Editorial

To be true to Ramadan's spirit

To be true to Ramadan's spirit

With the beginning of the holy month of Ramadan tomorrow, the Muslims of Bangladesh join the followers of Islam the world over in observing a highly introspective religious obligation as ordained by the sacred book. Outwardly, the observance is fasting for the month but deep down the ritual is the

Updating CPI to measure inflation

Updating CPI to measure inflation

There has long been a mismatch between the official figure of inflation and what the consumers actually experience every day as they pay for purchasing goods and services in the market. In fact, the official inflation figure is not reflecting the decline in the public's purchasing power over time.

Expressway bus accident 

Expressway bus accident 

Sunday's Dhaka-Bhanga Expressway accident at a place called Kutubpur of Madaripur's Shibchar is the deadliest ever since the inauguration of the Padma Bridge and the expressway. Following the ritualistic pattern of pointing accusing fingers at the many lapses such as indifference to and wilful viol

Disastrous diversion of Teesta water 

Disastrous diversion of Teesta water 

Given India's latest bid to divert water from the already sucked up river by digging canals, life and livelihood of people in a vast area on the banks of the Teesta are under grave threat. Teesta flows through Lalmonirhat, Rangpur, Kurigram and Gaibandha districts, all of whom are destined to be wa

Reining in prices of kitchen market items

Reining in prices of kitchen market items

Prices of most essential items have been soaring for many weeks now. First came the poultry price shock, with unheard of double digit price increase per kilogram (kg) of chicken on a weekly basis. Indeed, price of the Sonali variety of chicken (popularly known as Pakistani Cock) rose by Tk 50 per k


Fast-tracking measures to avoid middle-income trap

Fast-tracking measures to avoid middle-income trap

Bangladesh crossed the threshold of a lower middle-income economy in 2015 when its per capita income exceeded US$1085. Now it is striving to gain the status of a middle-income country (MIC) by 2026 and envisioning to become an upper or higher middle-income country (HMIC) by 2031. But there is a pot

Plugging conduits of money laundering

Plugging conduits of money laundering

Finally, the customs intelligence has cracked the nut. Reports have it that the intelligence unit of the National Board of Revenue (NBR) has detected siphoning of Tk 3.82 billion by four export-oriented companies through trade-based money laundering. There were few reported moves taken earlier by t

Pharmaceutical industry's export prospect

Pharmaceutical industry's export prospect

The target is ambitious but it is achievable given the facilities for production of generic medicines in the country. That the local pharmaceutical companies meet 97 per cent of the country's need for medicine surely goes to their credit as well as points to their manufacturing capacity. But to lif

Showcasing country's growth potential

Showcasing country's growth potential

Situated at a strategic geographical location with a huge workforce, Bangladesh's real economic potential is yet to be fully exploited. Even so, it is already the second biggest economy in South Asia and 35th largest in the world in nominal terms. Now, the country is aiming to become an upper middl

Why are women RMG workers quitting jobs?

Why are women RMG workers quitting jobs?

A  report, titled, 'The declining women workers in the Bangladesh RMG industry' finds that the proportion of women workers dropped to 53.65 per cent in 2021 from 80 per cent in the 1980s. The report prepared on the basis of a research work carried out jointly by the Ethical Trading Initiative,

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