Financial autonomy in doubt as separate judiciary secretariat nears reality

Although most disagreements over establishing a separate secretariat for the judiciary have been resolved, questions persist over whether it will actually enjoy financial independence.The uncertainty arises from objections raised by the inter-ministerial committee on legal scrutiny of the Cabinet Division...

Ridership sees little impact in absence of viable alternatives

The recent Dhaka metro-rail bearing-pad accident has had little impact on overall ridership, as most passengers continue to use the service due to a lack of alternatives.However, analysts say the incident's effects are visible in operational disruptions, resulted a temporary...

IMED flags irregularities, mismanagement in Padma Oil HQ project

The Implementation Monitoring and Evaluation Division (IMED) under the Planning Ministry has found serious irregularities, fund misuse, and mismanagement in the project to construct the head office of Padma Oil Company Limited in Chattogram, which has remained incomplete for over...

Top banks' inherent strengths drive profit growth in Jan-Sept

Well-performing banks offset a year-on-year decline in net interest income in the nine months through September with higher returns from investments in government securities.Market-based interest rates helped lenders earn more in interest during the period compared to the same period...

No room for independent media commission!

Old habits die hard. Reportedly, the information ministry essentially run by bureaucrats are once again up to the task of foiling the independence of media stipulated in the draft report submitted to the chief adviser. The reported striking off the...

Court to be off-limits to litigants from 2026

The government has decided not to allow land owners to file cases with courts for land record or khatiyan-related correction from next year. As part of the move, the Ministry of Land (MoL) has taken a measure to resolve the...

Local pesticide makers hit by tax burden

Local manufacturers of pesticides are struggling to stay competitive as they face tax rates more than eleven times higher than those imposed on importers of finished products. Industry leaders warn that the steep tariff gap is discouraging investment, idling factory...

Experts criticise MRT-6 probe body, call for tech overhaul

The first investigation report on the initial bearing pad incident on the elevated structure of Dhaka's Mass Rapid Transit Line 6 (MRT-6) last year failed to examine the possible displacement of nearby pads, raising questions about its thoroughness, according to...

Putting a price tag on life

Regular loss of lives under most unfortunate circumstances has become a part of the city dwellers' precarious existence in the bustling megacity of Dhaka. The tragic death of 35-year-old Abul Kalam Azad from the bearing pad of metro rail pier...

A2i project faces massive cost surge

The government's flagship Aspire-to-Innovate (a2i) project has run into major financial controversy after racking up deferred payments of Tk 3.0 billion in its data-preservation segment, twelve times the original allocation. Despite an initial provision of only Tk 250 million, the...

Accession requires opening services sector

Bangladesh's coveted membership in the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), world's largest trade bloc, presupposes challenging sweeping liberalisation of trade in services as a predominant condition.A study, backed by a UN agency, shows how to circumvent the challenge in a...

Fault-lines found in design, construction, safety checkup

Beating global experience of once in 20 years, mishaps occurred twice over a year in Dhaka metro rail that raised doubts about the construction and safety qualities of the popular mass transport. Experts are raising questions over not only design...

Worry overshadows Asycuda replacement move

A government move to phase out from the tested customs digital-platform Asycuda to adopt an advanced system has raised more concerns than corroboration from stakeholders in foreign trade and national revenue.Customs authority, economists and businesses foresee a possible setback in...

Is Myanmar resistance in retreat?

Has the Myanmar Army now been gaining the upper hand over the rebels and regaining territory lost to the rebel forces so far? A BBC report says that with the support of China, the Myanmar army has intensified air strikes...

Short-run vs long-run inflation

Whenever we go grocery shopping, prices, particularly food prices feel much more than the single-digit inflation figure suggests. Economic statistics can often obscure lived experience, and our daily reality often tells a different story, the one of steadily eroding purchasing...

