Time for RMG owners to grow up

With Eid-ul-Fitr approaching, the familiar specter of unrest looms over the ready-made garment (RMG) sector. This has almost become an annual ritual before Eids, where workers take to the streets demanding their wages, arrears, and Eid bonuses, while factory owners...

Global call for debt reform

Debt, while essential for development finance, can become a burden if not managed appropriately. The management of debt is influenced by both internal and external factors. Internal factors are typically within the control of the nation, while external factors are...

Transforming careers with industry-ready skills

In a country where educational institutions often have shortcomings in regards to what people need in professional fields, to bridge the gap between colleges/universities and professions, Interactive Cares emerged in July 2020. It offers industry-relevant courses on Tech, Data Science,...

Factors behind sudden escalation of MFs on DSE

Listed mutual funds (MFs) witnessed the highest return last week on the Dhaka bourse among all sectors, with investors' sudden interest in them. The sectoral return of close-ended MFs was 5.14 per cent in the week, followed by the ceramics...

Sugar-mill loans stuck in bank's throat as bitter pills

Sonali Bank seeks government bonds worth Tk 63.33 billion against unpaid loans of sugar mills and Bangladesh Sugar and Food Industries Corporation (BSFIC) stuck in the state-run bank's throat as bitter pills. Officials have said the bank wants the bailout...

Ties with a true medical legend

The passing of a legend always remains as a mystery as we take them for granted when they are alive. A common phrase says "Legends never die." Exactly this stuck me when I heard about the demise of Professor Dr....

Eid shopping gains momentum in Ctg --

CHATTOGRAM, Mar 21: Eid shopping has peaked up in the port city of Chattogram as Eid-ul-Fitr, one of the major religious festivals of the Muslim community, is drawing nearer.Shopping centres here have been illuminated to woo potential Eid buyers as...

LGD sends Tk 30.89 billion project proposal to Planning Commission

The Local Government Division (LGD) plans to extend the government's urban primary healthcare services from city corporations to all municipalities nationwide.It has sent to the Planning Commission a preliminary development project proposal (PDPP) titled "Urban Primary Health Care Sustainable Project...

The lost idyllic world is not completely lost

The bird is insistent, "Bou katha kao". Insistent and tireless, it breaks the silence of the dawn. An early riser who has just returned home in his village after years of mental banishment from the idyllic rural setting thankfully accepts...

Empowering MSME sector

The labour-intensive MSME sector (Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises) plays a vital role in Bangladesh's economic development by fostering entrepreneurship, driving sustainable technology innovation, and contributing to economic growth, employment generation, poverty alleviation, and social stability. According to the 2019...

Tk 151b cost overrun proposals heading to ECNEC meeting

The Sayedabad Water Treatment Plant Phase 3 project of Dhaka WASA was approved in June 2015 at a cost of Tk 45.97 billion with a four-year deadline. However, due to delays, its third revised proposal extends the deadline by an...

World community leaves Palestinians and Rohingya in the lurch

Even in a bipolar world during the cold war, the international order was comparatively soberer and better balanced. Engagements of superpowers or their closer allies in armed conflicts on foreign soils or their open or clandestine support notwithstanding, the rivals...

Social comparison: the dividing line between Bangladeshi & Finnish happiness

Happiness is a universal pursuit, but the paths societies take to achieve it vary widely. Bangladesh and Finland, two vastly different countries in terms of economy, culture, and governance, offer an interesting contrast in how happiness can be impacted by...

Govt plans Tk 2.72b project

The Department of Disaster Management plans to generate 3.63 million workdays under the Employment Generation Program for the Poorest (EGPP), allocating Tk 1.46 billion to support 10,080 families in 15 upazilas of Feni and Brahmanbaria-two districts severely impacted by the...

Remittance up yet reserves static for meeting growing needs

Foreign-exchange reserves of Bangladesh still stay almost static despite a record volume of remittance inflow in recent months as officials say necessary external expenditures are being met. The Financial Express (FE) has observed the trends of the remittance and movement...

