NO FRILLS
Dhaka-Chattogram Highway: Why no feasibility study?
When policy planners undertake a major connectivity project like the Dhaka-Chattogram highway expansion, which serves as a lifeline for our exports, one would expect that they would do what reasonably well-informed policymakers in other countries do, i.e. conduct
Aramco attacks: Fuelling the fire
Fingers are being pointed at Iran for the drone attack on two major Saudi Arabian oil facilities set ablaze on September 14. While the sabre rattling picks up the tempo, and despite reassurances by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) that strategic oil reserves will be deployed to stabilise the market, price of oil has shot up in the global markets.
Making the most of BRI
A daylong dialogue organised by the Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD) on September 8 brought together participants from Bangladesh and some South Asian countries, as well as from China. Among them were high-level policymakers, political leaders, academics and
Donors’ interest in Rohingya crisis waning?
By all indications, yes, it is waning. Not from ours, but from the perspective of the international donor community that has been providing humanitarian support to the million or so Rohingyas stranded on Bangladeshi soil for two years now. The data speaks for itself.
Getting a rotten deal on rawhide
The recent debacle over the purchase of rawhides after Eid-ul-Azha raises some important concerns. The government had fixed the prices of rawhides of cows and buffaloes at Tk 45-50 per square foot in the capital city of Dhaka and Tk 35-40 elsewhere. The price of the rawhide of castrated goats was fixed at Tk 18-20 per square foot, while it was Tk 13-15 for that of non-castrated goats. This year, some 1 crore animals were sacrificed across the country. Forty-five percent of these animals were cows, bulls and buffaloes, according to rawhide traders.
Socio-economic impacts of the Rohingya influx
The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), in association with the Policy Research Institute of Bangladesh (PRI) and the local administration of Cox’s Bazar, unveiled the findings of a joint impact assessment study on July 25, 2019. The report titled “Impacts of the Rohingya Refugee Influx on Host Communities” looks at the impact of the massive influx of Rohingyas on the host communities and how it has affected the long-term development needs of Bangladeshis living in the affected areas.
Foreign assistance boosts infrastructure development
During the five-day state visit by PM Sheikh Hasina to China on July 2-6, Bangladesh and China inked some important deals—five agreements including three memorandums of understanding (MoUs) and other agreements that included investment in the power
Bringing more people under the tax net
The finance minister recently stated that it is the government’s intention to bring 10 million people under the tax net.
'Greening' the RMG sector
A study recently presented at a dialogue was titled “Environmental compliance opportunities in the Bangladeshi readymade garments industry: Lessons from the green high-achievers,”
Cyber security readiness in banks
A recent survey titled “IT security of banks in Bangladesh: threats and preparedness” carried out by the Bangladesh Institute of Bank Management (BIBM) paints a rather dismal picture of certain banks and their ability to combat cyber threats.
Who will run our energy sector?
The latest edition of Energy & Power magazine has covered a very important aspect of the country's power and energy sector.
A loan defaulting epidemic: Over two lakh privileged institutions!
The informa-tion disclosed by the finance minister in parliament this month, as a response to a question by a member of parliament, is quite an eye opener.
The allure of Europe
Last year, the international media was awash with reports that a significant number of illegal migrants headed to Europe were Bangladeshis.
Mystery of the disappearing coal
The Barapukuria coal mine debacle continues to generate considerable interest in media and not without reason.
BRT: An excellent idea gone haywire
One of the major communications projects, the Bus Rapid Transport (BRT), an excellent idea that was supposed to facilitate the movement of large numbers of people with ease in and around the capital city has been in limbo for the last six years.
Recycled plastic for roads
The idea of using discarded plastic to build roads was brought to fruition by a company called VolkerWessels in 2015. But the country where roads are now being built with this new technology is India. Indeed, the man who made it possible was Dr Rajagopalan Vasudevan...
Home textile industry in the red—again!
Last year the Bangladesh Terry Towel & Linen Manufacturers & Exporters' Association (BTTLMEA) wanted the government to stop the export of cotton waste so that raw materials become available for production.
One-stop service caught in red tape
Bangladesh lags behind its peers in the region when it comes to foreign direct investment (FDI). That hardly comes as a surprise given the amount of bureaucratic red-tape hurdles a prospective investor has to surmount before launching a business operation. As pointed out in a front-page report of this paper on June 3, “an investor needs up to a year and a half to get approvals from 42 desks of different government offices for starting a business, which according to the businesses is depriving Bangladesh of the much-needed foreign direct and domestic investments.”