The budget placed by Finance Minister AHM Mustafa Kamal in Parliament for the next financial year (FY) amidst applause and table-thumping by the ruling party and like-minded lawmakers last Thursday contains lofty goals, but it lacks clear strategies to achieve those in an unprecedentedly difficult
The Bank Company (Amendment) Bill- 2023 tabled by Finance Minister A. H. Mustafa Kamal on Thursday last runs short of remedies the country's troubled banking industry needs now. The proposed amendments, among others, define the term 'willful defaulters', empower the central bank to take action agai
It is indeed a paradox that the government is facing a severe foreign exchange crisis affecting its external trade as well as development activities at a time when the pipeline for the country's overseas development aid is literally chocked with unutilised foreign fund. Even in the current Annual D
Planning Minister MA Mannan's candid admission that inflation has become unbearable and he feels embarrassed because belying his projection he made last month that it would decline in May, it has turned 11-year high. Both print and electronic media have long been presenting a bleak and traumatic pi
The indispensability of the Information and Communications Technology (ICT) sector in a modern economy cannot be overemphasised. So, it is only expected of the government that the ICT should get the importance it deserves at the time of budget making. But considering what the leaders of the ICT sec
Manufacturers of garment accessories have complained that the just announced budget has no direction on how to circumvent the problem of dollar crunch, high price of imported raw materials and opening of letters of credit (LCs). The issues raised by the Bangladesh Garment Accessories and Packaging
Notwithstanding the reservations of many including Geoffrey Hinton known as the godfather of the discipline, Artificial Intelligence (AI) has continued to occupy a major place in human activities, especially those related to computer and programming. Contrary to many fallacious conceptions about co
The National Board of Revenue (NBR) has raised tax by around 100 per cent on the transfer of every 1.65 decimal (1 katha) of land and building located in commercial and other areas of most urban centres, including Dhaka and Chattogram. Indeed, a Statutory Regulatory Order (SRO) has been issued by t
The onion market is turning volatile much to the dismay of the general consumers who have their backs already to the wall due to skyrocketing prices of the essential commodities. With the Eid-ul-Adha, a major Muslim religious festival, about a month away, it is feared that the price of this vital i
With the development paradigm shifting towards human development rather than mere economic progress, Bangladesh's amazing socio-economic growth is now put to the toughest test ever. What was once a mystery or enigma behind the country's sterling performance, according to development partners and fa
