Poor people will get food under VGF plan during Ramadan

Talha Bin Habib

The government has decided to provide food to the poor under Vulnerable Group Feeding (VGF) programme during the upcoming month of Ramadan, officials said.

Apart from the ongoing programme of Open Market Sales (OMS) of rice and ata (flour) in the capital, the food assistance through VGF will be provided to the vulnerable people at all the unions of the country, said a high official of the Directorate General of Food.

"We are going to provide rice to the VGF card holders at all union levels during the Ramadan so that the poor people could not suffer for food," Director General (DG) of the Directorate General of Food Mr Ahmad Hossain Khan told the FE Saturday.

Under the VGF programme food is provided to low income and other vulnerable groups who cannot meet basic needs for survival due to natural disasters or socio-economic conditions, such as old age, illness and disease.

Mr Khan said that there are about 1,000 VGF card holders at every union of the country who are entitled to receive rice under the government's food security programme.

"A card holder from each family will get rice between 15 and 20 kgs before the Eid-ul- Fitr," he mentioned.

He said that, apart from the VGF programme, the government is also considering to provide rice and ata (flour) to the fair price card holders during the holy month

The DG of the Directorate General of Food has said as part of government's social safety net programme, about 200 trucks are engaged in selling rice and ata (flour) under OMS programme at different areas in the capital.

Under the programme, a person could purchase five kgs of rice and five kgs of ata (flour) at a time. The price of per kg rice is Tk 24 while per kg ata (flour) is Tk 20.

Asked whether the government has any plan to expand the ongoing OMS programme in different areas of the country following the huge responses from the lower income group of the people during the month of fasting, he said, "The matter depends on price stability of rice and ata (flour). If price soars in the retail market then the government will increase the number of trucks for selling rice and ata (flour) in different areas of the country during the Ramadan".

He said that the government has taken up various safety net programmes to ensure social security of the poor people that include Vulnerable Group Feeding (VGF), Open Market Sales (OMS), Cash for Work (CFW), Food for Work (FFW), Vulnerable Group Development (VGD) and Gratuitous Relief (GR).

Besides, people over 65 years and unable to work or do not have family support receive allowances through a programme introduced by the government.

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NBR chairman for bringing all taxpayers under VAT net

FE Report

National Board of Revenue (NBR) Chairman Nasiruddin Ahmed Wednesday said all taxpayers are needed to be brought under value added tax (VAT) net for prosperity of the country.

He made the observation while addressing a views exchange meeting with stakeholders, organised by Customs, Excise and VAT Commissionerate, Dhaka (South) marking National VAT Week (10-16 July) in the city.

Dr Nasiruddin said, "We have decided to observe the VAT day and the VAT week to create mass awareness among the people for paying tax."

He sought help from all to identify the regular taxpayers and those who are not paying tax at all.

The NBR chairman also called for taking initiatives to train up NBR and VAT officials to increase their skill in collecting tax.

Attending the seminar as the special guest, Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FBCCI) president A K Azad said the gap between business people and NBR officials is declining day by day.

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BNP office under police siege

Dhaka, July 10 (bdnews24.com) ? Opposition BNP's Naya Paltan headquarters look deserted as police have kept the party leaders and activists at bay amid the ongoing 30-hour shutdown.

Law enforcers cordoned the party office off on Sunday and did not let anyone enter or come out of it.

BNP and its ally Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami have extended their support to the hartal called by 12 Islamic parties, mostly Islamists, demanding that 'Absolute Faith and Trust on Allah' be reinstated in the constitution and secularism be dropped.

Several hundred policemen in riot gear were patrolling the area. They locked the main gate of the BNP office around 10am.

Other than a few office staff, there was no-one in the BNP central office.

'Rafique', an office assistant, said police did not allow anyone enter the office. "They [police] even told us not to get out of the office," he told bdnews24.com.

bdnews24.com/sm/pks/sam/1600h

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BNP 'no' to polls under Hasina-led govt

Dhaka, June 22 (bdnews24.com) ? Turning down the government's latest offer for talks on the constitution amendment issue, the BNP has said they will not take part in the next election under any interim government.

Addressing a discussion at the National Press Club on Wednesday, party's standing committee member Moudud Ahmed said "The present prime minister will be the head of that government, so we don't want any government other than the caretaker provision,".

He alleged, "The government's invitation is fake and just to confuse the people."

Moudud, a former law minister, said, "The government has annulled the caretaker government system out of fear of losing the next election."

"It [the government] has brushed aside all possibilities of discussion by giving cabinet approval to the recommendations of the charter review committee."

On June 20, the cabinet approved the 51 recommendations, including annulment of caretaker provision, of the constitution review committee, paving way for parliament to pass them into a law.

Declining the remarks of committee co-chair Suranjit Sengupta and law minister Shafique Ahmed that there was still scfope for discussion, the senior BNP leader said their remarks were just a farce.

He also protested the electronic voting system.

BNP joint secretary general Aman Ullah Aman and party's international affairs secretary Nazim Uddin Alam also spoke at the discussion.

bdnews24.com/sm/ha/trb/nir/2345h

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BNP: Nation under one-party rule

Dhaka, June 17 (bdnews24.com) ? The BNP has alleged the government has established a 'one-party rule' in the nation.

"Using the court, the government has imposed one-party rule under a disguise?they've locked up democracy," BNP acting secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir told a discussion at the National Press Club.

He called upon the people to build up a movement against the present situation.

"There is no time to waste. We must wake up to protect the nation and its democracy," he said.

The discussion was organised by the BNP's cultural wing JASAS to mark the 'Black Day for the Press'. On this day in 1975, the state had ordered closure of all but the four newspapers that it owned, under the 4th Amendment that introduced a one-party rule.

Fakhrul alleged the government was selling out everything to the foreigners in the name of friendship.

"They want to make the country dependent on others and a market for other countries. That is why they gave transit," he said.

bdnews24.com/sm/sh/nir/2200h

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