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.
Will Trump and Putin be friends?
The steps taken by the president came as a surprise as the Obama administration had refused to disclose “facts” that the CIA claimed it had about Russian links to Wikileaks in the run up to the elections.
Why must we pay more?
Back in April 2015, the World Bank (WB) released a Migration and Development Brief where it was found that Bangladeshi migrants pay the highest recruitment costs worldwide.
Uber: A customer oriented service
Bangladesh Road Transport Authority's (BRTA) hostility towards Uber is hardly surprising. The same battle has been raging in
Addressing “security concerns”
While the security concerns of foreign missions have largely been addressed as they are concentrated in the diplomatic enclave in Dhaka, the same cannot be said when it comes to foreign owned and operated commercial interests.
Energy sector planning in a fix
On paper, we see a lot of things happening. The Vision 2021 Plan envisages power generation capacity to reach 24,000 megawatts (MW) by 2021, meaning that 9000 MW of new capacity will have to be added.
Climate deal on HFCs
HYDROFLUOROCARBONS or HFCs are thought to be responsible for contributing to 0.5 Celsius warming of the climate.
Build capacity to utilise Chinese loans
President Xi Jinping's visit was a major diplomatic win for the government of Bangladesh. It has put the spotlight on not just growing economic ties between the two countries, but demonstrates that China now considers Bangladesh to be a reliable partner in its quest to reach new markets.
Where do we dump our e-waste?
Bangladesh lacks an e-waste (electronic waste) disposal policy. Urbanisation has brought forth rapid population growth of major urban
First Pakistan, now Turkey
How is it that the Turkish government only chooses to see one side of the argument? Why does it not look at the atrocities committed in 1971 by a marauding Pakistani military in an attempt to stifle and eventually stamp out a nation's demand for independence?