Reform cannot wait as banking crisis deepens
The country's banking sector continues to make screaming headlines. Recent media reports inform that, by the end of 2025, distressed loans across all scheduled banks had surged by more than 47 per cent to Tk 10.08 trillion --- an amount that exceeds the size of the proposed national budget for...
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Tea sector needs a fresh look
The tea sector contributes approximately 0.81 per cent to 1.0 per cent to Bangladesh's national GDP. It is the country's second-largest export-oriented cash crop after jute and supporting millions of livelihoods, especially in rural communities. The sector provides direct and indirect employment for roughly 3.0 million people, primarily in the...
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Why should rice become costlier immediately after harvest?
The rice syndicate has, once again, become hyperactive. Earlier, the millers and their cohorts took the opportunity of the lean season to raise prices of rice. But they targeted the peak harvesting period to manipulate market last year. This year sees a repeat of their intrigue. During the harvest of...
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Normalisation of banned polythene
The sight of vendors handing over fish, meat, vegetables or groceries in thin polythene bags is common in markets across Bangladesh. Buyers and sellers have become accustomed to this convenience. It is, however, worth recalling that Bangladesh was the first country in the world to ban polythene bags in 2002,...
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Restoring dignity of parliament
Parliament is the highest forum of democratic deliberation, where national policies are debated, government actions are scrutinised and public aspirations are voiced. Unfortunately, parliamentary debates in Bangladesh are increasingly becoming a source of public disappointment. Personal attacks, inflammatory remarks, offensive language, excessive partisan rhetoric, and performative speeches often overshadow meaningful...
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