DHAKA, Feb 16, 2026 (BSS) - The Trading Corporation of Bangladesh (TCB) will begin selling essential commodities across the country through 450 mobile trucks from tomorrow marking the holy month of Ramadan. The information was disclosed in a press release issued by the TCB today. The release said the special programme has been undertaken in line with government instructions to support low-income people.  The initiative will continue for 20 days, from February 17 to March 12, excluding Fridays and public holidays. Under the programme, essentials such as edible oil, sugar, red lentil, chickpea and dates will be sold through 450 mobile trucks nationwide. Of these, 50 trucks will operate in Dhaka city, 20 in Chattogram city, 15 in each of the seven divisional cities and five in each of 55 district towns. Around 400 consumers will be able to purchase the commodities daily from each truck. A total of 23,000 tonnes of essential products will be distributed among nearly 3.5 million beneficiaries during the programme. Each consumer will be allowed to buy a maximum of two litres of edible oil, one kilogram of sugar, two kilograms of red lentil, one kilogram of chickpea and half a kilogram of dates. The prices have been fixed at Tk 115 per litre of edible oil, Tk 80 per kg of sugar, Tk 70 per kg of lentil, Tk 60 per kg of chickpea and Tk 160 for 0.5 kg of dates. Meanwhile, TCB's regular sale of essential commodities will continue for nearly 6.6 million smart family cardholder households at subsidised prices.  To mark Ramadan, the TCB will distribute around 40,300 tonnes of products in February and 33,000 tonnes in March among the cardholders. These families will be able to purchase edible oil, sugar and lentil at previous rates along with chickpea and dates as additional items from designated truck sales points across the country.  

RANGPUR, Feb 16, 2026 (BSS) - A high school teacher was arrested on Monday  afternoon in the city for allegedly offering a bribe of Taka seven lakh to  Roksana Begum, Deputy Director of the Directorate of Secondary and Higher  Education, Rangpur region.    "The arrested teacher is Md Maidul Islam, a former teacher of Kochaikata High  School in Roumari upazila of Kurigram district," Rangpur Metropolitan Kotwali  Police Station Officer-in-Charge (OC) Md Shahjahan Ali told BSS at 9 pm  tonight.    On Monday (February 16) afternoon, Roksana Begum handed him over to the  police along with the bribe money.    Maidul Islam met Roksana Begum at her office on February 9 last to enroll a  teacher and three employees of Kochaikata High School in Roumari upazila of  Kurigram under MPO.    That day, Roksana Begum rejected Maidul's proposal for illegal MPO  registration.    On Monday (today) afternoon, Maidul again came to Roksana Begum's office and  said that he had brought a total of Taka seven lakh for the MPO registration  of a teacher and three employees of the school.    Seeing the matter, Roksana Begum called the officers and employees of her  office and handed her over to the police.    Roksana Begum said that the teachers and employees of that educational  institution should have been continuously surveyed online from 2013 to 2021  for MPO recommendations.    Otherwise, there is no opportunity to make recommendations as per the  circular of the Ministry of Education. There are many such files in the  Rangpur region.    OC Shahjahan Ali said that after interrogation, teacher Maidul was arrested  with Taka seven lakh taka in cash.    "After initial interrogation, we are preparing to hand over the arrested  person to the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) who will later file a case in  this regard," the OC added.