17-11-2021

Wednesday, Dhaka: November 17, 2021; Agrahyan 2, 1428 BS; Rabius-Sani 11, 1443 Hijri
Black Bengal Goat transforming
impoverished families into
prosperity in Chuadanga
CHUADANGA : Just three years ago Lima
Khatun was the face of extreme poverty in
her Bishnupur village Damurhuda upazila
in Chuadanga. She and her day labour
husband Monwar Hossain were struggling
to earn two meals a day for their fivemember
family, reports UNB.
In the past few months Lima pulled her
family out of poverty and started earning a
decent income thanks to rearing Black
Bengal goat.
The internationally-famed Black Bengal
goat, known as the poor man's cow, has
been playing an important role in alleviation
of poverty in Chuadanga district.
Every other house of this rural locality
now has small and large farms of Black
Bengal species of goat.
Bangladesh's local breed Black Bengal
goat is recognized as the best in the world in
terms of quality, according to a 2015 assessment
by the Food and Agriculture
Organization of the United Nations (FAO)
and the International Atomic Energy
Agency (IAEA). Black Bengal goats have a
world-wide reputation as a source of quality
leather, delicious meat and nutritious milk.
Described by the UN as one of
Bangladesh's richest treasures Black
Bengal goats are known for their rapid
adaptation to any environment and for
giving birth to 3-4 kids twice a year.
This breed is known as 'Kushtia Grade'
in the international market. However,
recently this goat is being reared more in
Chuadanga district, which is now part of
the greater Kushtia. Not only black breeds,
but also Haryana, Jamunapari,
Totamukhi and Beetle breeds are being
reared by the people of this district.
Although several species of goats are
found in Chuadanga district, about 70 per
cent of them are Black Bengal goats.
Unemployed youth, new entrepreneurs
and poor farmers of this region are playing
a leading role in raising Black Bengal goats
and providing nutrition to the nation
along with earning their livelihoods.
As no extra expense is needed for keeping
these goats, women as well as men can
easily take care of them.
Getting back to Lima's story, one day
amid her struggles she went to see the
activities of Goat Breeding Society run by
the Wave Foundation after hearing good
things about it from her neighbours.
Lima first bought two goats with a loan
of 20,000 takas and built a shelter with a
platform for her goats. The two goats first
gave birth to one kid and within a year and
a half she sold the two goats for 30,000
takas. She bought more female goats
which gave birth to more kids. Gradually
the number of goats in Lima's farm
increased and currently she rears 23 goats.
Many people have similar stories to
share in the region which transformed
their life by raising this black goat.
After visiting the four upazilas of
Chuadanga, the Black Bengal Goat can be
seen on the roads and by-roads of even the
remotest area. Some people were seen
rearing goats in their homesteads or on
bamboo made platforms. Many farmers
said they are earning Tk two to three lakh
profit every year by rearing 20 to 30 goats.
Shahabuddin, a goat farmer from
Chuadanga municipality, said, "I have
been raising goats round the year along
with farming. Out of hobby I bought two
goats 24 years ago but now I have more
than 50 goats in my house. My family has
never been in need since I brought those
goats in my house,"
According to the Chuadanga District
Livestock Office, about five lakh goats are
grown annually in the district from which
about 23 thousand metric tons of meat is
produced. At present, goat meat price per
Kg is Tk 650 to 700 depending on the type.
The annual income from selling goat meat
and leather in the district is around Tk 2
thousand crore. Besides rom selling goat
skins, a large amount of foreign currency is
being earned.
"The Goat Development Farm was
established in 1997 in Chuadanga to conserve
the Black Bengal Goat breed of the
district. Every year goats are supplied from
this farm in different parts of the country
including 10 districts of Khulna division at
fixed price", said Arman Ali, Livestock
Officer of the firm. About one thousand
goats are currently being reared in this
farm, said Arman.
