Dhaka – School and college students have shown their keenness on higher study and research in science as Dhaka University hosted 5th Biochemistry Olympiad at Curzon Hall on March 14, 2014.

More than 2,000 SSC/O level and HSC/A level students from Dhaka and other districts participated in the

biggest festival of bioscience in the country. The daylong program featured quiz examination, poster exhibition, popular lecture, and interaction session and award ceremony.

Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology of Dhaka University has been organizing Biochemistry

Olympiad annually since 2009. BRAC Bank has been extending support to the program since its inception.

Prof. A A M S Arefin Siddique, Vice Chancellor of Dhaka University, handed over awards to the winning

students and institutions at award-giving ceremony. As a special award, Mohammad Mamdudur Rashid, Deputy Managing Director, BRAC Bank Limited, presented winning schools and colleges with 4 microscopes for laboratory.

Prof. Dr. Shahid Akhter Hossain, Pro Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Dr. Imdadul Hoque, Dean, Faculty of Biological

Sciences, Prof. Haseena Khan, Chairman, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Dhaka University, Shantanu Saha Roy, Member Secretary, 5th Biochemistry Olympiad, were present.

Students have got an exciting experience as they saw innovation and research works in the field of life science.

The festival will make science education more attractive and entertaining to the future generation.

Mohammad Mamdudur Rashid, Deputy Managing Director, BRAC Bank, said, “BRAC Bank always keeps

unshakable trust on dreams and aspirations of the young generation and helps them realize their potentials.

Biochemistry Olympiad will definitely inspire young generation to pursue higher studies in science which will be instrumental to national progress.”

The organizers appreciated BRAC Bank for extending support to organizing the Biochemistry Olympiad.

They expressed their plans to organize the festival in a bigger way in future. Channel i, Radio Foorti and banglanews24.com are media partners of the program.

The central bank governor Dr Atiur Rahman yesterday asked the country’s all scheduled banks to disburse at

least two per cent of their total credit flow to the agriculture sector with a view to ensuring financial access for farmers and sharecroppers. “If any of the scheduled banks fails to disburse the targeted agro-loan,

the bank has to face penalty,” the governor warned while addressing a national level workshop titled “Impact Assessment of Credit Program for the Tenant Farmers,” organised by BRAC, at BRAC Centre Inn in the capital.

Moreover, Atiur said the banks that will be unable to meet the agro-loan target for the current year will have to deposit the undistributed fund to the central bank for one year at bank rate.

Bangladesh Bank’s governor Dr Atiur Rahman addressed the workshop as the chief guest while director general of Department of Agricultural Extension Md Abu Hanif Miah was present as special guest.

The event was also attended by advisor to the executive director of BRAC Dr Mahbub Hossain and lecture of Jahangirnagar University Professor Abdul Bayes. 

Meanwhile, the governor suggested that the country’s foreign commercial banks (FCBs) should provide agriculture loan to the farmers with the help of micro credit financial institutions as most of the FCBs have not enough rural branches.

“A good number of commercial banks are still refraining themselves from disbursing agro loan to the rural areas,” the governor claimed.

“The banks have to increase more agriculture loan with a view to ensuring food security as well as sustainable economic development,” Atiur noted and urged the financial institutions to provide agro loan with easy terms and conditions. “The banks should approve the application of agro loan within 10 working days” he pointed out.

The achievement of the agricultural and rural credit target by the banks will be considered at the time of determining CAMELS ratings, the governor assured the banks.

Appreciating BRAC for its “The Borgachashi Unnoyon Project (BCUP)” or “Tenant Farmers Development Project,” he said the central bank has always facilitated agricultural developments through inspiring the financial institutions to bring the farmers into the mainstream financial activities. 

In 2009, the central bank provided a Tk 500 crore refinancing scheme to BRAC at  only 5 per cent interest rate with a view to delivering collateral free short and medium term agro-loan to the country’s landless,

marginal and unbanked sharecroppers, he said. Under this program, BRAC distributed Tk 10.27 

billion agro loan among 727,182 sharecroppers including women till October 2013, he also said.
Taking this financial facility, around 86 per cent sharecroppers became solvent, Atiur said.

Nizam Chowdhury, Chairman, NRB Global Bank, inaugurates a branch of the bank at Motijheel in Dhaka on Thursday.

NRB Global Bank opened a branch at Motijheel in Dhaka on Thursday.

Nizam Chowdhury, Chairman, NRB Global Bank inaugurated the branch as chief guest, said a press release.

Mohammd Hanif Chowdhury, Vice Chairman, Mohammd Faruk and Mohammd Yousuf, Directors, Md Abdul Kuddus, Managing Director and RQM Forkan, Deputy Managing Director of the bank were present at the inaugural ceremony.

Commercial Bank of Ceylon has been fined Tk 23.55 lakh for breaching banking rules.
Bangladesh Bank has slapped a fine of Tk 10 lakh on the foreign bank for 'illegally engaging' a foreigner as its acting country manager, according to a BB letter sent to the bank.
"An individual who came to Dhaka on a visitor visa worked as the acting country manager when the regular country manager went on leave," a BB official said, asking not to be named.
The bank was fined another Tk 8.55 lakh for the delay in uploading information about nine default credit card advances.
The central bank has also imposed Tk 5 lakh fine on the bank for violating instruction on short-term overdraft loan rules.
The bank will have to pay the fine by March 24.
The Daily Star tried to contact Ajith Naranpanawa, the present country manager of the bank, by phone.
After hearing the matter, his secretary said the message was conveyed to the country manager and he would call back later. But no call came from Naranpanawa.

News:The Daily Star/15-Mar-2014

Bangladesh Bank circular issued yesterday in this regard