National Tobacco Control Cell
A mass notice ordering printing of pictorial anti-tobacco warning message on at least 50 percent space of upper side of any tobacco product packet, cartoon or box issued recently by National Tobacco Control Cell of Health and Family Welfare Ministry. The order said no tobacco product can be sold without pictorial anti-tobacco warning message printed on upper side of the tobacco packs from 19th September this year. Anyone violating the order will get maximum six months of imprisonment or be charged Taka 2 lakh. The punishment will be doubled, if the same person violates the order repeatedly. The order has been made in line with Smoking and Tobacco Products Usage (control) Rules 2015 under Smoking and Tobacco Products Usage (control) Act 2005 (amended in 2013). The notice said the government has withdrawn its earlier order, issued on March 16, 2016, to print the pictorial anti-tobacco warning on minimum 50 percent space of lower part of tobacco packets, cartoon or box.
Bandhu Social Welfare Society
A conference organised by Bandhu Social Welfare Society (BSWS) for lawyers was held at Master Chef Chinese Restaurant in Rajshahi. In the programme held recently the speakers urged the professional lawyers to play an important role towards ensuring fundamental rights of the transgendered people. As the sons of the soil, the transgender population deserves the rights of getting all legally requisite facilities, they said urging all quarters, including policy planners and administration to work together to ensure their rights.They said the present government has given recognition to the transgender as third gender. For this reason, they are not getting their need-based services like passport, national identity card and birth certificate as third gender, they added. About 30 persons including 18 panel lawyers from different districts under Rajshahi division and others concerned attended the conference and took part in its open discussion. The function was addressed, among others, by Bandhu Project Coordinator Moshiur Rahman, Legal Consultant Zahid Hossain. Manager Research Raihanul Haque conducted the event as resource persons. Panel Lawyer Shahinul Haque, President of Dinar Alo Hijra Sangha Mohona and its General Secretary Sagorika and BLAST Coordinator Advocate Alamgir Hossain shared their views on the occasion.
