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The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare in collaboration with EngenderHealth, an international non-governmental organisation, launched a project ‘Mayer Hashi’ on Thursday to promote safe motherhood and family planning in the country.
   The project funded by USAID would provide services to about 50 lakh couples on safe motherhood and family planning, Abu Jamil Faisel, country representative of EngenderHealth, told the launching ceremony held at a city hotel.
   The USAID would provide some $12 million to implement the project taken for Sylhet, Chittagong and Barisal divisions, he said.
   ‘The objective of the project is to promote use of sustainable family planning methods and safe motherhood,’ he added.
   The minister for health and family welfare, AFM Ruhal Haque, who was present as chief guest, said all concerned should work for making family planning and safe mother programme a success.
   He observed that the project should not focus on only safe motherhood, baby care issue must be incorporated in it. ‘Otherwise, mother’s smiles will disappear,’ he added.
   The US ambassador to Bangladesh, James F Moriart, said under the project, health professionals would be given training in safe motherhood and family planning methods.
   He also mentioned that EngenderHealth has been playing a vital role in promoting long acting and permanent family planning methods in Bangladesh by providing technical assistance to Directorate General of Family Planning since 2001.
   The speakers called upon both the public and private organisations concerned to work together with effective programmes for safe motherhood and family planning .
   BD Mitra, additional secretary of Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Shah Monir Hossain, Director General of Health Services, Mohammed Abdul Qayyum, Director General of Family Planning, Denise Rollins, mission director of USAID, Dhaka, Isaiah Ndong, vice-president (programme) of EngenderHealth, New York, were present.

President Zillur Rahman on Thursday called for further expanding the Scouts movement across the country to create leaders and develop leadership skills among the young generation.
   ‘I call upon the Scouts leaders to expand their activities up to the remote parts of the country for making the movement more popular and vibrant,’ he said while addressing the President Scouts and President’s Rovers’ Scout Award ceremony at Bangabhaban.
   As many as 126 Scouts, including 94 boys and 25 girls, were given the President Scouts Award. Five boys and two girls got the President’s Rovers’ Scout Award.
   Congratulating the award winners, the president, also the chief Scouts of Bangladesh, asked them to work more sincerely and devotedly, putting in their best efforts in the country’s development process, to reflect the main spirit of the Scouts in their personal, family and social lives.
   Appreciating the Scouts movement in the country, Zillur Rahman said the members of Scouts are playing a constructive role in the country’s development process through building the young generation self-reliant, patriotic and ideal citizens with high moral character.
   With deep homage, he remembered the pioneer of Scouts movement Robert Baden Powel, who launched the Scouts movement in 1907, more than a century ago. Today his Scouts movement has extended all over the world, he said.
   ‘Our development process must be bedecked with the spirit of our war of liberation as well as non-communal outlook and this spirit will take all of us to our coveted goals,’ he said.
   Referring to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s Vision-2021 for building an IT-based Digital Bangladesh, the president expressed his firm hope that the young generation would enrich themselves with the IT-based knowledge to face the challenges of the 21st century.
   In this respect, the president put emphasis on following the time-befitting educational curriculum and modern teaching method from primary to higher level and said today’s generation must emerge as really competent and skilled manpower for tomorrow.
   ‘From childhood, they should be imbued with the moral and social values side by side with their formal education,’ he said.
   He hoped that today’s younger generation, being enriched with proper IT knowledge, would be able to move forward to attain the goals of the nation.
   President of Bangladesh Scouts Momtajul Islam, Chief National Commissioner Abul Kalam Azad and National Commissioner (Programme) Mesbahuddin Bhuiyan also spoke on the occasion.
   Momtajul Islam said the Scouts could be utilised in facing any kind of national crisis.
   Abul Kalam Azad said at present there are some 10 lakh Scouts across the country and the number is likely to be around 15 lakh by 2013.
   A large number of national and regional Scout leaders and guardians of the award recipients were present on the occasion.

Speakers at a view-exchange Thursday put emphasis on accountability and transparency in all the activities of non-governmental organisations and coordination between NGO activists and government officials to ensure good governance in NGO sector.
   NGO Affairs Bureau organised the meeting on ‘good governance in NGO sector and our responsibilities’ at the Zia Hall auditorium in the Khulna city in cooperation with Manusher Jonno, BRAC, Oxfam and Transparency International Bangladesh.
   NGO affairs bureau deputy director Zafarullah Khan and TIB research fellow Sadhan Das presented two papers in the meeting.
   Chaired by additional divisional commissioner Amiyo Kumar Ghosh, the meeting was also addressed by divisional commissioner Md Yunusur Rahman, MJ Foundation executive director Shaheen Ara, TIB executive director Iftekharuzzaman and NGO affairs bureau director general Mushtaq Hasan Muhammad Iftikhar.
   The speakers suggested developing a clear concept about the NGO contribution, stopping all the irregularities in NGO registration and monitoring and ensuring accountability and transparency in implementing the projects.
   They demanded that any relatives of chief executives should not be included in the NGO governing bodies. They also demanded reducing gap between upper and lower staffs in the NGOs, formulation of a specific act for appointment of the retired government officials in NGOs, disclosure of information of NGOs to its stakeholders and launching web site to ensure good governance in NGO sector.
   Zafarullah Khan in his paper said the bureau had released Tk 1,561.90 crore in the fiscal year 2004-05 while Tk 1,980.91 crore in 2005-06, Tk 2258.29 crore in 2006-07, Tk 3661.80 crore in 2007-08 and Tk 3403.31 crore in FY 2008-09.
   Sadhan Das said the NGO sector has been facing many challenges but playing role in changing the society.
   The problems being faced by NGOs include government’s interference in the NGO activities, delay in releasing fund, threat of terrorists, natural calamities, political pressure, imposing tax on donors’ funds, bribery in NGO affairs bureau and lack of efficient workers, resources and infrastructures, training centres, research, publication, accountability, transparency and good governance.

