Rajshahi Krishi Unnayan Bank (RAKUB) organised a training course on Core Risk Management for branch managers of different zone ended at the bank’s training institute in Rajshahi on Thursday.

Professor Dr. M Shah Nowaz Ali, Chairman, Board of Directors of RAKUB distributed certificates and prizes among the trainees as chief guest, said a press release.

Prof Dr. Modon Mohon Dey and Prof Md. Abydur Rahman Pramanik, Directors of the Board, RAKUB attended the programme as special guests.

Md. Mozammel Haque, Principal of RAKUB Training Institute presided over the function.

Some 26 branch managers took part in the five-day training course.

 Dhaka Bank Limited recently donated a microbus to Bangladesh Olympic Association (BOA) under the bank’s Corporate Social Responsibility programme.

A T M Hayatuzzaman Khan, former chairman and sponsor shareholder of the bank formally handed over the key of the microbus to Syed Shahed Reza, Secretary General of BOA at its premises, said a press release.

Altaf Hossain Sarker, former chairman and Director, Abdullah Al Ahsan, Director, AKM Nurul Fazal Bulbul, President of Bangladesh Handball Federation, Ashikur Rahman, DSG of BOA, attended.

Sonali Bank has taken some initiatives to beef up security system for branches across the country.

The state-owned bank took these initiatives following two recent incidents of burglary in its two branches that cost the bank a huge amount of cash as well as business goodwill.

The finance ministry also formed a six-member committee on Monday to review the security of the vaults of the state-owned banks (SoBs) including Sonali.

Headed by Banking Division Additional Secretary Amalendu Mukherjee, the committee includes an executive director of Bangladesh Bank and four deputy managing directors from the four state-owned banks - Sonali, Agrani, Janata and Rupali banks.

The committee would prepare a report in two months time on the status of security of vaults of the SoBs and would also recommend measures for strengthening security further.

In a statement late Wednesday, Sonali Bank said it would install night vision closed circuit cameras in branches across the country in next 15 days. All the bank’s vaults will have 24-hour security alarm system soon. 

 Bangladesh Bank Governor Dr. Atiur Rahman emphasised on the need for establishing special economic zones for women entrepreneurs so that they can come forward and participate at the country’s development process.

He also called upon everybody to change their mindsets towards women and said wrong mindset about women is one of the major challenges that hampers their success both in social and business lives.

Atiur came up with the call while addressing as chief guest the inauguration of a day-long ‘Women Entrepreneurs Conference and Products Display” held at Ruposhi Bangla Hotel in the capital on Thursday.

The SME and Special Programme Department of Bangladesh Bank in cooperation with all banks, non-banking financial institutions, JICA, CARE Bangladesh and Standard Chartered Bank arranged the programme in order to encourage women entrepreneurship by speeding up financing to the projects undertaken by women entrepreneurs.

Abul Kashem, Deputy Governor, Professor Hannana Begum, Director of Bangladesh Bank, Mikio Hataeda, Chief Representative of JICA Bangladesh, Jamie Terzi, Country Director of CARE Bangladesh, Kazi Akram Uddin, President of the Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and Industry, Ali Reza Iftekhar, President of the Association of Bankers, Bangladesh, Rokia Afzal,

 President of Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Mohammad Shahjahan Khan, President of Dhaka Chamber of Commerce and Industry addressed the programme as special guest.

Nirmal Chandra Bhakta, Executive Director of Bangladesh Bank chaired.

The participation of women in managerial posts of different organisations has been increased remarkably, Dr. Atiur said mentioning that women participation which was 19 percent in the managerial posts 10 years earlier has now jumped to 24 percent.

“Financing the projects of women entrepreneurs would be profitable investment for the banks, now-a-days,” Atiur said.

“The women entrepreneurs are never get defaulters. After taking loans from the banks they repay it in time which is a great opportunity for the banks to invest,” he added.

