Middlemen\\\'s syndicates luring BD patients to Indian hospitals

Syndicates of 'middlemen' have for some time been active at different Bangladesh government and private hospitals and clinics with the task of persuading patients to take treatment at Indian hospitals and clinics, in exchange of commission. Many hospital staff-turned-middlemen lure...

S Korea for steps against workers changing jobs

South Korea has sought Bangladesh's punitive measures against workers who frequently violate job agreements and stay there illegally. A team of Korea's Employment Permit System (EPS) Centre in Dhaka recently met high-ups of the Foreign Ministry and urged them to...

25pc incentives for Pangaon ICT users Move to make the terminal operational

The government has decided to provide 25 per cent incentives, in the form of reduced freight, to users of the Pangaon ICT (Inland Container Terminal) in a bid to make the newly-built infrastructure operational, sources say. The ministry of shipping...

Move to realise $168m outstanding bills soon

The government has taken an initiative to realise US$ 168 million in outstanding export bills of jute goods from the Sudanese government, officials said.   Bangladesh Jute Mills Corporation (BJMC), under the ministry of textiles and jute (MoTJ) , made shipment...

Move to execute agricultural master plan for coastal dists

The government has taken a fresh move to implement its master plan for agricultural development in 14 coastal districts of the country's southern region, officials have said. As per the move, all relevant ministries will sit tomorrow (Sunday) at the...

Why power cuts despite sufficient production?

Bangladesh, producing 3,267MW electricity against the demand for 5200MW just five years ago, now has reached the milestone of 10,000MW power generation capacity. In the previous election manifesto of the present government, it had made a commitment to enhance the...

Let\\\'s talk openly about defecation, drinking water

Do you remember the scene in the hit film Slumdog Millionaire, where the little boy plunges under a pool of faeces to get to iconic Indian movie star Amitabh Bachchan? Remember that the boy had been using a shared latrine,...

It\\\'s time to return to the Constitution

The seven murders in Narayanganj have underlined that the country is caught in a political quicksand because of the way the Awami League-led government is conducting politics. Bangladesh's politics is breaking at the seams like a cricket ball. When a...

Battery-run cycle-rickshaws and easing traffic jam

The battery-run cycle-rickshaw has now become a common mode of transport in the capital city. It is banned; yet it has been emerging as a burgeoning mode of transport in the Dhaka City. It is an ordinary cycle-rickshaw but is...

Int\\\'l focus on Bangladesh economic prospects

The New York Times reported on 23 April, 2012, that Bangladesh has a huge prospect of becoming one of the emerging economies. The country is running on a strong promise of growth despite various challenges the nation of 160 million...

The rising popularity of business education

The steady growth of Bangladesh economy and the expansion of the scope of business activities are contributing to the rising popularity and promotion of business education in the country. These contributing factors, of late, are helped by the supply of...

Budget 2014-2015: The priority of private investments

Generally a budget denotes the anticipation of income and expenditure for a given period. A budget is also known as the annual financial statement of a country. The national budget is not far different from an individual's budget. Ideally a...

Budget: The spectre of instabilty

Finance Minister AMA Muhith is expected to present the national budget for 2014-15 in parliament next month. The budget of a country is an account of government's income and expenditure and a projection of growth for the incoming fiscal year....

Mixed signals for Bangladesh

As India and the rest of the world are awaiting the outcome of the just-concluded Lok Sabha elections, a major issue doing the rounds in world capitals is India's  foreign policy in the days to come, particularly, relations with its...

The politico-economic doldrums

Which came first, the hen or the egg? It's an everlasting question. So, is the query, which is more vital - economics or politics? Marxian theory is clear and explicit about the fundamental significance of the economy - economic foundation...

Paira port\\\'s partial operation by Dec

The Paira Port Authority (PPA) has taken initiative for building necessary infrastructure to start its partial operation by the end of the year, officials said. The Chittagong Port Authority (CPA) will provide technical, financial and logistic supports to the PPA...

Stocks dip for 5th day amid low turnover

Stocks witnessed another sharp fall on Thursday with turnover remained sluggish as investors went for selling spree fearing further fall. DSEX, the prime index of the Dhaka Stock Exchange (DSE) went down by 40.53 points or 0.90 per cent to...

DSE, CSE shares down

The prices of shares at Dhaka Stock Exchange (DSE) and Chittagong Stock Exchange (CSE) slid in early hours of trading on Thursday, maintaining the previous session’s negative trend. DSEX, the prime index of the DSE, went down 15.48 points or...

Manipulators remain out of net as BSEC keeps passing buck

The parties responsible for alleged manipulation in the financial disclosures of some companies willing to go public still remain out of the regulator's net, as the stock market watchdog is trying to shift its responsibility to others for such acts,...

BD for spl allocations from Dutch fund for infrastructure dev

Bangladesh will soon seek dedicated allocations from the ORIO fund of the Netherlands, a grant programme which helps in public infrastructure development in developing countries, sources said. The Economic Relations Division (ERD) will write to the Embassy of the Netherlands...

Pakistan: Walking the tight rope?

Charles M. Schulz was a great cartoonist. His world-acclaimed cartoon series of Peanuts still remains popular being reprinted again and again. "How can I play baseball when I'm worried about foreign policy?" he asks (The Complete Peanuts, Vol. 6: 1961-1962)....

Putting banking sector on a strong footing

Performance of state-owned commercial banks (SoCBs) of the country has long been a topic of discussion in the country. The involvement of the SoCBs in general and Sonali Bank in particular, in facilitation of squandering of public deposits, in collusion...

Higher education and structural unemployment

Undoubtedly, with the process of globalisation and development of capitalism, a new horizon has been initiated in mounting trade and commerce throughout the world. Under capitalism, people are free to work at jobs of their own choice, to try to...

Improving the trade competence

Of the top 10 low-income countries, Bangladesh has been placed at the last position when it comes to trading in goods, according to the report "Connecting to Compete, 2014: Trade Logistics in the Global Economy." Bangladesh has been ranked 108th...

Revision on income tax law for CSR under NBR\\\'s consideration

The National Board of Revenue (NBR) is actively considering a revision on income tax law for Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) by increasing ceiling for CSR expenditures and widening prescribed areas of intervention. The ceiling of CSR expenditure may be raised...

Stocks close lower amid sluggish participation

Stocks witnessed steep decline on Wednesday for the fourth running session with participation remained sluggish as investors sold shares fearing further fall. DSEX, the prime index of the DSE ended at 4,457.49 points, shedding 39.62 points or 0.88 per cent...

Stocks see mix trend at opening

The Dhaka Stock Exchange (DSE) saw positive trend while the Chittagong Stock Exchange (CSE) witnessed downward trend in early hours of trading on Wednesday, the third trading day of the week. DSEX, the prime index of the DSE, went up...

Metro rail project hits snags over getting RAJUK land for depot

The metro rail project is facing a fresh hurdle due to complexity over getting land from Rajdhani Unnayan Kartipakhya (RAJUK) for the depot of the high-priority project, project insiders said. Although there are directives from the Prime Minister's Office, the...

Default loans : Back to square one?

The outcome was foreknown. Even the central bank, possibly, was aware of the end-result at the time of issuing its directive relaxing the default-loan rescheduling policy on December 23, 2013. It did not take too long a time to prove...

Pvt sector credit trickles despite rise in imports

The private sector credit recorded a slight growth in the month of March last following a substantial rise in import payments during the month, bankers said. "Trade financing increased during the month of March primarily to foot the bills against...