BERC recommends retail power tariff hike
A technical committee formed by the Bangladesh Energy Regulatory Commission (BERC) on Thursday recommended hike in power tariffs at the retail level too to cut the volume of subsidies.Consumer-rights groups, business representatives, and other stakeholders, however, opposed the tariff hike proposals by the state-run Bangladesh Power Development Board (BPDB) and...
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Use budget tools to revive economic growth, stability
Utilise the upcoming budget as a strategic instrument for reviving economic growth and restoring macroeconomic stability, economists urge the government as they find Bangladesh's economy under "significant strain".Speaking Thursday, they said the country's macroeconomic situation continued to be fragile -- inflation remaining persistently high, private-sector-credit growth falling to a record...
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Expatriates can invest undisclosed income in several sectors
The government may offer a special tax amnesty allowing non-resident Bangladeshis (NRBs) to invest undisclosed income in several sectors back home facing no questions from revenue authorities or other agencies.Under a proposed arrangement, already approved at government's high level, NRBs can invest their undeclared incomes in select sectors, excepting real...
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SOEs cost treasury Tk 882 billion a year
Bangladesh's state-owned enterprises (SOEs) have drained nearly Tk 882 billion from the national exchequer in a single year, emerging as one of the country's biggest fiscal risks, according to a World Bank study, reports UNB.The study highlighted that the deteriorating financial condition of public enterprises has become "unsustainable" at a...
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Dhaka gears up for vibrant Eid cattle trade
Cattle markets are set to buzz with activity in the capital ahead of Eid-ul-Azha as farmers and seasonal traders have already started bringing sacrificial animals to makeshift trading points.Official trading will begin on May 25.According to data, 24 cattle markets, including the permanent one at Gabtoli, will be set up...
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Seven more children die amid measles outbreak
Seven more children died of measles and measles-like symptoms in the 24 hours until 8:00am Thursday, raising the total death toll to 488 since mid-March this year, according to the Directorate General of Health Services.Of the total fatalities, 83 were confirmed measles cases, the DGHS said in its latest bulletin....
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Vaccine gaps could worsen AMR risks
A new policy brief has warned that vaccine gaps could worsen antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in Bangladesh amid the ongoing measles outbreak, which experts say has been driven largely by low immunisation coverage.The Global Antibiotic Resistance Partnership (GARP), led by One Health Trust and icddr,b, released the policy brief recently.The policy...
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