District Livestock Officer, Golam
Mostafa said, 'Chuadanga can be called a
sanctuary for the Black Bengal Goat as the
warm favourable climate here makes it the
most suitable area for goat rearing.
The members of the newly formed committee of Blue panel at FeeS of Dhaka University
present flower bouquet to the Vice-Chancellor.
photo: TBT
SC commutes death
sentence of Ramna
imam murder
case convict
DHAKA : The Supreme Court (SC) yesterday
commuted death sentence of a
man, convicted and sentenced to maximum
punishment in a case lodged over
murder of Ramna Police Station Mosque
Imam Hafej Mawlana Md Ishak in 2010,
to imprisonment for life.
An Appellate Division bench headed by
Chief Justice Syed Mahmud Hossain
passed the order, dismissing a criminal
appeal of convict Kazi Bayezid in the case.
The apex court also fined him Taka 50,000,
in default, to suffer rigorous imprisonment
for two years more. Advocate Farid Ahmed
moved the plea before the court, while
Deputy Attorney General Biswajit Debnath
stood for the state, reports BSS.
According to the case documents,
Hafej Mawlana Md Ishak was abducted
on December 20, 2010, and his body was
later found at the morgue of Dhaka
Medical College Hospital. His brother
later filed the case with Ramna Police
Station and the police on April 9, 2011,
filed a charge-sheet against five.
Police in its report said Ishak had a dispute
with accused Abdur Rahim regarding
their salt business. Rahim and his men later
abducted Ishak and strangled him to death
at a house in the capital's Sheurapara.
Dhaka Speedy Trial Tribunal-4 on
December 21, 2011, convicted and sentenced
Abdur Rahim Sarder, Kazi Bayezid,
Ekram Khan alias Masud and Murad to
death. The tribunal had also sentenced one
Nazimuddin to life imprisonment.
Khaleda Zia is seriously
ill: Mirza Fakhrul
SHAFiqUl iSlAM (JAMi)
BNP chairperson and former Prime
Minister Begum Khaleda Zia is critically
ill, said the party's secretary general
Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir. He urged
the government to immediately give
her the opportunity to get better treatment
in abroad. In a prayer meeting on
Tuesday morning, Mirza Fakhrul made
this demand to the government and
said that Khaleda Zia is in the hospital
in a very sick condition. Her family has
appealed for better treatment. We call
on the government to immediately
allow Begum Khaleda Zia to receive
medical treatment abroad.
He said, may your good intellect rise.
Please give the opportunity to Begum
Khaleda Zia to get treatment outside in
the interest of humanity. Otherwise, the
leader of democracy Khaleda Zia, if anything,
all her responsibilities but this government
has to bear. This is very clear.
He said that the doctors of this country
have already said that the treatment of
Khaleda Zia is for many kinds of ailments.
There is no medical center or hospital
in this country that can treat this
multi-disciplinary disease if its diseases
need to be treated properly.
She has been repeatedly asked to do so,
and her family has been asked to allow
her to be treated outside, at least in the
interests of humanity. We've talked
about this over and over, over and over
again. But she is not being given that
opportunity for treatment.
Khaleda Zia is currently taking treatment
at the CCU of Evercare Hospital
in Bashundhara under the supervision
a cardiologist Dr. Shahabuddin
Talukder. She was admitted on
November 13. The 76-year-old former
Prime Minister has been suffering from
various complications including arthritis,
diabetes, kidney, lung and eye problems
for many years.
The BNP has announced a nationwide
prayer mahfil program for Khaleda Zia's
recovery. As a part of it, a prayer meeting
was held on the ground floor of the central
office of Naya Paltan for Khaleda
Zia's immediate recovery. Later hundreds
of leaders and activists took part in
special prayers.
Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir said that
the leader of the country has been kept in
custody today after being convicted in a
false case in a mock trial and she is in
hospital today as part of a conspiracy to
de-politicize the policy of Awami government
and keep Madame Khaleda Zia out
of politics.
