Move to build 10km elevated haor road

A move has been made for a 10-kilometre two-lane elevated road to connect Kishoreganj Sadar and Mithamoin upazila amid criticism over first such road having possible impacts on the ecosystem.The 30-kilometre road was developed in Itna, Mithamoin and Ostogram haor...

Meeting soon to decide on import ban on poultry items

The commerce ministry will sit on Monday to decide on the proposed ban on import of poultry items from neighbouring countries including India to help protect the local poultry industry from bird flu contamination."We have planned to hold a meeting...

Stocks tumble as major sectors plunge

Stocks extended the losing streak for the second straight week as cautious investors continued their sell-offs amid lower-than -expected earnings declaration of some listed companies.Week on week, the DSEX, the benchmark index of the Dhaka Stock Exchange (DSE), went down...

Transformation to interest rate-based monetary policy framework

With the rapid developments in theory of monetary policy, the practice of monetary policy framework has greatly been evolved since the early 1990s. Meanwhile many central banks around the world especially in the industrialised/developed countries have transformed their long-existed monetary...

Benefits and costs of social distancing in rich and poor countries

With circumstances previously not thought of, the Covid-19 pandemic has given rise to a series of heated debates regarding which public health measure would be most effective to contain the virus in absence of a vaccine. Many governments around the...

Blind pursuit of growth

The ravages of the pandemic are visible in every aspect of life across the globe. To combat the pandemic, for the time being, the economies so obsessed with growth have been forced to put a brake on their madness to...

BBA plans further feasibility study

The Bangladesh Bridges Authority (BBA) has planned to do further feasibility study on the country's proposed longest bridge on the Tentulia in Barisal division.A cabinet committee has not accepted its first study.Sources said the cabinet committee on economic affairs recently...

Financial perils in check for now, eyes turn to risk of market correction

"The vaccines are here!"-the cry heard and welcomed the world over-has boosted hopes of a global economic recovery in 2021. Yet until vaccines are widely available, the market rally and the economic recovery rest on continued monetary and fiscal policy...

Prospects of digital banking in Bangladesh

Usage of technology in every sphere of life is in the core of 4th Industrial Revolution (4IR). The financial sector is at the forefront of 4IR globally and Bangladesh is not an exception. Technological Innovations in financial services popularly known...

The riddle of GDP growth figures

Bangladesh's GDP growth estimates have always been an enigma. Higher growth figures have always allured the people who are at the helm of the statecraft. Many others do appreciate the country's remarkable economic growth in recent years, but they are...

Countering syndicated business

The findings by the Bangladesh Agricultural Research Council (BARC) have not shed any new light but only confirmed the popular perception that business malpractices and a lack of government intervention were responsible for price hike of rice, potato and onion...

Keep supply orders by millers at check

A government agency has recommended measures to regulate the issuance of supply orders to help stabilise edible oil prices. The millers usually issue orders beyond their production capacity, which hampers the supply chain of cooking oil when its price rises....

Indian customs rules clash with SAFTA

Rules of origin of the South Asian Free Trade Area (SAFTA) can supersede the provisions of the new Indian customs rules in case any conflicts arise, experts say.The Indian customs (administration of rules of origin under trade agreement) rules made...

BB renews call to exhaust stimulus packages by Mar

The central bank has asked the banks to exhaust all stimulus packages by March to help revive the economy, battered by Covid-19.The advice was given at a virtual meeting between the bankers and Bangladesh Bank (BB) governor Fazle Kabir."We've advised...

Bangladesh's yaba drug epidemic is festering

On January 22, 2020, a Rohingya man suspected to be a yaba trader was killed during a gunfight with Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) in Bandarban. The 25-year-old yaba peddler, who belonged to the Kutupalong Rohingya camp, was entering Bangladesh from...

Blue economy of Bangladesh: Prospects and challenges

The Oceanic Economy popularly known as blue economy has emerged as a crucial development issue for optimum use of the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development. Among the sustainable development goals (SDGs), SDG-14 focuses on sustainable use of...

Disciplining financial institutions

The financial markets are classified mainly according to the final maturity of their instruments. Money market usually includes financial assets that have short or medium-term duration. These assets are highly marketable and carry a lower degree of risk. Capital market,...

Central bank set to extend EDF's enhanced credit limit

The central bank is set to extend the enhanced credit limit under its Export Development Fund (EDF) scheme for the textiles and clothing exporters by six more months to help boost proceeds from overseas sales.The members of the Bangladesh Garment...

Padma Bridge project may get time extension until June 2023

The authority concerned has finally proposed extending the deadline for completing the country's Padma Bridge until June 2022 with one more year for defect liability period.With this, the deadline for finishing the Padma Multipurpose Bridge project will be extended for...

BSEC urges FID to realise WB's $7m aid

The securities regulator has urged the Financial Institutions Division (FID) to facilitate realisation of a grant, amounting to about US$ 7.0 million, from the World Bank (WB) for digitalisation of the country's capital market.The Bangladesh Securities and Exchange Commission (BSEC)...

Cost likely to swell by 177pc

Ten years were not enough to complete the development work on a 65-kilometre rail track between Khulna and Mongla port.Sources said the cost of the Khulna-Mongla port rail line (KMPRL) project is likely to increase by at least 177 per...

Readying regional trade agreements for future crisis and pandemic

Policy responses to the Covid-19 pandemic have heavily disrupted trade and supply chains, with many countries putting in place ad hoc trade-restrictive measures, seemingly without any concern about their effect on trading partners - at least during the early stages...

Call for urgent ban on poultry imports

Fisheries and livestock ministry has again sought steps to ban import of poultry items from neighbouring nations to check the spread of bird flu in Bangladesh, officials said.Livestock services department has also made a set of recommendations, including strong vigilance...

A story of empowerment thru sustainable sanitation during Covid-19 pandemic

Water.org Bangladesh, a leading international organization, has so far touched the lives of more than 2.8 million people in Bangladesh by enabling access to water and sanitation. Globally, Water.org operates in 13 countries, wherein its programs have reached around 32...

China's duty rebate yields little for BD

The prolonged tariff preferences have hardly helped Bangladesh boost exports to the Chinese market due to narrow product basket, stringent value addition requirement and the lack of competitiveness, stakeholders and experts say. Bangladesh has enjoyed tariff benefits in the Chinese...

Pubali Bank won't charge

Pubali Bank is now working to transform major functions to be used by the merchants, customers and corporates into digitization using mobile Apps by June 2021 without receiving any extra charges from its clients, a senior executive of the bank...

BIMSTEC cooperation on intra-regional trade

BIMSTEC should pursue not only signing an FTA, but also interconnected agreements - including trade facilitation and cross-border connectivity.The Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) has passed 23 years since its inception in 1997. Being...

Can blockchain boost remittance inflow?

Remittance is one of the key sources of foreign exchange for Bangladesh, accounting for 5.8 per cent of its GDP. The remittance inflow was approximately $18.20 billion in the 2019-20 fiscal year (FY). It is projected that remittance will hit...

Perceptions vary

The main thrust of all discussions about the fallout from the pandemic has centred mostly on health and the economy. That is understandable because from the existential point of view both are essential. Here the words, 'existential' and 'essential' are,...

Beximco seeks VAT waiver

Beximco Pharmaceuticals Limited has sought exemption from the payment of Value Added Tax (VAT) on the import of COVID-19 vaccine, its administration and distribution to supply to the consumers at affordable prices.As per the existing VAT law, the consumption tax...