BD faces challenges from both developing, developed nations

Bangladesh sees formidable challenges in negotiating free-trade agreements with both developing and developed nations that warrant major policy decisions and reforms before the kickoff, sources say.A subcommittee on 'preferential market access and trade agreement', formed to fix challenges Bangladesh may...

Huge trade gap entails record current-account deficit

Bangladesh's overall trade deficit crossed US$18-billion mark in the first seven months of the current fiscal year, burning a gaping hole in the country's current-account coffer. Deficits in both the accounts go widening as higher import payments far outstrip export...

Female workforce still slow-goers

Although Bangladesh has qualified for graduating to a middle-income country, its women workforce is still going at a slow pace to enter mainstream economy.Yet, 85 per cent of women are working in the informal sector despite their footprint in income-generating...

Roving with Rohingya

'The crisis situation disproportionately affects women, girls and the most vulnerable and marginalized Rohingya refugee population groups by reinforcing, perpetuating and exacerbating pre-existing, persistent gender inequalities, gender-based violence and discrimination.' - UN WomenThe first time I was approached to work...

In search of gender equity

Sustainable development requires integrated and comprehensive development. On the contrary, gender inequalities are extracting high economic costs and environmental degradation around the world. It is estimated by ILO (International Labour Organization) that women and girls carry out 12.5 billion of...

Women's homegrown skills be first ladder to step in big business

What women do traditionally at homes is now successful business for many men. Billions of dollars worth of industries, namely garments, curry, food industry, catenary services etc are dominant among the successful businesses which are based on what women used...

MFS, e-commerce accelerate, pandemic does the opposite

A paradox it may sound, that the Covid-19 may not have 'infected' women more than men but it has surely 'affected' them more. Is, then, the prolonged pandemic gender- biased? There is no study to answer this question, but several...

Winter Olympics -- a grand Chinese show

We are very keenly observing that the US government considers China as its archrival on geopolitical, economic, and strategic grounds and in its pursuit, it tries to frustrate success achievable to the country-- China, which is dazzling with its crowning...

Data deception weakens policies

The average per capita income in Bangladesh was US$ 1,909 at the start of 2019-20 fiscal-year. Later, Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS) informed on August 11, 2020 that the per capita income had risen to US$ 2,064 in line with...

Raising utility tariffs to be the last straw

For the last two years, the general public were hoping that once the coronavirus is contained, they will be able to happily return to the normal pre-pandemic days. Though the hikes in the prices of gas and fuel oil as...

Delhi to devise way of DFQF continuation

New Delhi assured Dhaka of considering finding out a mechanism for continuation of duty-free and quota-free (DFQF) access of goods to its market even after Bangladesh graduates to upper level from the poor countries' club.At the same time, Delhi urged...

Ballooning import payments drag BD reserves down

Ballooning import payments amid price rises and a payment to the Asian Clearing Union (ACU) dragged Bangladesh's foreign-exchange reserves down US$44 billion, officials say.The reserve position stood at $43.93 billion Sunday after the routine payment worth $2.10 billion to the...

Campaign against spurious alcoholic beverages

In a country where clandestine factories of spurious medicines are unearthed from time to time, operation of manufacturing facilities of counterfeit liquor is unlikely to cause many an eyebrow to raise. Illegal like-alike life-saving drugs can harm or even kill...

Problems of dwindling gas reserves

A couple of decades back, policymakers concerned gave the impression that Bangladesh was floating on gas. And then there were heated debates and street protests over the possibility of gas export to a giant neighbour. A large Indian business conglomerate...

Big bet for $1.5b from new spectrum auction

Bangladesh bids big for raising minimum US$1.5 billion or around Tk 130 billion through auction of radio-frequency allocations to mobile-phone operators to power 5G services and beyond, meant for a quantum leap in telecommunications.Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) has decided...

BR fails to increase modal share of passenger, goods transport

Bangladesh Railway (BR) has failed to increase the modal share of passenger and goods transportation compared to other modes of transport over the years.Though the budget allocation for the sector has been higher in comparison with roads and waterways since...

War in Ukraine to spell trouble for Bangladesh economy

Russian invasion of Ukraine has turned into a full-scale war which is likely to continue for a period longer than many have thought, since there is still no sign of de-escalation though the war is already in its second week....

Tourism in Sundarbans costlier as govt doubles levy

Tourism in the Sundarbans would now be costlier than earlier as the government has doubled its levy after a decade.All the fees and non-tax revenue rates have been increased on an average for tourists and their vessels as well as...

Search action against edible oil oligopolies starts

Sudden market volatility with price spirals invites action as the government starts assessing the import, supply and stock positions of edible oils with refiners and traders, officials say. To this end, the Directorate of National Consumer Rights Protection (DNCRP) has...

Salt farmers in Ctg eye some profit this year

CHATTOGRAM, Mar 04: As the salt cultivation season will approach its end in May, salt-farmers are currently busy in cultivating crude salt in Chattogram's Banshkhali upazila's coastal areas.As the weather is favourable this year and coronavirus infection rate is declining...

Bidding a farewell to coronavirus

So, the tiny but the most deadly virus, SARS-CoV-2, humanity has ever encountered seems to be calling it a day. Unless yet another virulent variant emerges, the world may soon see the back of the pathogen. The experts who predicted...

Concept and Strategy of Application

For the first time in Bangladesh, a major research-oriented informative book titled: 'Janosangjog: Dharona o Proyog Koushal' (Public Relations: Concept and Strategy of Application) just came out in recent times. The book has been authored by Mirza Tarequl Qader, the...

Consumerism and climate change

After the Glasgow climate summit, which involved more talks than action, the hollowness of the global leaders' commitment towards limiting global warming became apparent. The idea of keeping global temperature 'well below' 2.0 degrees Celsius by 2100 and the target...

The economic costs and benefits of Ukraine war

Every war, big or small, short or protracted, has its costs and the war in Ukraine is no exception. Ironically, there will be benefits also. But while the costs will be borne by many countries, the benefits will accrue to...

Banks' provisioning shortfall rises hundredfold in 2021

Overall provisioning shortfall in Bangladesh's banking system soared over a hundredfold in the last calendar year, as classified loans weighed heavily during the period.The aggregate amount of provisioning shortfall rose to Tk 140.07 billion, as of December 31, from Tk...

NPL volume: Hard to contain

The burden of default loans of the country's banks became even heavier in 2021 despite the relaxed approach pursued by the central bank in the last two years to help businesses withstand the onslaught of the pandemic. The ratio of...

From food security to food safety

Concluded on Wednesday, March 2 last, the sixth edition of the three-day National Vegetables Fair adopted a most appropriate slogan, "Nirapad shabji chas, shyastha pushti baro mas (safe cultivation of vegetables, health nutrition round the year). Indeed, the country has...

Revenue up 15.75pc in seven months

Collection of tax revenue, largely import-stage revenue, grew by 15.75 per cent in the first seven months of the current fiscal year.Customs revenue grew by 22.45 per cent until January of fiscal year (FY) 2021-22 due to a volatile market...

NPLs bloat belying policy backup

In the shadows of recent financial problems the classified-loan buildups in Bangladesh's banking system leapt over 16 per cent or Tk 145.40 billion in the last calendar year. Such slide takes place despite providing policy support by the central bank-by...

Pandemic's impact on mental health of the jobless, women

The surge of the Omicron variant has pushed several countries to consider reinstating lockdowns, raising concerns about whether current rates of global vaccination can help curtail the spread of the pandemic. Bangladesh is currently on the ebb of a receding...