Md Asaduz Zaman

The government has framed a fresh policy to increase domestic salt production through the use of modern and environment-friendly technologies and gradually end imports by 2026 when overall demand is projected to reach 25.30 lakh tonnes.

Just as the economy was sailing smoothly to make a turnaround from the coronavirus pandemic, the Russia-Ukraine war has suddenly emerged as a major obstacle standing in the way of faster and full revival. And this, among other things, is likely to increase poverty and eat into growth, warned the International Monetary Fund (IMF), policymakers and experts.

The government should immediately sit with businesses to ensure smooth commodity supplies to domestic markets, thereby containing inflationary pressure on common people, said Sabbir Hasan Nasir, executive director of ACI Logistics.

Around Tk 719 crore in taxpayer money was unused in the last fiscal year because of the cancellation of foreign trips of government officials and the delay in tender processes, both owing to the coronavirus pandemic.

A crisis of edible oil, particularly soybean oil, has hit the domestic markets amid retailers and wholesalers stocking up and refiners slowing down delivery, as prices of essential commodities keep climbing in the international market.

After twice rejecting proposals to buy 3.95 lakh tablet computers for the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS), the government yesterday granted approval to this end so that the statistical agency can conduct the population and housing census which was set to begin three years

The government has slashed the development allocation for the Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant (RNPP) by around 20 per cent in the revised budget for the current fiscal year.

The government is expected to trim the development budget by 7.88 per cent to Tk 207,550 crore for the current fiscal year because of the sluggish pace of implementation by public agencies.

Without big data, you are blind and deaf and in the middle of a freeway.

After repeated revision of deadlines and costs, the long-awaited Joydevpur-Elenga Highway project is finally nearing completion and even at a slightly lower expenditure.

Three government officials toured abroad this month using funds from a water development board project in Cox’s Bazar, although none of them was directly associated with the work.

The Planning Commission has turned down a proposal for allocating Tk 2.70 crore for foreign trips of 30 officials for training on building food warehouses across the country under a project of the food ministry.

The Planning Commission rejected a proposal of foreign trips for 30 officials for training on building food warehouses across the country under a project of the food ministry. 

While rain can be a blessing in providing life-sustaining water, recent showers have turned into the bane of many brick manufacturers’ lives for their use of traditional kilns.

Purchases through mobile financial services (MFS) increased significantly in December as people are getting more prone to using digital means for availing necessities.

Kidney patients suffered badly as dialysis services remained halted for seven hours at two public hospitals in the capital and Chattogram yesterday.

The more things change, the more they stay the same, observed the French writer Jean-Baptiste Alphonse Karr. And looking at the state of progress of the projects undertaken under public-private partnership (PPP), one is reminded of the saying.

The government looks to set up a shipbuilding facility in partnership with foreign investors at the Payra seaport in Patuakhali with an investment of $1.58 billion to cut import dependence for vessels and market ships globally.

The government should move gradually and reconsider energy companies’ recent proposal to raise gas prices as any sharp hike will increase overall cost of production of industries, said Abul Kasem Khan, chairperson of Business Initiative Leading Development (BUILD).

With the goal of attracting local and foreign investment to modernise and reopen closed textile mills, the government has called for open international tenders for four out of 16 textile mills through public-private partnerships (PPP).