Stock market task force to propose sweeping reforms to public issue rules

A task force on the country's capital market reforms is set to deliver a series of recommendations aimed at overhauling public issue rules to attract good companies to the stock market and enhance its depth.One of the crucial proposals from...

Low egg price during Ramadan means losses for farmers

While consumers are happy with the low price of eggs, layer farmers are making losses. Farmers are selling eggs to traders at Tk 8 per egg (or less), at a loss of roughly Tk 2 per egg. After changing hands,...

Burning the cigarette on both ends

The government has been working relentlessly to reduce the consumption of tobacco and achieve a healthier lifestyle for the people of Bangladesh. In an attempt to curb the tobacco consumption rate, the government has implemented two major tax hikes on...

All about protein: Emphasising egg, chicken, fish and soy

Protein is an essential macronutrient made up of amino acids that are crucial for bodily functions such as growth, repair, and maintenance of tissues, as well as metabolic processes, immune function, and hormone production. The human body requires 20 different...

The architecture of control

Throughout history, authoritarian leaders have understood that control over information is synonymous with control over society. Whether through the overt machinations of totalitarian propaganda or the more insidious mechanisms of digital surveillance, the suppression of dissenting voices is a hallmark...

Efficient use key to energy security

Bangladesh is facing a looming electricity shortage this summer as demand is expected to rise from 9,000 megawatts in winter to as high as 18,000 megawatts. To mitigate the impact of this impending crisis, which threatens to severely affect household,...

Balochistan, BLA, Mahrang and the army

These past few days have been deeply troubling for Pakistan. For the first time since 1971, when Bangladesh's Mukti Bahini guerrillas ambushed the Pakistan army in operations that would leave it exhausted and eventually defeated on the battlefield, the ruling...

Tk 1.06t health prog scrapped to prevent mismanagement

The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has decided not to move forward with the fifth phase of the Health, Population, and Nutrition Sector Programme (5th HPNSP) to avoid financial mismanagement and redundancy. The decision came from a series of...

NBR suspects foul play in Tk 7.21b declared as remittance

The tax-intelligence team of the National Board of Revenue (NBR) suspects that Tk 7.21 billion in remittances declared by a taxpayer may be linked to arms purchases by close allies of the ousted prime minister, Sheikh Hasina.The large sum, claimed...

Govt to lease Karnaphuli Tunnel Service Area to private sector

Karnaphuli Tunnel Service Area will be leased to private sector to deal with heavy losses the Karnaphuli underwater tunnel and the service area have been incurring daily.The housing facilities in the service area, which surrounds the country's first underwater tunnel,...

Cargo service from Sylhet airport in weeks

In a significant move for boosting export and import, the country's civil aviation watchdog is set to launch cargo services from two more international airports after the Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport (HSIA) in Dhaka.This service will be launched from the...

Restructuring banking sector

Bangladesh's economic achievements over the past decades are at risk due to severe financial sector challenges. The banking sector is facing a crisis, with non-performing loans (NPLs) exceeding 30 per cent, capital and liquidity shortages, weak governance, and regulatory inefficiencies....

Old habits die hard

Report that distribution of essential commodities at subsidised prices among Trading Corporation of Bangladesh (TCB)'s smart card holders is being controlled by local political leaders in Sitakunda upazila of Chattogram district smacks of what the average person was used to...

A paradigm shift in banking

The global banking sector is undergoing a significant transformation with the introduction of the International Financial Reporting Standard 9 (IFRS 9), which mandates using the Expected Credit Loss (ECL) framework for credit loss provisioning. This shift from the traditional incurred-loss...

Bangladesh Bank smells big-bet investment fraud, launches action

All bank accounts of OGS Bangladesh have been seized by the central bank for allegedly running a Ponzi scheme that fools investors with lucrative profits, in a resurgence of MLM frauds. A Ponzi scheme is an investment fraud that pays...