Why people take herbal medicine

Nowadays, many people of our country know about herbal treatment or herbal medicine. In Bangladesh, herbal medicine means Unani & Ayurvedic medicine. It is also called Traditional Medicine. Recently, the World Health Organization estimated that 80 per cent of people...

Heroism of those neglected students

Undaunted, a few fringed and neglected learners have proved a point the more privileged high achievers have failed to do. These hapless boys and girls have known that their birth is their ultimate curse. But they had the gut to...

Budget aims to break \\\'6.0pc growth trap\\\'

Finance Minister AMA Muhith placed Thursday in parliament (Jatiya Sangsad) a fat budget that intends to take the economy out of the '6.0 per cent growth trap', spurring both private and public sector investments. In the quest for higher economic...

A day for doing something positive for environment

The Earth is composed of 70.80 per cent water and 29.20 per cent land. Out of the total water portfolio as much as 97 per cent is salt water and only 3.0 per cent is fresh water. Only 5.0 per...

Stocks end flat amid bumpy ride

Stocks finished flat amid heavy volatility on Thursday as investors were cautious ahead of budget announcement. Finance Minister AMA Muhith is unveiling the national budget for the fiscal year 2015-16 at the parliament at 3:30pm today (Thursday). The market moved...

Stocks remain mixed amid choppy trading

The Dhaka Stock Exchange (DSE) and Chittagong Stock Exchange (CSE) continued their volatile movement after two hours of trading on Thursday, the last session of the week. Market insiders said that the investors followed cautious stance just ahead of budget...

Tk 383b bank borrowing likely to finance budget deficit

The government is likely to set its target of borrowing from the banking system at Tk 383 billion to finance the budget deficit partly for the next fiscal year (FY) 2015-16, officials said. "The government will borrow the money from...

Duty on sugar, capital machinery set to go up

The budget for upcoming fiscal year (FY) is likely to propose an increase in import duty on both raw and refined sugar, capital machinery and impose tax on talk-time of mobile phone subscribers. A number of imported items, nearly 381,...

RMG park construction starts in Sept

The government will start construction of a RMG industrial park in Munshiganj in September, as the Chinese construction firm concerned submitted its feasibility report to the government on Tuesday. "We hope to start construction work of the proposed garment industrial...

One-fourth of RHD budget for FY2015-16 for only six projects

The Roads and Highways Department (RHD) is expected to spend one-fourth of its budget allocation in the upcoming fiscal year for its only six of 17 big projects as these are to be completed by June next year. According to...

Govt to fix export target at $ 33.65b for next FY

The government is set to fix the country's export target at US$ 33.65 billion for the upcoming fiscal year (FY) projecting a single-digit growth for the first time in many years, a high official at the ministry of commerce (MoC)...

Conquering the challenges of a new university

Universities should be dedicated to create and disseminate resources  who will move out and contribute to the national economy. There can be differences of opinions regarding the education system of Bangladesh but one thing has to be acknowledged--- students coming...

Stocks return to red amid low turnover

Stocks returned to the red on Tuesday, snapping two sessions’ upward trend, as investors followed cautious stance ahead of budget announcement. The national budget for the fiscal year 2015-2016 will be announced on Thursday. The market opened positive, but could...

Stocks keep upturn amid fluctuation

The Dhaka Stock Exchange (DSE) and Chittagong Stock Exchange (CSE) continued with uptrend after two hours on Tuesday amid choppy trading, the third session of the week. Brokers said the market witnessed some volatility as a group of investors booked...

Stocks open positive amid volatility

Dhaka Stock Exchange (DSE) and Chittagong Stock Exchange (CSE) started with positive note amid choppy trading on Tuesday morning, the third session of the week. DSEX, the benchmark index of the DSE, went up by 4.89 points or 0.10 per...

Wealth tax exemption limit likely to go up

The government is likely to increase slightly the exemption limit in the case of wealth tax, known as surcharge, and lower the tax rate on purchase of apartments in the semi-urban and rural areas with undisclosed income, in the upcoming...

Tk 50b ‘bail-out’ package for state-run banks in FY ‘16

The government has allocated Tk 50 billion as 'bail-out' package for the state-owned commercial and specialised banks in the budget for the next fiscal year (FY) 2015-16, to be placed before parliament on June 4. The 'bail-out' provision in the...

Formal operation of spl tribunal on capital market to begin soon

At last, the long expected Special Tribunal on capital market has almost been fully equipped with necessary infrastructure and logistics, paving the way for starting its formal operation very shortly, officials said. "As the tribunal is ready, we are expecting...

Spread up slightly in April

The interest rate spread in the country's banking sector moved up slightly in April as the interest rate on deposit decreased while the same on lending increased. The weighted average spread between lending and deposit rates offered by the commercial...

Human trafficking and beyond

Emigration of human beings from one state to another is as old as the civilisation itself. In olden days men used to migrate in groups to different places in search of food and shelter. While the intention behind such emigration...

The story of Bangladesh -bright and dark sides

Throughout history, people have turned to astrologers, pundits and gurus in a quest to unlock the mysteries of the future. Businesses show a big appetite in getting a peep into the future as the existing climate becomes highly uncertain. Nevertheless,...

2015 Indian cricket tour

The cricketing world is now focusing on the upcoming cricket series between Bangladesh and India which is scheduled from June 07 to June 24, 2015 in Bangladesh. The series consists of only one Test match and three One-Day International (ODI)...

Commodity prices and rural poverty

There have been quite a number of research reports dealing with the impacts of a hike in commodity prices on income and poverty levels in affected countries.  But for three main reasons, one of the papers by Joseph V. Balagtas,...

Essentials turning costlier

There is no supply constraint of essentials like onion, gram, lentil and garlic. Stocks of these items are adequate. But prices of these items are rising. There is a tendency to raise the price of edible oil although international prices...

Move to form anti-tobacco platform

 Policymakers and health experts are set to form a new platform aiming to raise their voice against use of tobacco and suggest policy measures.  A 10-member steering committee for the platform has already been formed comprising lawmakers, hearth experts, lawyers...

Tax holiday for automobile industry on cards

The government is likely to offer tax holiday facility for automobile, tyre and bicycle industry in the budget for the upcoming fiscal year (FY) to help boost growth of local manufacturing sector. The budget for the FY 2015-16 may propose...

Private equity, venture capital financing rules drafted

The securities regulator has drafted private equity and venture capital financing rules, proposing creation of an 'Alternative Investment Fund' to facilitate funding arrangements for prospective private firms, officials said. The securities regulator took the initiative considering the prospects of many...

Price rise not in keeping with rise in purchasing power

Difference between rise in the prices of commodities and purchasing power of the common people is ever widening. The people with limited income and low salary are in serious trouble. Instability in the prices of food and other commodities in...

Opportunities and challenges in nursing sector

A decision was taken at the Eighth WTO Ministerial held in December 2011 to grant preferential access in services to all least developed countries (LDCs) on an unconditional basis to facilitate their services exports. It invoked an enabling clause that...

Foot overbridge: Risky or not?

A picture of the foot overbridge between the Ramna Park and the Suhrawardy Udyan carried in this newspaper's May 26 issue speaks volumes for the condition of this structure and the risks it poses to passengers and vehicles using the...