DTCA holds meeting after two years

Board members of the Dhaka Transport Coordination Authority (DTCA) on Monday directed the body to form two committees - in a meeting held over two years after their last meeting.One of the committees is the executive committee of the board,...

Dhaka's lost lungs

Dhaka along with 14 other districts of Bangladesh has been experiencing a mild to moderate heatwave, said the Met office. Increase in frequency, intensity and duration of the heatwaves is now the new normal. Of course, ultimately, climate change is...

US sponsored tariff tsunami & the risk of a global slump

President Donald Trump marked April 2, 2025, as "U.S. Liberation Day," announcing sweeping tariffs that have rocked global markets and reversed decades of American trade policy. From the White House Rose Garden, Trump unveiled a 10 per cent universal tariff...

From tariffs to triumph

The recent decision of the United States (US) government to impose a 37 per cent 'discounted reciprocal tariff' on Bangladeshi exports has reverberated with shock through the country's business and policy circles. As per a chart published by the White...

Slippery ground of Rohingya repatriation

On the sidelines of the 6th BIMSTEC summit in Bangkok, the Myanmar foreign minister U Than Swe reportedly informed Chief Adviser (CA) Dr Yunus's high representative, Dr Khalilur Rahman that the Myanmar authorities had identified 180,000 Rohingya individuals as 'eligible'...

BTRC moves afresh to introduce NEIR

Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) is once again moving forward with the implementation of the National Equipment Identity Register (NEIR), aiming to curb illegal handset usage through a triplet-based registration system. However, industry insiders warned that the complex deregistration process-requiring...

Is there light at the end of dark tunnel?

So, Myanmar has agreed in principle to take back 180,000 Rohingya of the more than 1.0 million of this ethnic people it evicted from the country's Rakhine State. In a meeting between Dr Khalilur Rahman, a high representative of the...

All govt depts in action for rationalising US import tariffs

All government departments swing into action to explore ways, including tariff rationalization, to mitigate adverse impact of the Trump-triggered global trade war on Bangladesh's already-woe-stricken economy.The jacked-up US tariffs, 37 per cent on Bangladeshi goods, higher than that of its...

Tax reform framed to cut state subsidy burden on LNG

A tax-reform package for imported LNG has been prepared to help reduce state subsidy burden being created through multiple taxation and marketing the item at cut rates. To reduce its burden from gas subsidies, officials say, the state-owned Petrobangla has...

The next step in digital literacy

Without digital literacy, we risk being left behind like medieval people, and the vision of building a 'smart Bangladesh' will remain a pipe dream, as it is right now. Even though the idea of digital literacy has been introduced in...

BSEC staffers claim to be "clerks" relying on commission for every step

Staffers of the securities regulator, including top executives, claim to have no power to make any decision as the commission, especially the chairman, remains the sole authority when it comes to regulatory decision making. So, if the Bangladesh Securities and...

Redrawing lines of engagement

"In diplomacy, clarity is often more powerful than consensus." - Henry KissingerBangladesh Chief Adviser Dr Muhammad Yunus and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi met in Bangkok on April 4, 2025, against the backdrop of regional instability and domestic transformation. The...

Who wins tariff war?

What US President Donald Trump hails as a day of liberation for America could, in reality, signal the onset of global economic recession if his administration remains steadfast in pursuing its sweeping "reciprocal tariff" policy. The so-called "reciprocal tariffs"-which reach...

Trump's trade blitzkrieg: Dhaka needs to explore options

As promised, Donald Trump, President of the United States of America (USA), has imposed reciprocal tariffs on more than 180 countries. He slapped the tariffs on Wednesday last through an executive order titled 'regulating imports with a reciprocal tariff to...

EGCB plans 220MW solar plant at Sonagazi

Electricity Generation Company of Bangladesh (EGCB) now plans to set up a 220MW solar power plant in Sonagazi upazila of Feni district.The company has some 650 acres of land in Sonagazi after setting up a 75MW solar plant there. After...

When role models take leave of social space

Role models are increasingly becoming a species on the verge of extinction. Even the millennials felt the urge to look to someone for inspiration and tried to build their life after their real-life idols' models. Ever since the arrival of...

CAAB seeks to finish 8 projects by 2025

The Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh (CAAB) has set a target to execute eight major projects, including the much-talked-about third terminal of the Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport (HSIA) in Dhaka, by 2025.The aviation regulator is now continuing with nine projects...

Finance for boosting non-tax revenue

The finance ministry is pressing various ministries and divisions for steps with an eye to increasing non-tax revenue for the upcoming fiscal year, 2025-26.The development came from tripartite meetings with different line ministries hosted to discuss budget estimates for the...

Cox's Bazar lifeguard service faces closure for fund crunch

The decade-old lifeguard service in the world's longest sea beach Cox's Bazar is likely to be closed threatening lives of thousands of visitors due to lack of fund amid possibility of discontinuation of fund disbursement by the international donor.Sources said...

CA to lay foundation stone on May 14

CHATTOGRAM, Apr 3: Chief Adviser Professor Dr. Muhammad Yunus is expected to lay the foundation stone for the construction of a new rail-cum-road bridge project over the River Karnaphuli at Kalurghat on May 14. Dr. Yunus will be coming to...

Offshore wind energy study on the cards to assess potential

The government is set to conduct a comprehensive study on harnessing the potential of offshore wind energy to enhance power generation from renewable sources.The study aims to develop a detailed database that will support large-scale investments and infrastructure development for...

Money not yet put to business as promised before floating IPOs

At least four listed companies have failed to utilise the IPO (initial public offering) funds within the time mentioned in their prospectuses, depriving general shareholders of their timely benefits.While there were excuses that the business climate has been adverse, there...

Fighting the twin problem of discrimination and disparity

The rural-urban divide has always favoured towns and cities ever since human civilisation invented urbanisation as a way of life. It is because of this, the transition from an agrarian society to a manufacturing or industrial one was a giant...

Current macroeconomic realities & challenges

The national budget for fiscal year 2025-26 (FY2026) holds significant importance as it is being formulated by the interim government amid a challenging macroeconomic environment. The interim government inherited an economy characterised by high inflation, subdued revenue collection, sluggish budget...

Receipts rise by 23pc, with US topping contributing list

Bangladesh received US$18.49 billion in remittances during the first eight months of this fiscal year in a steady growth, with the United States topping the list of major contributors. As usual, Dhaka division, wherein lies the nation's capital, netted the...

BD needs to add Tk570b to raise tax-GDP ratio

Bangladesh will need to add Tk 570 billion to its tax-to-GDP ratio under one of updated conditions the IMF sets for releasing the remaining US$2.39 billion from its lending package. Officials say the International Monetary Fund (IMF) is set to...

No step yet for other public transports

Though the Rapid Pass crisis is now over after the procurement of more than half a million cards recently, no measures have been taken yet to introduce such integrated circuit (IC) cards in other public transports.Transport experts said there are...

SME board undergoes correction after political regime change

The price index of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) on the Dhaka bourse has taken a massive plunge in the eight months since the collapse of the Hasina regime. The corrections of SME stocks were due as their earlier price...

An emerging concept for financial inclusion in BD

Innovations in the field of finance have led to a surge in financial products and derivatives in most of the economy worldwide. The qualitative part of financial innovation requires the transformation of financial education through the medium of emerging technology...

Ensuring safe return of Eid vacationers

The journey home by Eid vacationers from the capital city to different districts including the outlying ones during this Eid-ul-Fitr was admittedly safer and smoother compared to previous years', so far as the reports go. And for this success thanks...