Moscow seeks consent to opening Sberbank liaison office in BD

Russia is pressing Bangladesh for allowing its Sberbank to establish a liaison or branch office for helping resolve multi-million dollar outstanding payments for the Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) and defense equipment.The proposal was made during recent high-level meetings in...

Dhaka-Ashulia Elevated Expressway project cost to rise by Tk 10b

The cost of the Dhaka-Ashulia Elevated Expressway (DAEE) project are set to increase by at least Tk 10 billion due to changes in design, utility shifting, and integration of ramps with other infrastructures, including the Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport (HSIA)...

Bearing-pad crash from metro-rail pillar kills pedestrian

Tragedy struck down a young man as an about 100-kg bearing pad of metro-rail pillar crashed on him while crossing the area near its Farmgate station on Sunday noon, sources said.Witnesses and official sources said the bearing pad from pier...

New govt pay scale may cost Tk 700b more yearly

An initial estimate by the National Pay Commission (NPC) suggests the new government pay scale would require around Tk 700 billion more annually, including a hike in pensions, gratuities and medical allowances.The amount is equivalent to nearly three months of...

Gaza peace plan: reading between the lines

The ceasefire agreement on the war in Gaza, signed on October 10 at Sharm el Sheik, is now two weeks old. It is still holding on, in a manner of speaking. The tongue-in-cheek statement conveys its beleaguered state. No sooner...

Close to Nature, Badshahs work wonder

Planting tree is his passion. Badshah is his given name. He deserves the name without any reservation because his heart is as large as any benevolent and legendary badshah ever possessed for showering kindness. Contrary to the grandeur of the...

Danger that people's persistent income loss poses

The middle-to-low-income earners, who mostly belong to the fixed income groups in society, are gradually failing to hold on to the socio-economic categories, such as the middle-income groups, they have traditionally been bracketed into. Such developments have occasionally been the...

Factors affecting growth of industrial credit

The modest surge in the disbursement of industrial credit in the last fiscal year may be considered as a sign of a rebound in the industrial activities in the country, as well as overall economic growth. Although many other economic...

CAAB mulls operating HSIA's third terminal on its own

The Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh (CAAB) is considering operating the newly built third terminal of Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport (HSIA) with its own manpower and expertise, as negotiations with a Japanese consortium over its operation and maintenance have hit...

Government tightens grip on financial rules

In a fresh push to restore fiscal discipline across public offices, the government has reminded all ministries and agencies that no financial directive can be issued without the Finance Division's consent.The warning comes amid growing concern over ministries and divisions...

Regulator tightens margin lending to cleanse market of negative equity

The new margin rules awaiting gazette notification are meant to keep both lenders and borrowers out of the negative equity trap.Some vested quarters opposed them, but the regulator has stayed firm in its position to bring necessary changes in loan...

A Bangladeshi physicist at the frontier of quantum science

When Nature, the world’s most prestigious science journal, published a paper by a young Bangladeshi physicist in August 2024, it marked more than an academic milestone. It showed that the frontiers of quantum materials research now extend far beyond elite...

A stride towards recognizing workers' rights

To align Bangladesh's labour laws with international standards, enhance workers' rights, and strengthen workplace safety and protections, the interim government on Thursday approved the draft ordinance of the Labour Law. Among major changes, the draft law recognises domestic helps as...

Meghna bridge project faces delay

Construction of a new Meghna bridge on the Bhulta-Araihazar-Banchharampur road is likely to be delayed indefinitely following a lack of response from Korean investors in the proposed Public-Private Partnership (PPP) project.The planned bridge will span 3.31 kilometres, with 4.5 km...

Dhaka-to-Joydebpur rail project derails over dilemmas

Consultant truancy, procedural hurdles and Indian Exim Bank's reluctance to release $21.78 million from its Line of Credit (LoC) could derail a project on construction of new Kamalapur-Tongi and Tongi-Joydebpur rail lines.Officials have said the absence of consultants for the...