Vice-chancellor of Jahangirnagar University Professor Sharif Enamul Kabir said on Wednesday the present administration was working relentlessly to ease the session jam and combat violence with a view to creating congenial atmosphere on the campus.
   Addressing a function, he also reiterated his vow to establish a pleasant academic atmosphere on the campus and said pragmatic measures had already been taken to remove the session jam and combat campus violence.
   Professor Sharif, who was the chief guest at the prize giving ceremony of Khaleda Zia Hall, sought cooperation from all in running the university as per the hopes and expectations of the students as well as their guardians.
   Joint efforts of teachers, students and officials are a must for further progress and prosperity of Jahangirnagar University, he said.
   Pro-VC Professor Muhammad Muniruzzaman, pro-VC Professor Farhad Hossain and treasurer Professor Nasir Uddin attended the function as the special guests. Hall provost Professor Abul Hossain was in the chair.
   In the intra-hall sports competition, Shah Rubinaj became champions in table tennis and chess, Rozina Akhtar in carom, Samira Afroze and Iftida Ishraque in cards and Hasina Parvin became champion in ludu.
   Besides, Kanta Sarkar became champion in Nazrul Sangeet, folk song, modern song and patriotic song, Ajmia Binte Mahbub in poetry recitation and Anjali Islam in speech competition.
   The function was followed by a cultural function with the participation of teachers and students.

The formalin testing centre at Karwan Bazar in the city found three cases of formalin-treated fish in last 10 days after launching its operation on July 14.
   ‘We have so far detected three cases of formalin in prawn and Indian rohita,’ said Tapan Biswas, a volunteer of Hope 87 which is working with the testing centre.
   After buying the fishes from traders, consumers go to the centre for testing them free of cost. If any traders sell fish mixed with formalin and it tested positive, the particular species of fish are sent back to the wholesalers, he said.
   About action against the traders involved with selling of the formalin-treated fish, Tapan said it’s the bazar committee’s responsibility to deal with the matter.
   If any fish is contaminated with formalin, the committee will take punitive measures against the traders concerned, he said.
   The ministries of home affairs and fisheries and livestock, export promotion bureau and Dhaka City Corporation in association with Hope 87 set up the centre to ensure selling of formalin-free fish.
   The government will carry out a survey in this regard two months later. If accepted by all, the government will set up more centres at different city markets, said Tapan.
   Physicians, however, warned that formalin-mixed fish is harmful to health. Formalin-mixed foodstuffs may cause respiratory cancers, they said.
   ‘Not only taking but also inhaling the formalin, the people may contract various diseases like headache and respiratory complications,’ said a physician.
   Organisers said they would hold a series of meetings with representatives from importers, wholesalers, retail trade bodies to gear up the drive against the businessmen selling formalin-treated fish.

Japan International Cooperation Agency and Dhaka City Corporation will jointly organise an awareness building seminar on climate change issues and a sticker design contest at Sheraton Hotel on Saturday.
   The Dhaka mayor Sadeque Hossain Khoka will be present as the chief guest in the ceremony, which aimed at creating awareness to reduce carbon emission and stop environmental degradation.
   Professor Abdullah Abu Sayeed, Yonezo Fukuda, charge d’ affairs of the Japanese embassy, and Takao Toda, chief representative of JICA Bangladesh Office, will attend the ceremony.

An academic debate on ‘neo-adjuvant chemotherapy is mandatory for the management of breast cancer’ will be held at Dhaka Sheraton Hotel on July 25.
   Professor Richard Love from the USA and Professor Ophira Ginsberg from Canada — will take part in the debate, a press release of Oncology Club said on Thursday.
   Professor Emeritus Dr ABMF Karim will chair the debate programme.
   Breast cancer being a systemic disease requires surgery, chemotherapy, radiotherapy and hormonal therapy to complete a standard treatment protocol.
   A standard protocol of the treatment may be solutions for the optimum outcome of the patients with breast cancer, the press release said.
   The practice of chemotherapy prior to surgery remains a topic of controversy till date. In the developed countries, neo-adjuvant chemotherapy for locally advanced breast cancer is a standard routine practice.

Bangladesh Youth Leadership Centre on Thursday distributed certificates among 30 school and madrassah students who successfully completed the month-long leadership training programme
   The graduation ceremony of the BYLC batch 2 was held at the BRAC Centre Inn auditorium which was attended, among others, by prime minister’s adviser Gowher Rizbi and US ambassador James F Moriarty.
   The BYLC launched its second Building Bridges Through Leadership Training programme by picking 30 candidates from 21 schools and madrassahs.
   BYLC chairperson Zafar Sobhan and its founder and president Ejaj Ahmed also spoke on the occasion.

Light to moderate rain or thundershowers accompanied by temporary gusty or squally wind is likely to occur at a few places over all the six divisions with moderately heavy to heavy falls at places over Khulna, Barisal and Chittagong divisions in the next 24 hours till 6:00pm today.
   Day temperature may remain nearly unchanged over the country, Met Office said.
   The sun sets in the capital today at 7:46pm and rises tomorrow at 6:25am.
   Country’s highest temperature 35.5 degrees Celsius was recorded on Thursday at Rajshahi and lowest 25.0 degrees at Barisal, Jessore and Sandwip.