We know that Madam Khaleda Zia was
kept in an abandoned house in the
Central Jail for almost two and a half
years. She was not treated at that time.
She was under pressure from the people
when PG brought her to the hospital.
Committee formation
for Blue Panel
DU FEES holds
convention
TBT RepoRT
The Faculty of Earth and Environmental
Sciences (FEES) of Dhaka University held
a convention to form a committee for Blue
Panel (Awami League backed Teachers
Association). In a peaceful polling
environment, everyone unanimously
nominated the committee members for
the panel until the next convention takes
place. The elected representatives later
met the Vice-Chancellor Professor Dr.
Md. Akhtaruzzaman and Pro Vice-
Chancellor (Academic) Dr. ASM Maksud
Kamal of the university.
The nominated committee members
are Dr. Md. Zillur Rahman of the
Department of Disaster Science and
Management as the Convener; Dr. M.
Maksudur Rahman of the Department of
Geography and Environment as the
Senior Member; Dr. Md. Mostafizur
Rahman of the Department of Geology as
a Joint-convener; and Md. Jobaer Alam
of the Department of Oceanography as a
Joint-Convener. The departmental representatives
are Dr. Md. Faruk Hossain of
the Department of Geography and
Environment, Dr. Mahfuzur R Khan of
the Department of Geology, Md.
Shakhawat Hossain of the Department of
Disaster Science and Management,
Mahmudul Hasan of the Department of
Oceanography, and Dr. Fatima Akter of
the Department of Meteorology.
'Timeframe for income
tax return submission
won't be extended'
DHAKA : The timeframe for submission
of income tax returns at individual
level would not be extended beyond the
stipulated timeframe of November 30
this year, said officials at the National
Board of Revenue (NBR).
They said those who would not be
able to submit their tax returns within
this timeframe could apply before
the concerned authorities to allow
their submission of returns beyond
this timeframe as per the law.
Although Income Tax Fair is not taking
place this year like the previous
year, but such environment is prevailing
in each and every Taxes Zone to
facilitate the valued income taxpayers.
The taxpayers are now getting Tax
Identification Numbers (TINs) and
instant receipt of taxes once returns
are submitted in the Taxes Zones.
Talking to BSS, NBR member
(Income tax policy) Md Alamgir
Hossain said that the Income Tax Fair
is not taking place this year like the
previous year due to the COVID-19
pandemic.
Namaj-e-Janaza of noted writer Hasan Azizul Haque of Rajshahi
University central mosque was held.
photo : Star Mail
3214 acres of railway land under
illegal occupation: Minister
DHAKA : Some 3214 acres of land of
Bangladesh Railway are now under
the clutches of land grabbers across
the country, Railways Minister
Nurul Islam Sujan told Parliament
on Tuesday.
"The amount of unused (fallen)
land of Bangladesh Railways is
10,843.15 acres and 3,213.78 acres of
land remain under illegal occupation,"
he said replying to a written
question from BNP MP Aminul
Islam (Chapainawabganj-2).
Of the illegally occupied land, the
highest 620 acres are in Rajshahi district,
321 acres in Rajbari, 282 acres
in Sirajganj, 280 acres in Bagerhat,
210 acres in Kurigram, 183 acres in
Chattogram, 154 acres in Faridpur,
143 acres in Pabna, 128 acres in
Gaibandha, 113 acres in Nilphamari,
106 acres in Lalmonirhat, 103 in
Jhenaidah and 56 acres in Kushtia.
The amount of illegally occupied
land is less than 50 acres in other
districts, according to the statistics
placed by the Minister in the House.
Responding to a starred question
from Jatiya Party MP Shameem
Haider Patwary (Gaibandha-1), the
Railways Minister said drives are
being conducted to recover the
grabbed railway land.
In reply to a written question from
Awami League MP Didarul Alam
(Chattogram-4), the Railways
Minister said the government will
collect 400 more modern coaches --
200 broad-gauge and 200 metergauge-for
Bangladesh Railways
within the next two years with the
fund of European Investment Bank
and the Tenders Financing.
