The spectre of India\'s river-linking project

A recent statement by India's Water Resources Minister Uma Bharti is highly alarming. She told BBC that her government has decided to launch the inter-linking of rivers project in December this year. The project will change the course of a...

National Budget 2016-17: Appraisal of approaches

It is a good sign that public interest on the preparation and implementation of the national budget is growing. Both the print and electronic media, as well as think tanks and the civil society activists are getting increasingly involved, while...

Govt net bank borrowing in negative territory

Slower execution of development projects along with a surge in the sales of savings instruments has put the government's bank borrowing at a negative territory until May last.  A rising trend in government's net bank borrowing target continues into the...

Rural infrastructure improves quality of village life

The link between infrastructural development and crop production in villages is worth noting. Access to paved roads and electricity has a bearing on crop sector as procurement of inputs and disposal of marketed outputs are influenced by such developments. Especially,...

A non-resident’s observations

The projected total government expenditure in the proposed budget for fiscal year (FY) 2016-17 is Taka 3.41 trillion, 15.5 per cent larger than the current FY's initial budget and 29 per cent higher than the revised outlay. This budget represents...

NBR provides legal backing to transit fee

The government has proposed incorporation of a new provision into the customs act to give legal backing to the money to be realised as 'cost' for transiting goods and vehicles through Bangladesh.   The National Board of Revenue (NBR) has included...

Govt earnings from DSE down 12pc in 11 months

The government's revenue earnings from the premier bourse fell 12 per cent in the first 11 months in the current fiscal year (FY) compared to the corresponding period of last FY as turnover was on the decline. Market insiders said...

Battling poverty with World Vision

Babulal Das (36), a resident of Birampur in Dinajpur district, used to lead poor life three/four years back. Even he could not manage three meals a day for his family consisting of three members.  At the same time, he didn't...

Foreign direct investment sluggish

The EU-Bangladesh Business Council meeting held recently in the city listed impediments to foreign direct investment in the country. Lack of coordination among the government agencies, political uncertainty, shortage of energy and limited infrastructure were among the bottlenecks hampering FDI  ...

Education could not be more ludicrous

She has scored 444 marks and topped the merit list of arts stream of class XII in the examination held under the Bihar School Examination Board (BSEB). The local television channels would naturally swarm in, in this age of publicity,...

Issues beyond maze of budgetary statistics

A budget, prepared at the national level, is not just a document of income and expenditure for a particular year. It is also seen as the means to achieving certain economic and social goals. However, at times, the ruling class...

Cos must submit returns on withholding tax twice

Companies, cooperatives and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) may now have to submit withholding tax returns twice a year, mandatorily, under a new fiscal regime. The deducting authorities on the withholding tax, known as tax at source, will also face audit from...

Govt opens negotiation with AIIB for $165m loan

The government has started negotiation with the AIIB for US$ 165 million worth of pledged loan from China-led development bank -- the first loan for the country from the international lender, officials said. "The first negotiation meeting with the Asian...

Wide spread widens yet as depositors rue

Overall interest-rate spread in the country's banking sector yet widened slightly as commercial banks slashed interests on deposits more than on lending, despite pleas for bridging the gap. The weighted average spread between lending and deposit rates offered by the...

G-7 summit, China and rising global tensions

Amid rising tensions in Asia, Europe and the Middle East, the high-profile annual G-7 summit of the world's rich countries held in Japan's quiet Ise-Shima town on May 26-27, 2016, rhetoric apart, "didn't deliver much," observers said at the end...

Budget 2016-17: Neo-liberal stance dominates

In line with his previous efforts, Finance Minister AMA Muhith has outlined another national budget. As such the prime objective of the proposed budget for the upcoming fiscal year 2016-17 (FY17) remains to be 'marching towards growth'. It, however, explicitly...

Education: A tale of two cities

While most people may struggle to decipher an acronym if they are put on the spot but students who have just scored a GPA 5 in SSC are surely expected to know what GPA stands for.  In a well-publicised recent...

Mango cultivation in Bangladesh

Mango is the leading seasonal cash crop of the country's northwestern region and dominates the economy in the four districts: Rajshahi, Chapainawabganj, Naogaon and Natore. As the growers in general are interested to farm mango, its inter-cropping gains momentum in...

Seasons are changing under influence of El Nino

El Nino influence was reportedly responsible for a near absent winter in this part of the world. Temperatures recorded the highest in a decade or over more than half a century in several places in the South Asian region this...

World Environment Day 2016: Go Wild for Life

World Environment Day (WED) is the United Nations' most important event to encourage worldwide awareness and actions for the protection of our environment. Since it began in 1974, it has grown to become a global event celebrated in over 100...

RMG in Bangladesh vis-à-vis global supply chain

As the main focal point of the readymade garment (RMG) industry has shifted from in-house production by foreign retailers to manufacturers and exporters in the form of outsourcing and offshoring, it is not only the quality parameters which attract foreign...

Muhith optimistic about hitting bull\'s eye

Finance Minister AMA Muhith, apparently, guided by the idiom, 'think big', Thursday placed before parliament the proposed national budget for the fiscal year (FY) 2016-17 that might appear a bloated one in the context of the government's revenue earning performance...

SoBs see 60pc fall in recapitalisation fund

The allocation for state-owned banks' recapitalisation is set to fall by 60 per cent for the next fiscal year (FY) 2016-17 compared to the original budget for the outgoing fiscal. The allocation for the SoBs is to come down to...

The gender issue in development work

The gender issue is considered a critical element in achieving decent work for all women and men, in order to effect social and institutional change that leads to sustainable development with equity and growth. It is a way of looking...

Yes to educational reform but no to frequent experiments

Understandably, the National Education Policy cannot be implemented overnight. But then the process must start at some point. Now where it gets going is crucial. Reportedly, the government has decided to extend the primary education up to class VIII and...

Soil status in Bangladesh

Funded by the Department for International Development (DFID) of the UK, the Research and the Evaluation Division (RED) of BRAC conducted a diagnostic study on agricultural sector of Bangladesh.  Reviewing the last four decades of progress and problems, the main...

GRI conference opens up a new era of corporate disclosure

The 5th GRI Global Conference held on May 18-20, 2016 at Amsterdam, the Netherlands called on companies and organisations for stepping out from their comfort zones, become truly innovative and contribute to global initiatives such as the UN Sustainable Development...

Sadiq Khan\'s victory shows Islam is compatible with western society

British Prime Minister David Cameron has called Sadiq Khan a "proud Muslim" and a "proud Brit" when the two shared a common platform on the issue of Britain remaining in the European Union recently. The exact words with which he...

HRM versus administration

Most people including the young who are on the verge of their graduation are under the impression that functions of human resource management (HR or HRM) and administration are the same and HR is apparently synonymous with administration.  The popular...

Investment climate: Prospects and challenges

Investment (both foreign and domestic) is a key determinant of economic growth and development. It is also considered an engine for job creation. Currently, investment is facing a pitiable situation in Bangladesh. According to a report of the UN Conference...