Southeast Bank Limited distributed scholarships to higher secondary level meritorious students who are coming from financially insolvent families.

Southeast Bank Foundation organised a function to accord reception to the students at a hotel in Dhaka on Saturday, said a press release.

Dr. Atiur Rahman, Governor, Bangladesh Bank, was present on the occasion as the chief guest while Alamgir Kabir, FCA, Chairman, Southeast Bank Limited was present as special guest.

Mohammed Gofran, Additional Managing Director of Southeast Bank Limited, presided over the function. Bank directors, eminent persons and parents of students attended the function.

It may be mentioned that Southeast Bank Foundation initiated a scholarship programme for poor and meritorious students in 2009 to pursue one of its key social objectives.

The Foundation has, so far, distributed 1034 scholarships to the secondary level students, while the number of scholarships to higher secondary level students stood at 2315 and graduation level students at 212.

On the occasion, scholarships were distributed to 245 students who are now studying in different colleges at HSC level. 

 A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed between Dhaka Bank Limited (DBL) and Hajj Agencies Association of Bangladesh (HAAB) on Sunday.

Under this MoU, pilgrims can deposit and transact their Hajj and Umrah money to 74 branches of the bank across the country without any charges, said a press release.

In addition to that, the pilgrims may collect Dhaka Bank Traveler’s Cheque and Hajj Visa Card services to withdraw money during the Hajj.

The MoU was signed by Niaz Habib, Managing Director of Dhaka Bank and Md. Ibrahim Bahar, President of HAAB on behalf of their respective organizations.

A School Banking Conference was held in the Bangladesh Bank colony ground in Chittagong recently,

 reports in press release. Governor of Bangladesh Bank Dr. Atiur Rahman was present as chief guest in the conference and visited the stall of Pubali Bank Ltd.

 Deputy Managing Director of Pubali Bank Limited Saiful Alam Khan Chowdhury presented bouquet to the Governor of Bangladesh Bank during his visit to the stall of the bank.

 Executive Director of Bangladesh Bank M. Mahfuzur Rahman and General Manager of Pubali Bank Syed Abdul Mazid were present on the occasion. 

Pubali Bank’s response to corporate social responsibility is embodied by the concept of responsible banking, which is imbibed in the way we do business and drive the objectives of the Bank to be the best financial

 institution in Bangladesh. We recognize our obligations to the society, so we are committed to always making informed, reasonable and ethical decision in the manner we carry out our business, how we treat our employees, and how we relate to our customers.

Our CSR initiatives over the years have focused on health care, sports, education and youth development, the arts, philanthropy and charitable activities.

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.