Ctg port expands container storage capacity by 10pc

CHATTOGRAM, Aug 22: Chittagong port, the prime sea port of the country, expanded its container storage capacity by nearly 10 per cent recently as a measure to address severe congestion.Chittagong Port Authority (CPA) Secretary Md Omar Faruk said, "CPA is...

Land scarcity, wetland loss, and pollution in Bangladesh's urban expansion

Bangladesh has witnessed a remarkable transformation over the past seventy years. Once primarily rural, the nation is rapidly urbanising. Bangladesh's urban population has surged from less than 5 million in 1950 to nearly 60 million today, according to the United...

Financial inclusion landscape in Bangladesh

Financial inclusion has emerged as a cornerstone of development policy, not only as a means of economic empowerment but also as a pathway toward social equity and sustainable growth. In developing economies, expanding access to formal financial services is increasingly...

Social protection: not an option but a necessity

Asia and the Pacific is navigating multiple disruptions, both positive and negative. Economic restructuring, green transitions, intensifying climate change, demographic shifts and digital transformations are posing a critical question: how do we ensure that large numbers of people are not...

Consolidated licensing, cap on foreign ownership likely

A new-look telecommunications network and licensing policy is in the making with a sweeping reform package aimed at simplifying regulation, reducing inefficiencies and enabling the sector to adapt to modern technological and market realities.The government on Thursday unveiled the draft...

Mass release of muggers

The release of as many as 1,108 mugging suspects on bail in just past three months is sure to cause many an eyebrow to raise. Some of the gory and gruesome murders of innocent people including members of the business...

Showmanship of Trump and Ukraine

Donald Trump, the president of the United States (US), loves to talk and relishes showing himself talking to electronic media. That is the egotistical baggage he carries from his stint as the host of the television reality show, 'The Apprentice'....

Ctg city to recover 21 canals to address waterlogging

CHATTOGRAM, Aug 20: The Chattogram City Corporation (CCC) will excavate and recover 21 canals to solve the water-logging crisis of the city.Under CCC monitoring, a feasibility study has begun through a Dutch company to restore the canals, which are currently...

Low revenue-GDP ratio stokes worry

Bangladesh's lowly revenue-GDP ratio dipped further in the last financial year due mainly to economic downturn and sluggish business ambiance, coupled with unrest in the revenue-gathering entities.The development has stoked concern among the policymakers as the next IMF review mission...

What is holding back export diversification?

Over the years, much has been said about the necessity of export diversification to ensure sustainable growth in international trade and safeguard the economy against unforeseen global events. Yet, very little progress has been made in this regard. The ready-made...

Partition season & Bengal's tortuous history

In this season of a remembrance of the traumatic partition of India in 1947, it is fitting and indeed necessary in the interest of history that we trek back to the tortuous history of the land Bengalis have inhabited for...

Poor coordination key barrier

The Implementation Monitoring and Evaluation Division (IMED) has identified inadequate coordination in land acquisition and utility relocation as a key constraint on the timely implementation of large infrastructure projects. To mitigate such delays, the planning ministry's evaluation division has recommended...

Higher NPLs reduce banks' capital adequacy to lowest in South Asia

Higher classified loans have dragged the capital adequacy of Bangladesh's banking sector to the lowest level among neighbouring South Asian countries, officials said. The capital-to-risk-weighted-asset ratio (CRAR) fell drastically to 3.08 percent in 2024, driven largely by weak capital positions...

A day to raise awareness about the dangers posed by mosquito-borne diseases

Mosquito-borne diseases kill more than one million people and infect up to 700 million each year - almost one in ten people. 128 years ago, mosquito-borne disease was first discovered by a British doctor on August 20, 1897. Sir Ronald...

Three more troubled banks to come under AQR this week

Three more commercial banks, which were plagued by irregularities and scams during the Awami League government's tenure, are set to come under an asset quality review (AQR) by an international audit firm this week.The banks that will face AQR, generally...

