Scheduled banks asked to submit info on daily basis

Bangladesh Bank (BB) has asked the scheduled banks to submit information on daily basis regarding the formation of the special fund earlier announced to support the country's ailing capital market.The BB delivered its instruction on Thursday after a decision taken...

Defeating Covid-19 with mutual assistance

Since the diagnosis of the first case of Covid-19 pandemic in Bangladesh on March 08, 2020, Chinese Enterprises Association in Bangladesh (CEAB) has positively responded to the call to fully support the Covid-19 pandemic prevention and control work of Bangladesh...

Niloufer Manzur: An epitome of courage

"An investment in knowledge always pays the best dividend" is what Niloufer Manzur believed. Ever since she set her feet into the academic arena, she tirelessly tried to imbibe her faith in every young individual of Sunbeams, the school she...

Expanding agent banking in BD

Now-a-days the banking process is becoming faster, easier and wider throughout the world. Agent banking service is an outcome of the process. The main purpose of agent banking is to bring and introduce banking services to the rural and unbanked...

Spl parcel train starts transporting mangoes from C'nawabganj

Special parcel train service has created the scope of transporting mangoes from its producing districts atnearly 92 per cent less cost than road transport.Bangladesh Railway (BR) launched the mango special service on Friday, officials said, adding that 800kg mangoes were...

Twin perils hit stocks hard

Stocks plunged in the outgoing week, the first week after two months break, as the growing tension over the impacts of Covid-19 pandemic and the new 'floor price' system.Both the perils kept investors at bay.Week-on-week, DSEX, the key index of...

Extending GSP for post-LDC Bangladesh

Bangladesh, as a least developed country, enjoys a lot of facilities provided by the European Union (EU). These facilities came following the request made by our government to be promoted economically. Especially, the 28-country bloc, namely the European Union, has...

Time for a great reset

Covid-19 lockdowns may be gradually easing, but anxiety about the world's social and economic prospects is only intensifying. There is good reason to worry: a sharp economic downturn has already begun, and we could be facing the worst depression since...

Growth and poverty reduction: Will Covid change the positive links?

During the last few decades, the linkage between economic growth and poverty decline has been usually positive. Both cross country and time series data for individual countries supported this observation. This has encouraged developing countries to pursue policies for acceleration...

Pathogen-control lesson for Bangladesh

Has the coronavirus epidemic peaked already or yet to peak? By the middle or end of the month at the latest, the answer to this question is most likely to be known. If local health and epidemiology experts' projections are...

Import-export thru' Benapole halted since March 23

Import-export activities with India through the country's largest land-port Benapole have remained almost stalled since March 23, raising serious concerns over supply chain disruption of essentials.Some 5,000 goods-laden trucks are waiting to enter Bangladesh through the port from Petrapole for...

Commodity calendar soon

The government is set to prepare a key commodity calendar to stabilise the kitchen market which often remains volatile hitting hard limited income group of people, officials said.The calendar consisting of seven most consumed products is expected to be unveiled...

IMF almost halves GDP growth rate

The International Monetary Fund or IMF has lowered GDP growth projection for Bangladesh to 3.8 per cent for fiscal year 2019-2020 from its earlier estimate of 7.4 per cent in the aftermath of the pandemic.The downward GDP (gross domestic product)...

Time to rethink strategy

Dhaka, the capital city of Bangladesh, is on the move again. The government has withdrawn most restrictions for the sake of 'saving livelihoods'. All modes of transports are in operation. Transport owners have been asked to comply with certain health...

Use of rail cargoes to halve import cost

Transportation of goods through rail cargoes on the Benapole-Petrapole route could reduce the import cost of goods by 50 per cent and ensure fastest delivery after customs assessment, customs authorities said.The time needed for importing goods, including transportation and customs...

Budget spending to go up by 11pc in FY '21

The appointment of additional number of doctors and nurses to fight coronavirus pandemic will push up the operating expenditure of the government by around 11 per cent in the next fiscal year (FY'21) on top of other public sector spendings,...

Idea innovation contest comes to an end

While most people are sitting idly at home spending leisure time or wondering how to spend time, some bright minds are already looking for ways to revive the social and economic conditions of the country after quarantine. In order to...

Stop taking demurrage charge on containers

CHATTOGRAM, June 03: The Chittagong Port Authority (CPA) has requested the Bangladesh Container Shipping Association (BCSA) and Bangladesh Shipping Agent Association (BSAA) to rescind their decision to take demurrage charges for keeping containers beyond the stipulated 'free-time' during the coronavirus-induced...

'Floor price' keeps buyers aloof

Trading on both the bourses in the country remained dull as the majority of sale orders placed above the 'floor prices' kept the buyers aloof in last few sessions.As per existing system, the market prices of the listed securities have...

Riddle of regional variations in Covid-19

As the global Covid-19 infections cross six million and the deaths approach 400,000, questions abound as to why the novel coronavirus has overwhelmed some places but left others less ruffled. This riddle has generated numerous hypotheses, but there have been...

Interest on treasury bond rises slightly

The interest rate on Bangladesh Government Treasury Bond (BGTB) increased slightly on Tuesday as banks were least interested in buying the instruments.The yield, generally known as coupon interest rate, of the two-year BGTB rose to 7.80 per cent from 7.68...

BR parcel train to carry mango from Chapainawabganj

Bangladesh Railway (BR) is set to launch special mango parcel train between Chapainawabganj and Dhaka to carry the juicy seasonal fruit from main mango producing districts of the country.According to a notice issued by BR's chief operating superintendent (west) office...

Ship-breakers suffering huge loss for AT, Covid-19

CHATTOGRAM, June 02: The ship-breaking industry which supplies raw materials for the country's steel and iron sector is suffering a huge loss in the current financial year because of twin problems, imposition of advance tax (AT) on import of scrap...

Revisiting the flu pandemic of 1918-19

Despite the loud claims of unprecedented scientific progress and huge technological breakthroughs for over a century, the circumstances surrounding Covid-19 or Novel Coronavirus pandemic appear to be a lot similar to that of the Spanish Flu Pandemic of 1918-19. This...

Mobile, tobacco use likely to be costlier in FY ’21

Mobile phone users and tobacco consumers may have to count additional costs in the upcoming fiscal year (FY).The Value Added Tax (VAT) wing under the National Board of Revenue (NBR) is likely to propose a hike in Supplementary Duty (SD)...

Five CPA men die of virus, 39 others test positive

CHATTOGRAM, Jun 01: The coronavirus outbreak has posed a dire threat to the staff and officials of Chittagong sea port who have been discharging their duties to keep the export and import activities uninterrupted.Five officials and staff of the Chittagong...

MBL puts thrust on financing health sector, MSME

Mercantile Bank Limited (MBL) has taken a series of measures to bring un-banked people into the banking network through boosting micro, small and medium enterprises (MSME) across the country."We are also going to establish a high-quality hospital and finance the...

Coronavirus halts PTA bid for months

The signing of preferential trade agreements (PTAs) with three friendly nations has been delayed for months as the economy is battling the global COVID-19 fallout, officials have said.Trade officials had set a target to conclude PTAs by this month provided...

The big failure of small government

Decades of privatisation, outsourcing and budget cuts in the name of "efficiency" have significantly hampered many governments' responses to the Covid-19 crisis. At the same time, successful responses by other governments have shown that investments in core public-sector capabilities make...

In Libya the worst has happened

The plight of the people taking illegal routes to secure jobs abroad does not need any elaboration. Hundreds have so far died in extreme conditions while trying to sneak into countries in the Middle East, Southeast Asia, Europe and North...