PRESS INFORMATION DEPARTMENT GOVERNMENT OF BANGLADESH DHAKA Most LJrgcnt Flom: PIO. I)lD. Dhaka l-or: Banglacloot. All Missions Fax: 9540553 19540026 MS(i: 38/2021-22 E-mail : Lriddhakaiiiig.n.rai l. colrr Datc: \\'ednesday,l I August 2021 Web : r.vwrv.pressinlorm. gov. bd News Brief The ECNEC yesterday approved a Taka 2,204.39 crore project to expand Teletalk mobile phone network at village level and also to modernize the existing network to provide 5G services. The approval came from a meeting of the ECNEC with its Chairperson and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in the chair yesterday. The Premier joined the meeting from Ganobhaban while other ECNEC membersattended it fromthe NEC Conference Room in the city's Sher-e-Bangla Nagar arca. A total of l0 projects was approved with an overall estimated cost of 7985.51 crore. The other projects are 'Replacement of dilapidated and naffow bailey bridges and other vulnerable bridges at important points in Rangpur Zone' , 'Construction of Madarganj 100 MW Solar Power Plant at Solar Sark in Jamalpur', 'Development of important roads in Keraniganj Upazilla,Dhaka', 'Rural Livelihood project-phase-Ill', 'DudhKumar River Management and Development in Kurigram', 'Development of Bagerhat-Rampal-Mongla district highway', 'Collection and Conservation of audio visual documents of liberation war from local and foreign sources and enhancement of Bangladesh Film Archive', 'Char Development and Settlement Project'and'Coordinated development of livestock and coastal area'. Prime Minister's official engagement through video conferences or online platforms almost tripled in last eight months compared to the last year as the COVID-l9 pandemic saw Bangladesh spinning around overnight from real interactions to the online space, Prime Minister's Office sourcos said yesterday. The Premier's enhanced online presence also expedited the execution of government decisions as she reached out officials and others concerned including public representatives at grassroots, alongside the policymakers at the central level. Since 2020,the online platform linked the prime minister with 1,558 spots across Bangladesh, when she interacted with cross section of people including public representatives, field-level officials and social figures, the source added. During the pandemic the Premier also joined several global events and conferences that fixed international policies and spearheaded global campaigns particularly in the interest of Bangladesh and other disadvantaged countries. August 15 carnage was not only an attack on Bangabandhu family rather it was the most brutal assault on the spirit of the country's independence which was earned through the bloodstained 1971 Liberation War. Road Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader said this while addressing a webinar titled "Mournful August - Black Chapter of History" yesterday. In continuation of August 15, 1975 earnage, four national leaders were killed inside safe custody of Dhaka central jail on November 3 in 1975 and grenade attacks were launched on AL rally on August 2l in2004 to make the country leaderless, he said. The Minister said behind the scene perpetrators of the August 15 carnage will be found out through investigations to unmask those conspirators before the new generation. Later, Obaidul Quader virtually joined a discussion on National Mourning Day arranged by Bangamata Fazilatun Nesa Mujib Science and Technology University. Speaking on the occasion, he said those who wanted to erase Bangabandhu from the history are being effaced from the history. There is no specific threat centering the National Mourning Day on August 15, as militants'networks have been destroyed. Home Minister Asadtzzaman Khan Kamal said this while talking to media yesterday.The government took 'zero tolerance' stand against all sorts of crimes, including militancy and terrorism, and demolished their networks across the country, he added. Foreign Minister Dr. A K Abdul Momen said, the scheduled showcasing of Bangabandhu's life at the Times Square in New York will elevate the brand value of Bangladesh in the international arena. He said this while talking to the journalists at State Guest House Padma in the capital yesterday. Apart from screening the documentary on the huge luminous digital billboards, a programme will also be held on August 15 marking the national mourning day at the Times Square which sometimes termed as'heart of the world', he added. Last h, week, Dr. Momen announced that a documentary on Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman will be screened 720 times on August 15 and 16 at the Times Square. Railways Minister Nurul Islam Sujon said, the 15th of August is the tragic day for Bengali Nation as Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and his family members were brutally killed on this day in 1975. He said this while addressing a preparatory meeting on the occasion of National Mourning Day at Panchagarh yesterday. State Minister for Cultural Affairs KM Khalid while addressing a function in Dhaka yesterday said, his Ministry is on the side of artists and cultural activists in the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic. Last year, the ministry provided financial assistance to more than 12,000 unemployed cultural workers across the country, he added. He said, 6,000 artists and cultural activists have been assisted and more than 2,300 people will be provided financial assistance from the ministry soon. Heavy vehicles transport on femies suspended on the Shimulai-Banglabazar route due to severe Padma River currents. The suspension will be effective until the flow of the river retums back to a safer, more normal state. State Minister for Shipping Khalid Mahmud Chowdhury made the announcement while addressing a meeting at the secretariat yesterday. Meanwhile, the government has scrapped the order on increasing 60 percent fare for the river route passengers, which was. issued on April 1 last on condition of carrying 50 percent passengers of water transports' capacities aiming at stemming the coronavirus infection, said a BIWTA press release yesterday. The Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Corporation-BlwTc has formed a five-member body to probe the collision of 'Ro-Ro Ferry Birshreshtha Jahangir' with a pillar of the Padma Multipurpose Bridge, according to an official order of BIWTC yesterday. On the occasion of National Mourning Day and the 46th Martyrdom Anniversary of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, 'Bangabandhu e-Corner' is going to be launched at the initiative of Press Information Department today. Information and Broadcasting Minister Hasan Mahmud is scheduled to inaugurate the exhibition at the Secretariat in the morning, said a press release. All the government and private offices along with ffansport services are set to resume today on a condition of maintaining health protocols after a l9-day-long nationwide strict restriction imposed to stem the spread of Covid-19. Earlier, the govemment re-enforced the strict restriction from July 23. Canadian Minister of International Development Karina Gould started her three-day virtual visit to Bangladesh yesterday. Minister Gould will have the chance to meet with government officials and key partners to discuss Canada-Bangladesh cooperation and the Rohingya response, a Canadian High Commission's statement said in Dhaka yesterday. Bangladesh yesterday received another 1.7 million doses of Sinopharm Covid-19 vaccine from China under the Covax facility as the government continues its efforts to speed up the nationwide vaccination drive.This is the first consignment, among the three, scheduled to arrive from China this week, Directorate General of Health Services official sources said.In a bid to ensure the second dose of Moderna Covid vaccine, the government has decided to halt administering its first dose after August 12,the sourcc said. The country recorded 264 fatalities from COVID-19 yesterday, taking the death toll to 12,480. With 11, 164fresh cases, the tally of infections surged to I,376,322. At the samel\irne count rose to 12,34,762, DGHS disclosed this information in a press release yesterday. tt.08.uzl ShahinoorMiah Principal Intbmation Offlcer (Acting) Phone - 9546091.