Addressing the programme, Kazi Akram Uddin informed that there are seven women chambers in the country now. 10 other applications to establish women chambers has also been submitted. He hoped that women chamber will established at every districts of the country.

Calling upon the women to come forward to invest in productive sectors, Akram also emphasized on the necessity of changing everybody’s mindset in this connection. Women are investing in many sectors which are generating huge employment also also contributing lot to the country’s economy, said Abul Kashem.

Calling upon the government to institutionalise women entrepreneurship, Rokia Afzal said that women are facing various obstacles in doing business.

Jamie Terzi said that the uplift of female community is the major provision of entire development of a nation while it is necessary to involve the women in economic activities to enjoy such development.

Mentionable, around 500 women entrepreneurs participated in the conference to display their products and services. A total of 78 stalls were set up at the venue where the entrepreneurs displayed their products.

Actions will be taken against respective banks if the inspection teams find any breach of safety directives made by the central bank.

Jebun Nesa Alo

Bangladesh Bank has decided to launch a massive monitoring to ensure security of bank vaults across the country.

Actions will be taken against respective banks if the inspection teams find any breach of safety directives made by the central bank, it said.

In the wake of two recent burglaries in Sonali Bank, the central bank came up with the decision at a meeting yesterday held at its office in Dhaka.

The bank inspection department of Bangladesh Bank will check vault safety measures.

The inspection will be conducted in addition to the department’s regular inspection to financial activities of different bank branches.

"If any branch is found vulnerable and not complying with the Bangladesh Bank directive on safety issue, punitive action will be taken," said Deputy Governor SK Sur Chowdhury.

Bangladesh Bank issued a circular on January 27 asking all the banks to take every necessary stepto ensure their vaults’ safety.

Following the burglary in Sonali Bank’s Kishorganj branch, the circular was issued.

It mentioned that most of the banks didn’t follow the central bank’s instruction on safety of depositors’ money kept at vaults despite repeated warnings from Bangladesh Bank.

Thus, the negligence in safety steps had resulted in looting of depositors’ money breaking into the bank vaults, the central bank added.

If Sonali Bank stepped up vault security after the Kishoreganj branch heist, the following incident of same kind at a Bogra branch of the bank could have been avoided, according to Bangladesh Bank.

On Tuesday, the central bank served a notice to Sonali Bank’s managing directorPradip Kumar Duttato let it know what safety steps were taken after the Kishoreganj branch burglary.

While talking with the Dhaka Tribune, Pradip Kumar Dutta didn’t answer to the question if any additional security steps were taken after the Kishorganj incidence in January.

Rather, he talked about the insurance coverage of the vaults and relocation of branches as part of security efforts.

“Sonali Bankcancelled insurance policy for its vault safetyafter the government’s instruction as premiums were costing huge amounts to the bank,’’ said Pradip Kumar Dutta said.

He said letter was to the government to revive insurance coverage, and the matter had been discussed with Sadharan Bima Corporation too.

As far as insurance coverage is concerned, the insurance on the money deposited at the vaults has to be covered completely.

Sonali Bank MD said to ensure vault security they would need torelocate many branches and it involved a long process.

“We have already begun it (relocation process). But for this interim period, we will have to increase securityguards.”

Under the structural security measures set by Bangladesh Bank, banks are to set up security-tested doors with steel wall around the vault space of the banks. The floors and roofs of around the vaults also have to be certified by an engineer.

As part of technical security measure, there must be an alarming system round the clock along with a closed-circuit television camera at the vaults.

There should be an uninterrupted connectivity between the bank’s central information system and the vault’s security system. Automated fire extinguishers also must be set up into the vaults.

An amount of around Tk16.4 crore was looted from Kishoreganj Sadar branch of Sonali Bank in Januarywhile more recentlyanother burglary hit a Bogra branch of the state-owned bank looting over Tk30 lakh.

News:Dhaka Tribune/13-Mar-2014