Housing project for public servants in the offing

The government is set to build high-rise buildings for its officials and employees in a bid to address their existing housing problem, officials said. As part of the move, a recent meeting on building houses for public servants has suggested...

Govt moves to bring foreign cos in bourses

The government has initiated a move to motivate the foreign companies operating in the country to be listed in the bourses. The Ministry of Finance (MoF) would sit sometime next week with all the agencies and stakeholders concerned to devise...

Gas moratorium fuels demand for costly LPG

Demand for liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) is growing fast following its growing use in rural areas as an alternative to firewood and government moratorium on natural gas connection. Sector-insiders say a wide demand-supply gap fuels the LPG prices, and the...

The cost of doing business increasing

The cost of doing business index of 2016 put Bangladesh in the lowest rung of ranking. In 2015, the country's position was 172, which slipped to 174 in 2016 out of 189 economies.  The ranking of Bangladesh in starting a...

Introducing a pro-taxpayer revenue regime

Establishing a pro-taxpayer environment in an emerging economy like Bangladesh, where tax-GDP ratio is hovering at around 10-11 point, requires a very close review of existing rules and regulations one by one, if not word for word. If these regulations...

Income inequality threatens fight against extreme poverty

The World Bank (WB) said extreme poverty has been falling steadily around the world. But eliminating poverty by 2030 could be stymied by unequal distribution of the gains of economic growth. The WB report titled 'Poverty and Shared Prosperity' has...

IMF to review macroeconomic situation, banks\' performance

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) will soon review Bangladesh's overall macroeconomic situation along with banking-sector performances. An IMF staff mission is scheduled to arrive in the capital next week for the appraisal, sources said. "The mission is expected to exchange...

Problems arise, as both BBA, RHD work out plans

Fresh complexities have arisen over implementation of the proposed Dhaka-Chittagong Expressway Project, following the government's policy shift from its original plan of constructing the superhighway on the country's prime corridor. Sources said the complexities have surfaced after the Prime Minister...

Malaysian PM risks backlash at home after deals with China

Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak is facing grumblings back home that he is "selling off" his country after returning from China with about $34 billion worth of deals, which could help lift the economy ahead of elections. The concerns emerge...

Rampal controversies: Onus lies with the government to dispel doubts

The Rampal Power Plant has kicked off lot of controversies in society. Environmentalist groups and some political parties are opposing the project and organising demonstrations as mark of their protest. The proposed 1320-megawatt coal-fired power plant under a joint partnership...

SMEs face business start-up challenges

As per cost of doing business index, Bangladesh slipped 6.0 points from the year 2015 in case of starting a business, while  many countries have been moving ahead much faster by simplifying business start-up processes. In order to see more...

Forming a new Election Commission

The tenure of the present Election Commission (EC) expires on February 08, 2017. The Law Minister has said that the government is considering to set up the new EC through a search committee. So, the government should take the initiative...

Access to food versus availability of food

More often than not, we tend to be confused over access to and availability of food. One is mistakenly taken to represent the other, particularly by the politicians in their race to win popular votes. Perhaps, Amartya Sen, the Nobel...

FBI Director\'s strange letters and the outcome of US presidential election

Hillary Clinton was running away with the presidential election - and with the momentum also the Senate - until FBI Director James Comey decided to throw a bombshell on the campaign of the former First Lady. On Friday, October 28,...

SBC seeks mandatory insuring of public assets

The Sadharan Bima Corporation (SBC) has sought mandatory insuring of public property with the state-owned insurance firm under provision of the existing law to prevent massive premium flight. Officials said the corporation has made the plea to the government in...

BB buys $1.82b from banks in July-Oct

The central bank has directly purchased US$1.82 billion from the commercial banks in the first four months of the current fiscal year (FY), 2016-17, to help keep the inter-bank foreign exchange (forex) market stable. The amount was slightly lower than...

B\'desh-Myanmar commerce secy level meeting begins Wednesday

A two-day commerce secretary level meeting between Bangladesh and Myanmar will begin from Wednesday in the capital where the signing of preferential trading arrangement and settlement of trade disputes will prominently come up for discussion, officials said. Reviewing the implementation...

Regulator goes for direct litigation in tribunal

The regulator moves to pave the way for direct filing of stock-related cases with the special tribunal on bourses to avert delays in trial. To 'expatiate' tribunal jurisdiction, officials said, the Bangladesh Securities and Exchange Commission (BSEC) has finalised a...

Scandal in Seoul masks bigger economic problems

Seoul is in the grip of a "shamanistic" scandal. A row over a quirky confidante is buffeting President Park Geun-hye, prompting her on November 02 to replace both her finance minister and prime minister. The depressing regularity with which such...

Palestinians craft first aerial map of refugee camp

Amal Said and Mustapha Dakhloul expertly wind their way through the maze-like streets of Burj al-Shamali, squeezing through the refugee camp's narrow alleyways past local children playing on the cracked pavement. "This was one of the spots," says Dakhloul, 18,...

Reflections on a trip to the Sundarbans

Located in the southwestern tip of Bangladesh about 320 kilometres southwest of capital Dhaka, Sundarbans has an area of around 10,000 square kilometres, 60 per cent of which fall inside Bangladesh and the rest 40 per cent on the Indian...

Unshackling ASEAN

As the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) approaches its 50th anniversary next year, its failure to reach a consensus regarding Chinese territorial claims in the South China Sea has raised concerns throughout the region. Although the requirement that all...

Under pressure they struggle to breathe

Dhaka city's geographic and spatial change has been phenomenal over the past three decades. Its parks, open spaces and water bodies acted as its lungs. Now the lungs are missing and breathing for the city has turned into spasms and...

Savings tools: Confusion over benefits

The sales of government savings tools, known as Sanchaypatras, in first nine months of the current financial year (2016-17) surpassed the target set for the entire year and reached a record level. The overall sales of the tools during the...

A song for the living: Colombians crave for peace

More than a month ago, in the Colombian municipality town of Bojayá, a women's choir sang songs in the newly-built church to commemorate all the people who died in the 2002 church bombing. The chorus was also there to say...

Leadership and managing people in business

Since its launch, in 2010, the basic philosophy of Harvard Business Review's (HBR) ranking to select "The Best Performing CEO in the World" has remained unchanged: that business leaders should be judged by the results they produce over their entire...

No alternative to agricultural modernisation

In many developing economies, governments change swiftly, but the state of agriculture changes at snail's pace! In India, another Five Year Plan is going to be over - a mixed performance - giving way to the next one. The major...

KAFCO closure triggers Japan agency’s concern

Japan International Corporation Agency (JICA) expressed concern over the shutdown of operation of the multinational Karnaphuli fertiliser factory following gas-supply suspension, officials said. The Japanese agency has requested immediate resumption of production at the factory of Karnaphuli Fertiliser Company Ltd...

Stocks break two-week losing streak

Stocks returned to the green last week - snapping a two-week losing spell as optimistic investors took position on some large-cap stocks during the later part of the week that ended on Thursday. Analysts said the market bounced back after...

Shortage of manpower hits Food Safety Authority hard

The newly-formed Bangladesh Food Safety Authority (BFSA) is limping with severe manpower shortage although the government has given high priority to creating awareness of food producers and other stakeholders to ensure safe food for consumers. Officials said, the government is...