The death of Begum Khaleda Zia yesterday, December 30, is an irreparable loss to the nation at a moment when it is at a critical juncture. In fact, this is no eulogy to her memory to say that Khaleda Zia was the first elected female prime minister of the country or that she was elected prime minist
Workplace safety has long been a matter of serious concern but recent developments suggest that the situation has further deteriorated. Accidents and deaths arising from hazardous working conditions and compounded by persistent negligence in enforcing safety standards have cast a long shadow over t
A baseline study carried out recently finds that Tk 3.0 trillion was spent on railways, roads and bridges to develop the country's communications system in the past 15 years without achieving the desired results. According to a report published in this newspaper on Tuesday last under the National I
If agro-processing is value-addition to farm outputs such as crops, livestock, fish, timber etc., Bangladesh has a long way to go before it economically transforms the raw versions of produce into products. The country has to its credit surplus production of certain vegetables and fruits but most v
Bangladesh is predominantly a rural country, with around 68 per cent of its population living in rural areas. A large segment of this population is deprived of formal banking services due to a lack of bank branches in remote areas. Although agent banking has helped improve financial inclusion over
Amid a series of new laws and initiatives introduced recently by the interim government to ease public suffering and speed up the delivery of justice, the proposed Commercial Courts Ordinance 2025 stands out as a potentially transformative measure. It comes at a time when the country's judiciary is
Trading is a powerful transactional tool among nations. There are historical evidences of countries continuing trading activities between them even when they are at war. During both the World Wars, for instance, Britain imported crucial chemical dyes from Germany. Even when they were engaged in mil
In a strategic shift, the government is preparing to raise the tax incidence on wealthy or 'high-net-worth individuals' (HNWIs) as part of its efforts to address widening income inequality. This proposed approach is outlined in the Medium- and Long-term Revenue Strategy (MLTRS) for FY2025-26 to FY2
A quiet revolution is taking place in the country's agriculture sector. Gone are the days when an overwhelming emphasis was put on production of cereals. At least a segment of farmers are getting smarter to opt for cultivation of cash crops, mainly fruits. Apart from traditional fruit cultivation,
The 3.32 km Karnaphuli Tunnel, South Asia's first underwater river tunnel connecting the port city of Chattogram with Anwara upazila, aimed at increasing connectivity and boost trade, has turned out to be a white elephant. The reason is that the forecasts about the project's earning from the toll t
