Column
Is a global goal on adaptation possible?
At the historic Paris Agreement on Climate Change made at the 21st Conference of Parties (COP21) of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in 2015, all the countries of the world agreed on a global goal on mitigation as well as setting a global goal on adaptation.
Can we make lockdown work this time around?
As the country scrambles to curb the spread of Covid-19, we will be entering yet another lockdown. The current infection rate stands at 23.86 percent, with specific regions crumbling under surmounting pressure to contain the disease.
Managing environmental resources for green growth in Bangladesh
The current pattern of global economic development is unsustainable. It is based on the extraction of natural resources and use of a carbon-intensive production and consumption system to produce goods and services for the economy.
It’s time to talk about cotton
Cotton is the lifeblood of the Bangladesh RMG industry, with our country among the world’s four largest users of this miracle fibre. The other three are China, India and Pakistan, the latter two of which also have large home textile markets.
Why can’t they get their fair share in our budget?
In Bangladesh, while the pandemic has impacted businesses of all sizes, plus life and livelihood, evidence is mounting that the enterprises that employ between 1 and 249 workers—officially the micro, small and medium enterprises—are bearing the brunt of the economic slowdown.
Street violence and gang culture 2.0
A female student of mine walked out of her dentist’s chamber at Bailey Road at around 8pm on June 7, 2021.
Have we done enough to address the problem of drug abuse?
On May 27, The Daily Star reported that detectives had claimed to have seized LSD, an extremely potent hallucinogenic drug, for the first time in the country during a raid in Dhaka.
Fighting the Delta variant: Do we have a plan?
Covid-19 cases in the country are on the rise again. While infections had seen a drop in May with the infection rate coming down to 7.91 percent on the 29th of that month, the infection rates are back on an upward trajectory: as of June 21, 2021, it stands at an alarming 19.27 percent, as reported by this daily.
‘Please forgive me…’
It reads like a Netflix blurb of a horror movie. A young man took a machete from a street coconut seller, uttered his last words: “please forgive me”, and then slit his own throat in front of Dhaka Medical College Hospital.
Will G7 and COP26 herald a new era?
As the world strives to fast-forward the economy in an attempt to recover from the pandemic, climate change has rightly emerged as a major concern in all international forums.
Column by Mahfuz Anam: Pandemic’s biggest lesson -- restructure health sector to handle current, future pandemics
Simplistically put, it is a “procedure vs patient” issue—meaning a “bureaucracy vs ultimate beneficiary” tussle. We, of course, need procedures to work within, otherwise systems would collapse.
Feeding the underground economy
In the first 10 months of the outgoing fiscal year, Tk 14,459.40 crore of undisclosed wealth was legalised in the country—as reported by The Daily Star citing data from the National Board of Revenue (NBR)—which, the government says, will play a big role in kick-starting the economy by injecting cash flow amidst the pandemic-induced financial struggles.
Covid-19 and climate change: World leaders must tackle both
In past weeks, there have been a number of significant events which may seem unconnected but are actually deeply connected in terms of whether the world is able to successfully come out of the current Covid-19 pandemic and also deal with the looming catastrophe of climate change.
We need new ways to measure business success
What makes a successful year for a business? The traditional way we define business success is through financials. With public companies, each quarter we receive an update, as well as an annual update. This tells us about revenues and profits as well as dividends payable to shareholders.
Budget FY2022 addresses pandemic priorities only partially
In the year of Bangladesh’s golden jubilee, the finance minister has presented the 50th budget of Bangladesh for fiscal year (FY) 2022.
Students getting a slim slice of the budget pie
At a preparatory meeting for ULAB’s planned virtual convocation, I suggested that we use the iconic image of Keanu Reeves dodging many bullets in the Matrix trilogy as our promotional campaign.
A budget is only as good as its implementation
As another proposed national budget (of Tk 603,681 crore) has been placed in the parliament amidst a global pandemic, the biggest concern for the government and all other stakeholders is how well it can be implemented, as there are many new challenges to tackle. The aspirations of the budget—especially the economic growth target of 7 percent—are already being viewed by many as ambitious, and we must keep in mind that the budget will not yield a positive result for the nation unless the government takes immediate measures to ensure its adequate and timely implementation.
The Mountbatten factor in India’s partition
It can be said without any fear of contradiction that one of history’s most massive displacements of population with the attendant violence and misery took place when,