e_Paper, Monday, May 15, 2017

News 5
MONDAY, MAY 15, 2017
GDP growth peaks at 7.24% breaking all records
• Bilkis Irani
Bangladesh’s Gross Domestic Product
(GDP) growth has reached 7.24%
in the 2016-17 fiscal year – an all-time
high in the history of the country.
In addition, the per capita income
has increased to $1,602, or
Tk129,178.10, according to Bangladesh
Bureau of Statistics estimate
BANANI RAPE
Investigators looking
for alleged video
• Tarek Mahmud
Investigators are trying to find
the video that the Banani rape
accused had recorded, said
Dhaka Metropolitan Police’s
Women Support and Investigation
Centre Inspector Ismat
Ara Emi.
The two plaintiffs of the
case said their rapists had
sexually assaulted and also
beat them while the other
accused had recorded the
entire incident. They said
the accused had threatened
to spread the video via social
media, if they had gone
to police.
The investigators quizzed
Shafaat Ahmed and Shadman
based on the first nine months of
FY2016-17.
Planning Minister AHM Mustafa
Kamal revealed the numbers at a
press briefing following the National
Economic Council (NEC) meeting in
Dhaka yesterday.
The GDP size in the outgoing
fiscal year is Tk1,956,056 crore, the
minister said.
Shakif, who are on five and
six days of remand respectively,
but could not glean any
information from either.
Suspecting that if the video
exists, it may have been
transferred to another person
or stored elsewhere, they are
mulling of sending the duo’s
mobile phones to the Criminal
Investigation Department
for a forensic examination.
A four-member team, led
by DMP Joint Commissioner
(Crime) Krishna Pada Roy, is
assisting Inspector Ismat, also
the investigation officer. But,
none of them were willing to
comment formally to the media
over the issue as the investigation
was on-going. •
Apan Jewellers outlets
raided, one sealed off
• Tarek Mahmud
Customs Intelligence Investigation
Directorate (CIID) yesterday
raided four out of five
outlets of Apan Jewellers in
Dhaka, sealing off its Gulshan
Avenue showroom as it was
closed.
The CIID estimated 286 kg
gold and 61 gram diamond
worth Tk80.23 crore and
Tk5.15 crore respectively in the
outlets at Mouchak Market, Simanta
Square, Uttara and DCC
Market, said media release.
The CIID officials seized the
documents relating to the gold
and diamond, which they said
would scrutinise and then
take legal action if any irregularity
is found in those.
Primarily, they found that
the details mentioned in their
estimate and that in the inventory
of the outlet managers
did not match each other.
The CIID officials also
started an inquiry about the
source and import taxes of the
gold and diamond.
The raid came just three
days after the CIID asked Bangladesh
Bank to provide information
on transactions made
by Apan Jewellers’ owner Dildar
Ahmed, father of Shafaat
Ahmed, who are among the
five people accused of raping
two university students at a
Banani hotel on March 28.
Earlier yesterday, CIID said
it would to file three separate
cases against The Raintree hotel
in Banani, where two university
students were raped,
for money laundering, smuggling
and tax evasion.
After raiding the hotel, the
CIID recovered 10 bottles of
liquor, and made the statement.
•
In the 2015-16 fiscal year, the GDP
growth was 7.11% with the size of
Tk1,732,864 crore and per capita income
at $1,465, or Tk118,131.04.
“This is an outstanding achievement
as it has broken all records,”
the minister said. “No other country
except for India has been able to exceed
over 7% growth.”
“We hope we will be able to reach
7.40% growth in the next fiscal year,”
Kamal said.
He also said the remittance inflow
cannot be accurately estimated a part
of the remittance comes through services
like bKash and Western Union
Money Transfer, which are not connected
to the central bank.
“In 2013, when bKash did not
exist, the Bangladesh Bank earned
DT
68% revenue through wired remittance,
but now that bKash service
is available, the revenue reduced
to 51% in 2016. So, we plan to bring
these services under the central
bank’s system.”
The government also approved
an Annual Development Programme
(ADP) of Tk164,084.83 crore for the
FY2017-2018 at the meeting. •
TEMPERATURE FORECAST FOR TODAY
Dhaka 35 27 Chittagong 34 27 Rajshahi 38 26 Rangpur 33 22 Khulna 38 28 Barisal 37 28 Sylhet 32 23
Cox’s Bazar 34 27
RAIN LIKELY
MONDAY, MAY 15
DHAKA
TODAY
TOMORROW
SUN SETS 6:34PM
SUN RISES 5:16AM
YESTERDAY’S HIGH AND LOW
37.0ºC
22.5ºC
Satkhira
Syhlet
Source: Accuweather/UNB
PRAYER
TIMES
Fajr: 4:50am | Zohr: 1:15pm
Asr: 5:15pm | Magrib: 6:38pm
Esha: 8:30pm
Source: Islamic Foundation