How to count humans

New research published this July in The Lancet forecasts that continued growth "through the century is no longer the most likely trajectory for the world's population." Rather, the global population is likely to peak in 2064 at 9.7 billion, before...

Uncertainty grips work for erosion, Covid-19

River erosion and the ongoing coronavirus pandemic have made work on the long-awaited Padma bridge uncertain for an indefinite period, sources said.The project office predicts that the June 2021 deadline for completion of the country's longest bridge will not be...

BB asks banks, NBFIs to execute with top priority

The central bank has asked the bank and non-bank lenders to properly implement the stimulus package for cottage, micro, small and medium enterprises (CMSMEs) by giving top priority - in order to help expedite recovery of the pandemic-hit economy.The instruction...

High net worth investors lift mkt

Active participation of high net worth individuals has given boost to the capital market in recent days, according to market insiders and experts.Other factors such as lower returns on the money market, lucrative price level of listed securities and strong...

Project work in full swing

CHATTOGRAM, Aug 17: Work on the long-awaited dream deep-sea port project at Matarbari in Cox's Bazar is going on in full swing.To this effect, the government has already appointed a project director (PD) and the process of land acquisition for...

Dhaka nudges KL to launch FTA talks

Bangladesh is pushing Malaysia for starting formal negotiations on signing a free trade area or FTA agreement as both had earlier agreed on such a deal to boost bilateral trade, officials say.The ministry of commerce or MoC has recently given...

Move underway to formulate spl law to use underground space

A move is underway to formulate a special law to use underground space going far below existing buildings for establishing subway network in and around Dhaka city.Sources said Bangladesh Bridge Authority (BBA) has taken the move as it has been...

Tough-talking mayors of Dhaka

Some weeks back, the issue of colour-based zoning of Dhaka and Chattogram cities to help tackle the spread of COVID-19 got national attention. The zoning was seen as necessary to enforce lockdown in areas with high infection rates. But the...

Move afoot to consider treatment at Covid-19 hospitals as free of cost

The government is considering treating all treatments provided to the patients at dedicated Covid-19 hospitals for around four months as free of cost, sources said.To this effect, a proposal is now under scrutiny at the finance ministry.Directorate General of Health...

BB to ask banks, NBFIs to pace up

The central bank is set to ask the banks and non-banking financial institutions (NBFIs) for faster implementation of the stimulus packages particularly the one for the CMSMEs to speed up recovery of the pandemic-hit economy.The instruction will be given at...

No age bar for admission to polytechnics!

The education ministry's decision to open government polytechnic institutions and colleges to adult people of any age for admission has angered diploma engineers. At a view-exchange meeting held at the Institute of Diploma Engineers Bangladesh (IDEB), they vented their ire...

Smart driving card in two months

The Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA) is expected to kick off the delivery of smart driving cards in the next two months.The regulator has recently assigned an Indian firm to issue the cards.Sources said Madras Security Printers has been appointed...

NBR circular next month

People having undisclosed cash are expected to get the chance to legalise their money in three methods while filing return during the current fiscal year.The taxmen may allow the relevant taxpayers to show their undisclosed amount as 'cash in hand,'...

Move to export halal food to UAE

The government has taken a move to export safe, halal food and meat to the United Arab Emirates (UAE), an official said.The ministry of fisheries and livestock (MoFL) through the ministry of foreign affairs has recently sent a list of...

Import curve heads upward

Despite outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic import of oils and fats in Bangladesh during the first 6 months of 2020 witnessed an upward trend by 4.82 per cent compared to the corresponding period of 2019. During the period total import...

A profile in duty and courage

In the dawn of August 15, 1975, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman made one of his final phone calls to his military secretary, the then Colonel Jamil Uddin Ahmad. He had been attacked, Bangabandhu told Col Jamil, and the residence on...

PPE market comes under tight monitoring

The local market for medical or health safety products has come under tight monitoring as sales of such items and its demand have picked up significantly across the country amid the Covid-19 pandemic, officials said.To this effect, Bangladesh Competition Commission...

Core index adds 742 points in eight straight weeks

Stocks witnessed yet another strong bullish week that ended on Thursday, extending the winning streak for the eight consecutive weeks.The enthusiastic investors put fresh stakes on large-cap stocks throughout the week amid growing confidence in the market riding on regulatory...

Exporters may feel the heat

The Indian move to slap import duty will hit Bangladesh's apparel exports, thus widening further the ballooning bilateral trade gap, officials say.The duty imposition will also go against the provisions of the South Asian Free Trade Agreement or SAFTA under...

Bangabandhu was the Druid in our lives

In the pre-dawn hours of 15 August 1975, sinister darkness descended on Bangladesh. Conspiracy felled the Father of the Nation, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, and nearly his entire family. Bloody treason, in Shakespearean terms, reigned supreme in the land. It...

Expressway in Munshiganj mooted

A move has been made for a two-lane elevated expressway in parallel over the existing two-lane Munshiganj-Muktarpur road which remains stuck with traffic for its link with industrial areas.The 9.06-kilometre expressway near Dhaka-Narayanganj road has been planned over the 10-kilometre...

Pilot to prod firms to automate accounts

The government has decided to provide the electronic fiscal device (EFD) free-of-cost to the businesses in order to encourage them to automate accounts.To this effect, the National Board of Revenue (NBR) is going to start distributing the first phase of...

Govt cranks up bank borrowing

The government started the new fiscal year with higher bank borrowing as July loans figure almost doubled as revenue collection fell, officials say.Its borrowing reached Tk 130.87 billion in the first month of FY 2020-21 through issuance of treasury bills...

Fisheries sector entrepreneurs get Tk 260m loans so far

The government has disbursed around Tk 260 million as loans to the entrepreneurs of fisheries sector to help offset the financial losses due to the Covid-19 pandemic, an official said.The loans have been disbursed following the Prime Minister's declared Tk...

Extreme extravagance

It is an old and, to a great extent, habitual aberration. Yet none has ever bothered to address the issue--- procurement of motor vehicles for development projects and their high maintenance cost. As the government remained indifferent, there has been...

Arresting teenage gangsterism

The drowning of two students in the Sitalakhya during a turf war between two groups of Narayanganj Ispahani Ghat area is not only tragic but also most alarming. In just 10 days spanning the last week of July and first...

Switching between job and entrepreneurship

The Covid-19 pandemic has heavily impacted household and individual level earnings in Bangladesh as about 13.0 per cent of the people have reportedly become unemployed in the last few months. Consequentially, national poverty is forecast to increase by 25.13 per...

Slow progress in fund disbursement

Banks and non-bank lenders could disburse only Tk 15 billion of the stimulus package until July 30 for smaller firms.The disbursed amount is just 7.50 per cent of total Tk 200 billion financial support meant for small and medium enterprises...

July revenue collection falls 22pc

The overall revenue collection fell by 22.07 per cent to only Tk 123.34 billion in July last, the first month of the current fiscal year (FY), as compared to that of the same month of last year, according to the...

Korean co may get contract through unsolicited proposal

A Korean company is likely to get the operational and maintenance (O&M) work of the Padma bridge at a higher rate than Bangabandhu Jamuna Bridge under the government-to-government arrangement. The cabinet committee on economic affairs (CCEA) on Wednesday gave the...