Caring for the elderly

The International Day of Older Persons was observed on October 1 with the theme, "Older Persons Driving Local and Global Action: Our Aspirations, Our Well-Being and Our Rights." The theme highlights that older persons, far from being passive beneficiaries, can...

BDBL seeks Tk 50b from govt to help support its operations

The state-run Bangladesh Development Bank PLC (BDBL) has sought Tk 50 billion as financial support from the government to help expand its overall operations, sources said.Managing Director and CEO Md. Jashim Uddin in a letter made such a request to...

Taste of home: Global dishes with local ingredients in Dhaka streets

Walk down almost any street in Dhaka and the change is hard to miss. Every corner of this city is filled with a variety of restaurants-Dumplings steam in roadside stalls. Sushi rolls appear in small restaurants. Burgers are sold alongside...

Nepal's revolution and India's backyard diplomacy

Kathmandu’s blazes of this month are not just Nepal’s issue—their peril is for South Asia. The explosion of protests by Nepal’s impatient youth against corruption, elitism, and inequality toppled Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli and rattled the very foundations of...

DWASA to sign contract with two more Chinese companies today

Two more Chinese companies are set to receive work orders for two additional components of the Saidabad Water Treatment Plant (WTP) Phase III, paving the way for full-scale physical work on the long-delayed project, more than a decade after its...

Partial exporters can import raw materials duty-free against bank guarantee

The National Board of Revenue (NBR) has allowed partial export-oriented industrial enterprises to import raw materials duty-free against bank guarantee under a move to help expand the country's export trade.To this effect, the revenue authorities issued a notification on Monday.Enterprises...

WB offers budget support credit for smooth transition

Bangladesh expects US$300-500 million in fresh budget support from the World Bank as the WB has offered the credit to assist with its smooth graduation from the least-developed country (LDC) status in November next year, officials say.A delegation of the...

Six-month wait and no payout yet for unitholders

Unitholders of Asian Tiger Sandhani Life Growth Fund have yet to receive their dues, even six months after the fund's closure, with uncertainty deepening as the delay drags on.The trustee of the mutual fund said the payment could not be...

What is happening to hilsa?

Is hilsa really leaving the shores of Bangladesh? Reports of constantly falling hilsa catch during the peak monsoon breeding season (July to October) is indeed concerning. Though hilsa's share of the nation's total fish production is only 12 per cent,...

Health sector steeped in unhealthy practices in procurement, equipment use

High-value medical equipment purchased over a year ago remains largely unused, exposing critical gaps in resource utilisation and public money's value. Such neglect and waste officially detected under the Expansion of the National Institute of Neurosciences and Hospital (NINS) project...

Envoy Textiles' go-green pursuit has economic motive too

Envoy Textiles has begun operations at its second fabric recycling plant to convert all waste into recycled yarn, in a bid to meet buyers' growing demand for environmentally friendly products.With the new plant running, the company's recycling capacity now stands...

Dengue's economic toll in Bangladesh

In July 2025, twelve-year-old Joya from Barguna fell ill with what first seemed like a simple fever, but within days she was diagnosed with dengue and rushed to a private clinic in Barishal as public hospitals were overflowing. Her eight-day...

Universities with no allocation for research

Of the 106 private universities in Bangladesh, 28 had no allocation for research. The annual report of the University Grants Commission (UGC) of Bangladesh for the year 2023 has revealed this disquieting development. Even the funds other varsities set aside...

An emergency, dengue calls for urgent action

Dengue, a vector-borne killer disease, remains largely unaddressed by the government. Of course, the hospitals are doing their best to treat the patients brought in critical conditions. But such patients usually succumb to their conditions despite the best of doctors'...

Government to relocate planned vaccine hub project to Munshiganj

Bangladesh's long-awaited vaccine research and production hub is being relocated from Gopalganj to Munshiganj in a move that will push up project costs and extend the timeline by two more years.First approved in 2023 to cut reliance on vaccine imports...

