Bdnews24.com

The government has decided to import one lakh tonne of wheat at the cost of Tk 330 crore through international tender.

The cabinet committee on public purchase approved the proposal Thursday. The imported wheat will reach Bangladesh by June 30.

Finance adviser AB Mirza Azizul Islam told reporters: "We'll import wheat from a country which will be able to supply the stuff in 45 days through participating in an international bidding."

The government has set the shipment cost of the wheat at $450 per tonne for Chittagong port and $466 to reach up to Mongla port.

The committee also approved a contract for appointment of consultants for development of the technical design for refurbishing and upgrading the Dhaka-Chittagong highway into four-lane motorway with world class facilities.

The Asian Development Bank is providing 50 percent of the total project costs.

LGRD adviser Anwarul Iqbal and food adviser AMM Shawkat Ali were also present in the meeting.

US assistance for democracy in Bangladesh will double: Boucher (DC)
Bdnews24.com
The US will increase assistance for democracy and governance in Bangladesh to $21 million for 2009, the foreign ministry said in a statement Thursday.

Richard Boucher, US assistant secretary for South and Central Asian Affairs, requested the House of Representative's Foreign Affairs Sub-committee on South Asia for the assistance, the statement said.

"In anticipation of a transition to a democratic government in Bangladesh following elections scheduled for December, our 2009 budget requests $21 million in support of democracy and governance programmes, more than double the 2008 enacted level," Boucher said in a hearing on "US assistance to South Asia: is there a strategy to go with all the money?"

This additional funding is meant to promote anticorruption reforms, strengthen government institutions, particularly at the local level, and support democratic political party development, Boucher told the Congress.

Congressman Mike Pence referred to the instance of Bangladesh where US government provides an annual assistance of about $80 million while taking away more than $500 million as tariff from Bangladesh's exports.

He noted that this is an example of "disconnect between US foreign assistance and foreign policy objectives" and urged the administration to rectify this.

Mark S Ward, senior deputy assistant of administration for the Asia of USAID, told the Congress that the US government was also planning to increase funding for further good governance.

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