High-level brainstorming session today on project execution

Entire pantheon of the interim administration sits for a high-level brainstorming session today to address ongoing challenges in development- project planning, procurement, financing and execution besides foreign-aid disbursement and government debt management.The Cabinet Division has arranged the meeting titled 'Contemporary...

FA leads investment-promotion mission to Japan soon

A high-profile government delegation led by Finance Advisor Dr Saleuddin Ahmed visits Japan from September 1 to explore new Japanese investment in multimodal networks and tourism under a latest development drive.However, official sources say the trip has been organised to...

A separate higher education commission

In higher education, quality is not an ornamentation dream-rather, it is the building block on which nations build their intellectual capital, economic competitiveness, and cultural dynamism. In Bangladesh, the current regulatory framework, however, treats public and private universities in a...

Looking into poverty-linked suicides

The self-inflicted tragedy that befell a family of four at the Bamunshikhar village in Paba Upazila of Rajshahi tells us about another level of poverty that is hardly discussed in the circles concerned. As reports go, the breadwinner of the...

Govt mulls funds from pvt investors, dev partners

The government has finalised its plan to expand the four-lane Dhaka-Chattogram highway into 10 lanes and is considering managing funds from both private investors and multilateral agencies due to the high cost estimated at Tk 620 billion.Officials said though the...

In the grip of viral and other fevers

Fevers have long ceased to be a highly dreaded disease, particularly after cure for malaria and typhoid has become available. The same cannot be said about the various types of fever this country, particularly the capital city is witnessing right...

Will Rohingya crisis be resolved in near future?

Myanmar's military junta has dissolved its State Administration Council (SAC) and replaced it with a new interim caretaker setup, the so-called 'State Security and Peace Commission (SSPC)'. On July 31,2025, the February, 2021's coup leader, Senior General Ming Aung Hlaing...

Tk 136b projects await ECNEC nod

The Local Government Division has submitted two major project proposals worth Tk 135.72 billion to expand surface water supply in Dhaka and Khulna city corporation areas. Of the total outlay, Tk 50.11 billion will be financed from domestic resources, while...

Govt reviews maiden BD-Bhutan PTA

The government has decided to review and monitor the implementation of the country's maiden preferential trade agreement (PTA) with Bhutan, aiming to remove trade barriers and expand business, sources said.To this end, the commerce ministry has formed a high-powered 12-member...

Abysmal potholes in corporate tax payments exposed

Gross mismatch between the number of registered companies and that of corporate income-tax receipt by the exchequer persists, as the tax returns submitted annually by the former continues to be disproportionately low in Bangladesh, official statistics show.Only nearly 40,000 companies...

Challenges, opportunities, and risks

In the middle of Dhaka's growing waste crisis, a quiet revolution is happening, one that's being led by young people who see opportunity where others see garbage. Across Bangladesh, a number of youth-led initiatives and businesses are emerging that are...

How biochar can boost fertiliser efficiency

As Bangladesh's population grows and the demand for food rises, efficient fertiliser use has become more critical than ever to safeguard food security. Farmers in the country rely heavily on chemical fertilisers and pesticides, a long-standing practice that has caused...

Challenges to achieving the export target

Setting the annual target of exports is a tradition for long in the country though there is no official target for imports. As earnings from export is an important source to support the country's balance of payments (BoP) as well...

Distinction among govt agencies a must to ensure co-operation

Special Assistant for Road Transport and Bridges Dr Sheikh Moinuddin has opposed the Dhaka bus-route plan made by the Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP), saying a clear distinction among the government agencies is a must to ensure they co-operate with one...

Widespread violations of PPR found in major rail projects

The execution period of 43.33 per cent of the procurement tenders under five major Bangladesh Railway projects has been extended by 211-1,598 days due to the failure to complete work within the time frame. A post-procurement review by the Bangladesh...