N’ganj-Dhaka-Joydebpur route: Electric trains on the cards
7 HOUR(s)
The government is set to introduce electric trains for the first time in Bangladesh on the 52km Narayanganj-Dhaka-Joydebpur route.
7 HOUR(s)
Reserves on rise despite fuel, fertiliser shock
12 September 2026
When war in the Middle East sent fuel prices climbing, Bangladesh looked like an obvious casualty. An import-dependent economy with a thin reserve cushion and a recent history of dollar shortages had every reason to buckle. It has not.
12 September 2026
Energy: Govt okays 18 LNG cargoes from Total Energies
10 September 2026
After approving a long-term deal to buy liquefied natural gas (LNG) from a US-based firm, the government yesterday decided to import at least 18 LNG cargoes from France’s TotalEnergies over the next nine months under a direct purchase arrangement.
10 September 2026
Another metro getting on track
7 September 2026
The MRT-5 southern route is finally getting a move on, with the project set to be placed before the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) next week for approval.
7 September 2026
Where access to freshwater is a daily struggle
5 September 2026
Sharmin Begum, who lives in Barguna’s Patharghata upazila, may have done little to contribute to global warming, but she is suffering severely from its adverse impacts.
5 September 2026
LNG bill to triple as war drags on
4 September 2026
The escalating conflict in the Middle East threatens to nearly triple Bangladesh’s liquefied natural gas (LNG) subsidy bill to Tk 40,000 crore ($3.3 billion) this fiscal year, forcing the government to turn to multilateral lenders for additional assistance.
4 September 2026
Bangladesh paying near-peak prices for LNG
3 September 2026
Bangladesh is paying its highest spot price for liquefied natural gas (LNG) since the onset of the US-Israeli attacks on Iran, approving a cargo at over $28 per unit as geopolitical supply shocks and domestic infrastructure failures converge to create a severe energy crisis.
3 September 2026
National pay scale: Hurrah for government employees
1 September 2026
The government yesterday approved the largest pay hike for civil service since independence, doubling the basic salary of top officials and raising the lowest pay by a record 142 percent.
1 September 2026
Sri Lanka’s economic plight a caution for Bangladesh
That Bangladesh is in a position to bail out Sri Lanka, a middle-income country by the World Bank’s classification since 1997, by extending up to $500 million -- is a nice lift to the country’s morale.
29 May 2021
Interest burden 6pc heavier in next fiscal
The government’s interest burden is set to get heavier in the incoming fiscal year, thanks to its inability to better choose from its financing options.
26 May 2021
$200 million currency swap: Stepping up in Sri Lanka’s hour of need
In a first for Bangladesh, the country has extended a lifeline of sorts to the beleaguered Sri Lankan economy, offering to top up the island nation’s depleting foreign reserves by as much as $500 million.
25 May 2021
Small businesses see stimulus funds at last
The cottage, micro, small and medium enterprises, who were among the worst hit for the pandemic, appears to have started seeing the stimulus funds of late after initial reluctance from banks in disbursing credit to the sector.
24 May 2021
Record foreign aid use in next budget
Making hay while the sun, it appears, is the finance ministry’s mantra as it goes about preparing the budget for fiscal 2021-22, its second in the backdrop of the extraordinary challenges thrown by the pandemic.
22 May 2021
Legalising Undisclosed Assets: Scope to stay next year
The government will continue to offer the scope for legalising undisclosed money in the upcoming budget, Finance Minister AHM Mustafa Kamal said yesterday.
19 May 2021
ADP gets 14pc bigger
It may take four to 12 years to complete 1,426 ongoing development projects because of slow implementation and meagre allocation, highlighting the need for the government to prioritise works and accelerate execution to avoid cost and time overruns.
18 May 2021
Govt moves to rein in willful defaulters
The government, for the first time, has moved to define habitual defaulters, a development that may stop delinquent borrowers from running businesses, travelling abroad, and participating in social and political activities.
17 May 2021
Mega projects to get Tk 47,283cr from new ADP
The government will allocate Tk 47,283 crore to 12 mega projects, including those on the fast-track list, from the development budget for the upcoming fiscal year.
17 May 2021
Health division spends only 26pc of ADP outlay
Despite giving special focus on the health sector, the government could implement only 26 per cent of the sector’s Annual Development Programme in the first 10 months of the current fiscal year.
16 May 2021
Left out in their hour of need
The government could not spend two-thirds of its around Tk 25,000 crore cash-food support packages for the poor and vulnerable, frontline health workers and low-income farmers in the last year after its announcement.
11 May 2021
Put fight against Covid at the heart of budget: economists
Rapid coronavirus vaccination, upgrading the creaking health system and expanding social protection should be the focus of the upcoming budget to bring the crisis under control, economists said.
11 May 2021
Pandemic to be budget mainstay
Keeping in mind the possible impacts of the second Covid-19 wave, the government is going to attach top priority to vaccination, economic recovery, and life and livelihood of the poor in the upcoming national budget.
10 May 2021
Safety net budget to cross Tk1 lakh crore for first time
The budgetary allocation meant for the poor and vulnerable is set to go past Tk 1 lakh crore mark for the first time as the government sets aside additional funds to support the needy during the coronavirus-induced income collapse.
10 May 2021
ADP spending may expand by 14pc
The government may allocate Tk 225,324 crore to implement development projects in the next fiscal year, which is 14 per cent higher than that in the revised budget.
9 May 2021
NBR collection target may remain unchanged
The government may keep its tax collection target unchanged for the National Board of Revenue in the next fiscal year because of the devastating effect of the coronavirus pandemic on the economy.
8 May 2021
First 9 Months of This Fiscal Year: Tk 14,295cr cash, assets legalised
Undisclosed assets worth a staggering Tk 14,295 crore have been legalised in the first nine months of this fiscal year.
6 May 2021
Padma bridge deadline now June next year
The government approved a proposal to extend the deadline for the much-talked-about Padma bridge project to June 23, 2022.
5 May 2021
Super Specialised Hospital: Project staring at long delays
The government will again extend the period of a project taken to set up a modern healthcare facility at the capital Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University (BSMMU) after the project authorities failed to complete the work on schedule mainly due to the pandemic.
3 May 2021
Incentive spending on remittance may go up
The government may increase its allocation for incentive expenses for remittance in the next fiscal year as it looks to retain the surge of the flow of the cheapest source of foreign currencies for Bangladesh.
3 May 2021