He said a project is underway now
to collect 150 meter-gauge and 100
broad-gauge passenger coaches
from South Korean and China
respectively.
Dengue cases keep rising
123 more
hospitalized
DHAKA : Bangladesh reported 123
new dengue patients being hospitalized
in 24 hours until Tuesday morning,
reports BSS.
Although dengue cases were supposed
to drop ahead of winter the country
is still seeing over 100 dengue cases
per day.
The number of fatalities from the
mosquito-borne disease this year
remained unchanged at 97 as no fresh
death was reported during the period,
according to the Directorate General of
Health Services (DGHS).
Of them, 89 people died in Dhaka division
alone, two each in Chattogram,
Mymensingh and Khulna divisions and
one each in Rajshahi and Barishal divisions.
Among the new patients, 94 were
undergoing treatment in hospitals in
Dhaka while the remaining 29 cases
were reported from outside the division.
Some 594 patients diagnosed with
dengue are receiving treatment in the
country as of Tuesday.
Of them, 478 patients are receiving
treatment at different hospitals in the
capital while the remaining 116 were
listed outside Dhaka.
Since January, some 25,897 patients
have been admitted to different hospitals
with dengue in the country. So far,
25, 206 dengue patients have left hospitals
after recovery, said DGHS.
In September, the country recorded
the highest number of 7,841 dengue
cases of the current year with 23 deaths.
In October, the number of dengue
cases came down to 5,604 with 22
deaths recorded.
How Char inhabitants turn around
after a devastating flood
BADSHAH SAikAT,
kURigRAM CoRReSpoNDeNT
Destitute people in the char areas of
Roumari upazila of Kurigram are trying
to recover from the floods. They are
giving effort to make up for their losses
by planting vegetables in the flooddamaged
land and in their backyards.
Besides, they are dreaming of changing
their fortune by raising chickens and
sheep. Residents of the surrounding
chars are also encouraged by their
developmental activities.
It has been observed on the spot
that people on the banks of Halhalia,
Sonavari and Jinjiram tributaries of
Brahmaputra have been facing severe
floods every year. This year's floods
have caused extensive damage to
their Aman seedbeds, paddy fields,
vegetables and poultry. The floods
destroyed houses and heaps of cattle
feed.
To reduce this loss, 270 families from
9 villages of the upazila got various
trainings and assistance under the ASD
project of Friendship. In the post-flood
period, they started cultivating vegetables,
raising poultry and raising sheep
in their households.
This is how their standard of living
are improving. After receiving various
trainings, they used the resources to
build a bamboo bridge and were able to
arrange a widow's allowance from the
UP chairman.
Rasheda Khatun, Beauty Khatun,
Swapna Begum, Khairun Nesha and
Abdur Rashid, members of Char FDMC
on the banks of Roumari Upazila, said,
"by cultivating good quality vegetables
we have been able to meet our food needs
and nutrition. Moreover, weare making
financial profit by selling extra vegetables
in the market."
Enamul Haque Montu of Baimamari
village in Jadurchar union said, "I got an
improved breed of sheep from
'Friendship'. After 6 months of keeping
that, I became the owner of three sheep.
By keeping this sheep, I will be self-sufficient.
Laili Begum, Abdul Mannan,
Amena Begum said the same thing."
"Friendship" transition fund (ASD)
project manager, Agriculturist
Ashraful Islam Mallick said that the
members' saving attitude, increase in
efficiency in saving fund formation and
local resources through advocacy assistance
to alleviate the geographical distress
of the people concerned and
develop local infrastructure and economic
development to improve the
members' income.
We are working to build capacity to
deal with disasters, including educational
discussions on ideas such as closures,
ideas about the National Assembly and
the Constitution, and so on. He further
said that we have imparted various trainings
to 720 members.