Addressing vegetable gluts and sharp price fall

Price slump at its lowest for some winter vegetables has raised the old question of troubles and travails farmers often undergo. Oversupply of perishable fruits and vegetables compared to demand has ever remained a problem in this country. If a...

LGD seeks Tk 14.23b for two controversial 'MP projects'

An allocation of Tk 14.23 billion has been sought for executing controversial projects taken posthaste by the Awami League government on demands from MPs in the wake of the student-mass movement that toppled it.Local Government Division (LGD) has placed such...

Govt plans to impose duty on onion import

The government plans to impose tariff on onion import with an eye to protecting the interest of domestic farmers, sources said.To this end, the agriculture ministry has written to the commerce ministry recently, suggesting taking further measures on the issue.The...

On forming an independent revenue commission

Since its establishment in 1972, the National Board of Revenue (NBR) has been tasked with the dual responsibility of formulating revenue policy and enforcing its implementation. This inherent conflict of interest has led to various limitations, distortions, and shortcomings in...

Science out there in space, here on Earth

There are times when we need to sit back and reflect on the world as we have known it. It is an exercise men and women throughout the course of history have engaged in. One can be certain that the...

BPDB seeks Tk 80b urgent subsidy payment from government

The Bangladesh Power Development Board (BPDB) has sought a Tk 80 billion urgent fund from the government to maintain uninterrupted power supply across the country. The government owes BPDB around Tk 265 billion in subsidy payments. It will pay the...

Saving people from air pollution

Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh with a population of about 20 million crammed into an area of 300 plus square kilometres, is one of the worst liveable city in the world, in terms of air pollution level. Even the day...

Railway saves over Tk 16b in two projects

Bangladesh Railway has saved over Tk 16 billion in two projects involving new track development on the Dhaka-Chattogram rail corridor and the Akhaura-Agartala line after final revisions.Sources say reduced estimations have been proposed for contingency, resettlement, transport procurement, and administrative...

NBR eyes most of Tk 120b from four prohibitively taxed items

Over one-third of the projected Tk 120 billion in additional revenues that the government expects in the next six months through a surprise VAT hike will come from four prohibitively taxed items, officials say.These include cigarettes, artificially flavored drinks, and...

When nature is on a rampage

The second most populated city and an important cultural and commercial hub of the United States, Los Angeles, has been burning since January 7. The catastrophic wildfire that so far reportedly claimed at least 16 lives had been raging for...

New issues driving PTAs

Are the Regional Trade Agreements (RTAs) losing appeal to countries worldwide? Since 2021, when the total number of RTAs that came into force in a year reached a record level of 44, there has been a decline in RTAs both...

Inflation control in focus of next monetary policy

Current tightfisted monetary stance may last another six months as the central bank starts crafting its upcoming monetary policy with top priority on curbing inflationary pressure on the economy by keeping exchange rate stable. Bangladesh Bank (BB) officials dropped hint...

BTRC allows flexible mobile data package offerings

The Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) has published a significant update on its guidelines, giving mobile network operators (MNOs) a greater flexibility in data package offering and promoting digital inclusion across the country. The most notable change is the elimination...

Market to remain stable, predicts BTTC

The prices of key essential items are likely to remain stable during the upcoming holy month of Ramadan due to multiple government initiatives, according to a report released by the Bangladesh Trade and Tariff Commission (BTTC) on Sunday.It stressed the...

Mutual fund industry struggles as investor confidence wanes

Mutual fund (MF) investors are in a tight corner as almost all the listed funds witnessed significant price erosion in 2024, reflecting the broader downtrend in the stock market.Except for one, all closed-end mutual funds saw price drops ranging from...

Massive date palm garden created to keep up heritage

COX'S BAZAR, Jan 12: A date palm garden has been set up along an extensive area by an individual in Khurushkul's Monopara, just two and a half kilometers away from Cox's Bazar town, with a view to retaining a waning...

Balancing ties with China and India

In the previous article (Part I), we have discussed how Bangladesh’s emerging economic relationship with China can lead to new developments in its bilateral negotiations with India, which are required for resolving some of the crucial issues like Ganges and...

Crisis of commodity is no problem, affordability is

The litany of assurances of measures to solve any crisis including containing price hikes of essentials is a trademark playing-to-the-gallery ploy resorted to by a political government. This is not expected from an interim non-political government. Results of its actions...

To be innovative to boost revenue income

The government's recent decision to hike up Value-Added Tax (VAT) and Supplementary Duty (SD) on more than one hundred goods and services has taken flak from the public as well as the business community--- and for good reasons. Obviously, as...

Major overhaul of institutional, distribution flaws likely

A government-formed taskforce to reframe development strategies for the economy is likely to submit its first report this week with focus on some key aspects, including containing inflation and bridging digital divide.The 12-member taskforce formed on September 10, 2024, headed...

Market intermediaries face scrutiny amid low impact and eroding investor confidence

The role of numerous market intermediaries in the country has come under fresh scrutiny, with concerns raised about their low turnover rates and nominal contribution to market growth.Some intermediaries have also been blamed for eroding investor confidence, particularly through alleged...

Unpaid wage issues, provocation rock RMG industry

Over a thousand of incidents like work abstention, road blockade, attacks and vandalism have roiled Bangladesh's potential readymade garment industry since August uprising to December last year, according to a report.The report has recorded some 1108 such incidents during the...

Crisis brewing in shipping industry

CHATTOGRAM, Jan 11: The shipping industry is now faced with mounting challenges following the withdrawal of tax exemption coupled with the imposition of VAT on the sector, posing a serious threat to its growth.In 2022, the government had announced a...

Bumper harvest, but farmers face loss

A video clip of aggrieved farmers destroying their cauliflower in the field as they fail to recover even the basic costs of production is doing the rounds on social media. Mainstream media is also abuzz with stories of farmers not...

NBR's puzzling move and IMF loan strings

The move of the National Board of Revenue (NBR) to raise value-added tax (VAT) and supplementary duty (SD) on nearly 100 goods and services has evoked both surprise and anguish.Surprise, because the hike that has come halfway through the current...

Leveraging ties with China to influence India

Bangladesh’s geopolitical location within South Asia is at the very heart of an unfolding intricate geopolitical competition between two regional giants, namely China and India. An emerging economy with vital sea routes, major river systems, and growing markets, Bangladesh has...

CU MBA Association celebrates 30 years with visionary leadership event

The MBA Association at University of Chittagong (MAUC) successfully organised "Leadership Catalyst Program (LCP): Empowering Future Change-Makers", an initiative designed to foster professional growth, enhance leadership capabilities, and build lasting networks among students, club executives, and alumni. The programme took...

Why non-native teachers can excel with native students

Borders no longer confine education in the modern world. Teachers and students from diverse cultural and linguistic backgrounds frequently come together, sharing knowledge and perspectives in increasingly globalised classrooms. The question of whether non-native speakers can teach native speakers effectively...

Hasina's data fudging & the white paper

The draft White Paper on state of the Bangladesh economy mentions “data” more often than either “development” or “economy”. It simply had to. If the murder of Bangladesh’s economy was the crime, data manipulation was the cover up. As the...

Many surprised at bank directors’ exemption

Former directors of the state-owned BASIC Bank, who were reportedly involved in the bank's multiple loan scams, have still remained outside the trial process, according to case documents.The then board chairman, Sheikh Abdul Hye Bachchu, has been accused in the...