Although the prices of some daily commodities have decreased, middle- and low-income families are still struggling to make ends meet due to the recent hike in prices of essential grocery items such as eggs, chicken, onions, and potatoes.
Despite an upward trend in the overall catch, year-on-year growth rate of hilsa production has been declining in recent years. The reasons include illegal netting of brood and jatka hilsa, widespread use of banned gillnet and the impact of climate change such as erratic rainfalls.
The drop in the price of rice and flour could not bring relief among low income people as the vegetable price is soaring.
With the consumers already feeling the pinch of the soaring prices of essentials, most of the spices are becoming pricier ahead of the Eid-ul-Azha.
The government is set to distribute 10 kilograms of rice to each of the 1.25 crore ultra-poor and destitute families ahead of Eid-ul-Azha to soften the blow of a spiralling inflation.
The government is set to form the National Pension Authority (NPA) to execute the Universal Pension Scheme formulated to provide pension services for the common people.
Although tax returns are a key document for investigating illegal wealth, the Income Tax Bill 2023 proposes making it impossible for Anti-Corruption Commission officials to access a suspect’s tax files without a court order.
The government’s high-ups have talked about their “firm stances” against graft to protect the country’s GDP on multiple occasions. However, there is little reflection of that stance in the latest budget disclosure as to how the government will curb corruption and money laundering.
On the very first day of this year, the Anti-Corruption Commission declared that it will hunt down those who had amassed wealth illegally through casino businesses.
It was Tk 12.27 crore illegal wealth mentioned in a graft case filed against online casino “kingpin” Selim Prodhan.
In a bid to save the country’s rivers from erosion, the government has taken an initiative of limiting the amount of sand extraction. However, the initiative seems to have stumbled at the very beginning.
Over a year ago, a wave of protests swept Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Science and Technology University (BSMRSTU) in Gopalganj with the students taking to the streets over allegations of corruption and abuse of power against their vice-chancellor.
Whenever the issue of relief misappropriation arises, the finger is usually pointed toward public representatives. In many cases, they are found to be involved in relief misappropriation.
As an executing authority managing the vast water resources of the riverine country, Bangladesh Water Development Board (BWDB) has been handicapped ever since the government curtailed its autonomy.
With the high price of potatoes continuing to hurt household budgets across the board, farmers’ pockets also bear the brunt as they have to buy seed potatoes at a higher rate.
Powertech International, a supplier of power plant equipment itself prepared required specification for motors and quoted twelve times higher rate for the Shikalbaha Power Plant, yet the procurement department of Bangladesh Power Development Board (BPDB) awarded the tender to them, the Anti-Corruption Commission has found.
More than a year after a crackdown was launched on casinos, the ACC has yet to complete the investigations in any of the 22 cases filed against ruling party men, among others, over the illegal business.
Wholesalers have expressed concerns that the price of potatoes may not come down anytime soon as they are under pressure from a section of hoarders, who recently bought potato stocks at cold storages, to sell the vegetable at a price higher than the government-fixed wholesale rate of Tk 30 a kg.
