Rising prices hurt the poor, forcing cuts to necessities and increasing poverty in Bangladesh.
“Steps taken by the government so far failed to bring down prices of essential commodities,” said CPD Executive Director Fahmida Khatun
Three advisers to the interim government of Bangladesh will meet today to discuss solutions for taming inflation, which remains high even though several initiatives have been implemented to this end.
Govt has been able to stabilise the market situation
There have been reports of increase in food prices in domestic markets during the post-election weeks
The timing of the visit, amidst labour unrest and pre-election volatility, is particularly significant.
Why have the price hikes not pushed regular citizens into action, fuelled by anger?
In his budget speech for FY2023-24 at the national parliament today, Kamal said inflation would be largely controlled from here on.
Even though poor people are struggling to make ends meet amid runaway inflation, the government allocation for social safety net programmes may not increase much in the next fiscal year.
People in rural areas were hit harder by food and non-food inflation than those in urban areas over the last two months, with the overall inflation surging to a 10-year high of 9.52 percent in August.
High inflation and low export and remittance earnings are a major cause for concern at the moment.
When global prices dropped, we did not see the energy prices go down in Bangladesh. Why is that?
Bangladesh witnessed a record 9.5 percent inflation in August, the highest in 12 years, due to the adverse effects of fuel price hike, said Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS).
Life is set to get tougher for the poor and the low-income people as the Asian Development Bank yesterday projected that inflation in Bangladesh would average 6.7 percent this fiscal year, up from 6.2 percent in fiscal 2021-22.
Specific policy incentives are needed to stimulate the economy and revive the labour market.
Bangladesh needs proper macroeconomic management to avoid middle income trap
The import demand for fuel remains high as ever despite the government initiatives to reduce consumption, raising questions about the logic behind the strict measures that only fuelled inflation.
An economy without an independent source of data is like an aircraft flying without its airspeed sensors.
Does the government not know of the plight of lower- and middle-income groups?
