Living in Dhaka's immediate neighbourhood

With the liveability of Dhaka City increasingly coming into question, quite a few alternatives have by now been suggested. The World Bank is in favour of development of the city's eastern part around Purbachachal much like Shanghai's Pudong in the...

Developments on the stock market front

The country's stock market has been behaving normally until recently. Though bearish, the market was not that volatile. But the Russian invasion of Ukraine on February 24 last and its impact on the global market triggered a clear panic among...

Clash of civilisation leads to armed conflict

In his seminal work, The Clash of Civilizations and the Remaking of World Order, Samuel Phillips Huntington could not be more correct in analysing and predicting the political developments, the 9/11 attacks, the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and small...

Mandatory dope test augments harassment

Professional drivers of motorised vehicles were allegedly facing even more harassment than before and being forced to get middleman services while undergoing dope test, a prerequisite for obtaining a licence or its renewal.Applicants alleged that they have to go to...

Most banks fail in CMSME stimulus lending

Most banks miss out on loan-disbursement target under the second-phase stimulus package for helping out cottage, micro, small and medium enterprises (CMSMEs), belying a drive by the central bank. Industry-insiders say the banks are facing difficulties in selecting fresh clients...

Tax receipts from DSE dip 43pc in February

The government's revenue earnings from the Dhaka Stock Exchange (DSE) slumped by 43 per cent month-on-month in February as turnover and share sales by sponsor-directors fell drastically.Market insiders said sluggish turnover and lower share sales by sponsor-directors mainly hit the...

Nursing as a profession

Among the few services in the world that operate 24/7, throughout the year, nursing is one of such services. Nurses are called the hearts of the healthcare system. They apply their specialised knowledge, expertise, and skill to undertake life-saving approaches...

Rising global inflation risks the recovery from pandemic

Inflation is back in the world in a big way. Many governments, especially developed nations are feeling heats the most and central bankers are taking measures to contain the inflationary pressure. Little predictions were there on this global price spiralling...

Protecting the police

Policing is not an easy job anywhere in the world.This is particularly so in Bangladesh where the police are often not well-trained, physically not fit, poorly paid, disliked, and not trusted by the public in general. They often have to...

BBA, RHD may charge users from June-July

Travelling on the Padma Bridge might not be much enjoyable, as the connecting roads on both sides of the country's longest bridge are likely to be brought under toll system from July, making the entire corridor expensive.Experts said using the...

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...