Suspended NBR officials' reinstatement begins

The process to reinstate the suspended National Board of Revenue (NBR) officials has started in full swing as the departmental inquiry is making progress.Around 33 officials of the income tax, VAT, and customs departments were suspended for tearing apart official...

Youth unemployment in Bangladesh: What holds us back

Bangladesh is at a demographic juncture, with one of the largest young populations in South Asia. Higher education has grown at an unprecedented rate over the past decade, resulting in increasing university graduates annually. However, a concerning contradiction casts a...

Listed mutual funds fail to lure investors despite NAV gains

Mutual funds are trading at heavy discounts on the bourses but still fail to attract investor enthusiasm.While volatility in the equity market could be a reason that drives away investors, the listed mutual funds have inherent issues that overpower their...

Farmland protection act brooks no delay

In a country where agriculture remains the mainstay of the economy, the steady erosion of farmland is a cause for serious concern. An increasing number of farmers are losing their land and livelihoods as arable areas shrink under the combined...

Bangla-Indo trade sees modest rise despite restrictions

Notwithstanding a significant strain in relations, bilateral trade between Bangladesh and India witnessed a modest rise in the last fiscal year, reflecting the reciprocal reliance on each other for sourcing various goods for domestic consumption. It also indicates that long-term...

Saidabad WTP physical work to begin after a decade

Physical work on the Saidabad Water Treatment Plant is finally set to begin after 10 years with an aim to ensure the supply of clean and safe water for city-dwellers from the Meghna River.The Dhaka Water Supply and Sewerage Authority...

Pakistan proposes joint working team

The interim government is moving with urgency to resolve the long-standing issue of the repayment of Pabna Sugar Mill loans received under Pakistan Supplier Credit, sources say.In this regard, a high-profile inter-ministerial meeting was held between representatives from Bangladesh and...

Govt to issue land ownership certificates, smart cards

The government will issue certificates of land ownership (CLOs) and land smart cards to land owners to ensure the authenticity of ownership. A land ministry high official involved in the process has told The Financial Express the government has finalised...

Lack of skilled project directors, flawed planning among key challenges

The Planning Ministry has identified several challenges hampering the implementation of the Annual Development Programme (ADP), including flawed project formulation, a shortage of skilled project directors, weak feasibility studies, inconsistent data, and delays in land acquisition and utility relocation.These issues...

Gen Z is shaping the world in a way never seen before

The world's demography was never categorised by alphabetic letters like it has been done since the Millennials. Yet its next generation known in short Gen Z has captured the headlines more than their preceding and succeeding generations. The Millennials have...

Rohingyas at the crossroads: a call for global action

On August 24-26, 2025, something remarkable happened in Cox's Bazar. More than 100 Rohingya from the camps and the global diaspora gathered with civil society leaders, humanitarian and development partners, UN agencies, member states, and senior officials of the Bangladesh...

A betrayal of a national dream!

A webinar titled "Economic Dynamics and Mood at Household Level in Mid 2025" has explored a wide range of issues of national life including payment of bribes for official services and optimism about the country's future. The Power and Participation...

Preserving the dark memory of torture

Every country carries a thick book of sorrow-some hidden in secrecy, others etched on history as an eternal reminder to generations yet unborn. For Bangladesh, a country born out of the 1971 war of liberation and genocide, its heritage of...

Krishi Bank on the brink, reform urgent

As the government moves to merge five crisis-ridden Shariah-based banks into a single state-owned entity, one pertinent question arises as to whether the same recipe would be applied to state-owned financial institutions. The state-owned commercial banks as well as specialised...

Bond yields slip below policy rate

Yields on treasury bonds fell below the central bank's policy rate on Tuesday, as banks channelled surplus liquidity into government securities amid subdued private credit demand ahead of the national elections.The cut-off yield, commonly referred to as the interest rate,...