Sukanta Halder

Most look forward to the monsoon season every year, but that is not the case for residents of the Pagar Alerteg area adjacent to the Tongi Industrial Zone of the Bangladesh Small and Cottage Industries Corporation (BSCIC).

Shafiqul Islam Ratan has been running a sweet shop with his siblings near a residential area on Kalshi road in the capital’s Mirpur for the last six-seven years.

Repeated lockdowns in Bangladesh have pushed shops, particularly small and medium ones, to the verge of closure for good as their income crashed and debt mounted.

The lost muslin yarn technology used to churn out exceedingly delicate fabrics much coveted in the 17th and 18th centuries the world over has been recovered by an expert team of the government.

Prices of essential goods are on the rise as the supply of goods in the market is comparatively low during the lockdown.

After failing to get a desired government job, Jakaria Lenin, an English literature graduate in Tangail, set up a cattle farm about 11 months ago.

Malls and markets have been registering large gatherings of Eid shoppers since reopening on July 15, providing a much-needed respite to stores to make some sales in a season marked by a depressed business.

Customers  filed a staggering 13,317 complaints against top e-commerce,  ridesharing, food delivery platforms, and Facebook-based businesses in  Bangladesh in the last three fiscal years, official figures showed.

Jobike has been left crippled by the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic as the on-demand bicycle rental service provider had to shutter a majority of its operations in the country.

Government and semi-government agencies failed to disburse the entire Tk 570 crore earmarked for the pandemic-hit small traders, entrepreneurs and farmers for the last fiscal year under a stimulus package.

Debt-ridden micro-businesses and informal workers in Bangladesh are staring at new economic distress as incomes evaporated because of the ongoing strict lockdown, which could impose an additional financial burden on them and deepen their plights.

Dhaka Bank Ltd has embraced technologies to make its retail and SME banking vibrant instead of relying on the corporate segment as it looks to drive the next phase of growth.

When the Maksud Bedding Store in Dhaka's Nilkhet area is open, Monir, an employee of the retail outlet, could make about Tk 400 for each day's work.

The government has taken an initiative to formulate policy to promote and develop engineering industries, create jobs and expand the country’s industrial base.

Entrepreneurs might not be interested in setting up large hospitals outside of Dhaka, Chattogram, Narayanganj, and Gazipur despite a 10-year tax break.

Shatranji, a traditional fabric of Rangpur, has been recognised as a Geographical Indication (GI) product of Bangladesh.

Recruiting agencies will have to pay higher advance income tax (AIT) on service charges or fees they earn from migrant workers going abroad, according to tax measures proposed by the National Board of Revenue (NBR) for the next fiscal year of 2021-22.

A total of 549 plots in various industrial estates of the Bangladesh Small and Cottage Industries Corporation (BSCIC) are lying unused as the owners did not set up plants within the deadline.

The national budget for 2021-22 is being proposed today all the while the country’s economy faces some tough realities stemming from the pandemic’s second wave.

The price of computers and IT accessories has shot up 20 per cent in the last 14 months as pandemic-induced restrictions prompted educational institutions and businesses to heighten focus on home-based schooling and work.