At a recent roundtable on business climate organised by The Financial Express, the vice chairman of the Export Promotion Bureau has posed a pertinent question: should the government be doing business at all? The question is as old as the state-owned enterprises themselves and is more relevant today
The current fiscal year is an election year, with polls scheduled for February 12. A key question is how the economy will respond to the election in terms of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth. As the economy has entered the Political Business Cycle (PBC), the impact of this cycle on growth needs
There has been little success in the drive against drugs, even in relative terms. By all indications, the menace is expanding, assuming newer forms and greater intensity with the influx of new substances. The findings of the latest nationwide survey conducted by Bangladesh Medical University (BMU)
Remittance has long been a reliable pillar of the Bangladesh economy. Its contribution is evident in stabilising foreign exchange reserves, keeping rural consumption active, and reducing poverty. However, a fundamental question has now surfaced: Is it possible to keep future remittances sustainable
Though national elections are drawing closer, with less than two weeks to go, the contesting political parties have yet to unveil their election manifestos. The candidates, however, have made various commitments to voters. To what extent they will be able to fulfil the commitments, if elected, is t
Bangladeshi citizens spend an estimated US$5.0 billion every year on medical treatment abroad, primarily in India and Thailand, a staggering outflow of foreign currency. Many middle-class families travel to India and affluent families fly to Thailand and Singapore to receive healthcare with China e
Reports of gruesome murder over political rivalries, turf wars among armed groups, or even family conflicts grab headlines from time to time. To ordinary people, the very report of killing one person by another is something shocking. But nowadays, it appears, even accidental killers, let alone the
Kitchen market serves as the pulse of microeconomics in a country. Prices, however affordable or not, depend on supply of essentials due to seasonal variations. Winter is the time when there is a surfeit of vegetables in market and naturally prices fall. But Bangladesh is a country that often defie
The United States has temporarily suspended immigrant visas for applicants from Bangladesh and 74 other countries. Effective from January 21, the restriction has been imposed citing concerns that a large number of immigrants from these countries rely on government benefits instead of entering the w
With the national election set to take place within three weeks, political parties have started their campaigns. The campaign will intensify as election will be closer. Unlike the previous three elections, which were marked by manipulation and irregularities, the February 12 election is expected to
With the opening of schools across the country for the 2026 academic year, one thing that parents are hit with is the notorious concept of the "readmission fee." Although the government has banned schools from charging this fee, many educational institutions in Bangladesh, particularly in Dhaka, co
What pundits on social and economic issues say, celebrate the outlook of people on how to improve the health of politics, governance and so on. However, of late, attention is also turning to the more fundamental issue of public health or, in other words, health of the very members of society
What a historic moment of mental bankruptcy the world has just witnessed! The beaming faces of Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado and US President Donald Trump have flashed on TV screens and pages of newspapers all across the globe as this year's Nobel Peace Prize winner Machado hand
