Port Bhaban at 9 am and according reception to the retired employees of the port at 4 pm. The daylong programme included discussions, view-exchange and colourful cultural function. Port member (Harbor and Marine) Commodore Mostafizur Rahman, Member (Finance) Kamrul Amin, Member (Engineering) Capt. Mahbubur Ragman, Heads of all Departments and CBA leaders, among others, attended the view exchange meeting Source: BSS AH

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina today (Sunday) inaugurated five power plants, having a total of 779-MW electricity generation capacity.   The power plants are 400-MW Combined Cycle Power Plant Bibiyana-3 in Habiganj, up-gradation of 150-MW Power Plant to 225-MW Combined Cycle Power Plant in Sylhet, 100-MW Power Plant Unit-2 at Zulda in Chattogram, 104-MW Power Plant at Meghnaghat in Narayanganj and 100-MW Power Plant at Madhumoti in Bagerhat.   The Premier joined the opening ceremony virtually from her official residence Ganabhaban in the capital as the chief guest.   According to the ministry of power, the government has successfully installed 119 power plants with a capacity of 20,293-MW electricity production after assuming the office in 2009.    It said the government, under the dynamic leadership of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, had a target to generate 24,000-MW electricity by 2021, but the target has exceeded before the stipulated time.   Talking to BSS, State Minister for Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Nasrul Hamid said the electricity generation capacity reached 25,235-MW so far (including captive power) which was 4,942-MW in 2009.   "We have brought around 99.5 percent of the population under electricity facilities due to the prudent leadership of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina," he said.   Nasrul said the Awami League-led government has achieved tremendoussuccesses in the power sector during its last 12 years and has given top priority to the development of the sector considering its importance in the overall enhancement of the country.   "With sincere and relentless efforts by the government, the per-capita electricity generation reached 560 kWh, which was only 220 kWh in 2009. And the system loss was brought down to 8.49 percent from 14.33 percent," he added. Source: BSS AH

Hours after the government approved Production Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme for textiles, Union Minister Piyush Goyal on Wednesday, lauded this scheme and hoped that with this, India has the capacity to make high-quality products at competitive prices. Appreciating this scheme, the Union Minister said, "PLI (Production Linked Incentive) scheme (for textiles) has been conceptualised to make India truly competitive and bring economies of scale and high-quality production to India." "Textile sector has seen that, over last many years, we have grown largely in cotton, wool, silk - tradition textiles. But when it comes to man-made fibre or technical textiles, India relatively remained behind. We don't have much of a stake in the world market," the Union Minister said. The Union Minister stressed that, with this scheme, the effort is to promote this industry in India and attract large-scale investments. "Today two-third of international trade is of technical textiles and man-made fiber. Our effort is to promote that industry in India, attract large investments where Rs 100 crore plus or Rs 300 crore plus are invested in India, create about 7.5 lakh direct jobs -indirectly it'll be more," he said. Goyal said, "I think this will help India become a global player as well as give India the capacity to make high-quality products at competitive prices." Taking steps forward towards the vision of an 'Aatmanirbhar Bharat', the Government led by Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, has approved the PLI Scheme for Textiles for MMF Apparel, MMF Fabrics, and 10 segments/ products of Technical Textiles with a budgetary outlay of Rs 10,683 crore, as per the official release by the Cabinet. PLI scheme for Textiles is part of the overall announcement of PLI Schemes for 13 sectors made earlier during the Union Budget 2021-22, with an outlay of Rs. 1.97 lakh crore. With the announcement of PLI Schemes for 13 sectors, minimum production in India is expected to be around Rs. 37.5 lakh crore over 5 years and minimum expected employment over 5 years is nearly 1 crore. Source: ANI

With medical experts predicting an upcoming third Covid wave, the Jammu and Kashmir government has set a target to enhance medical oxygen generation capacity to 90,000 litres per minute (LPM) in its hospitals. Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha at a recent meeting directed the officials to enhance medical oxygen generation capacity to 90,000 LPM from the current 66,000 LPM. Manoj Sinha in his Independence Day speech had said, “With the hard work and selfless determination of our doctors, health workers and other services, we have ensured that no one in Jammu and Kashmir faces the problem of oxygen beds. “In August last year, the oxygen generation capacity in all our hospitals was only  15,000 LPM, which has been increased to 66,000 LPM within 6 months and shall  be enhanced to 90,000 LPM in the coming days.” Jammu and Kashmir under the PM Care fund will receive 32 additional pressure swing adsorption (PSA) oxygen generation plants, As per the officials. The capacity of these 32 plants would be 24,850 litres per minute (LPM). Out of these, 13 will be set up in Kashmir and as many in the Jammu division with a capacity of 13,550 LPM and 12,350 LPM respectively. The Jammu and Kashmir administration had approached the Union Health Ministry, for providing additional PSA plants to the union territory, considering the demand and need to make the oxygen generation facility available in all district hospitals and some major Community Health Centres (CHCs). According to an official statement from the administration, the Health and Medical Education Department has taken an initiative to augment the existing oxygen generation capacity in 37 major hospitals of the union territory by way of installation and commissioning of additional 84 medical oxygen generation plants. The Jammu and  Kashmir government has also directed all the private healthcare institutions having 50-bed capacities to establish oxygen generation plants within their facility for better patient care. During the second Covid wave this year, the government faced a number of problems in ensuring medical oxygen supply to Covid-19 patients as a result of which the number of oxygen generation plants was enhanced. In view of a third Covid19 wave, Sinha instructed the health and information departments to team up and start an extensive COVID 19 awareness campaign at the district level. The officials from the COVID Task Force, the Deputy Commissioner, and SSPs were present at the meeting.