While the government is distracted by elections, the financial economy will suffer

Bangladesh Bank is anticipating the pressure on the balance of payments will blow over by the end of this fiscal year thanks to hearty assistance from development partners –-- an outlook termed wishful by economists.

Inflation leads to the devaluation of a particular currency.

Take the recent and absurd fuel price hike, for example. The country's people are focusing on and monitoring how we, the citizens of Dhaka, will handle this situation so they can follow suit. To them, we say, “Hold my Borhani.” The fuel price hike gave an extra flare to the attitude of operators of CNG-run auto-rickshaws, Uber cars, and Pathao bikes, thus rendering the daily commute undesirable. Yet, most fail to grasp the opportunities we are presented with, such as being innovative and healthy. Power walking or riding your bicycle for commute is your divine solution.

What do you do when wanderlust strikes, but you have just hit rock bottom on your wallet? Feed the lust, is what. Of course, travelling first class, shopping at branded stores and staying at five-star accommodation may not be on the cards for you but none of those things have anything to do with actual travelling. If you are already laughing, save the giggles for we may just change your mind by the end of this article.

We still have to wait and see how it will actually impact the market.

The government is going to increase the number of beneficiaries of disability allowance and their allowance amount.

The allocation for the education sectors in the proposed budget for the upcoming fiscal year of 2022-23 has reduced in terms of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

The government plans to boost exports by promoting large industries and send a record number of migrant workers abroad to raise foreign currency reserves.

The discussion is expected to play a positive role in formulating a youth-friendly budget.

What I failed to realise is that the price hike is a constant thing, it is steadily increasing every month or rather every week it now seems, and never coming down actually.

Hajj is one of the main rituals of Islam, and it takes tremendous physical and mental effort, as well as spiritual dedication. Because of the nature of it, like all types of pilgrimage, it can be quite challenging and requires certain preparations too. It's not a matter that can be taken lightly or suddenly decided upon. Hajj demands thorough and meticulous preparation that takes time.

Budgeting is perhaps the single most important tool that helps us manage our money wisely during volatile economic times.

The national budget for the next fiscal year will be the third since the start of the Covid-19 crisis in March 2020. Can we expect it to address the current realities, contexts and challenges of Bangladesh?

In a rare show of anger and frustration, some ruling party and opposition lawmakers blasted the finance minister in parliament yesterday for his complete silence on the widespread irregularities in the banking sector during his budget speech.

It is hardly a subject that is discussed in the public domain nowadays, but one recalls “Digital Bangladesh” being the centrepiece of the ruling party's electoral campaign in 2008 and onwards. The aim was to transform the bureaucracy-ridden system, making it faster, more efficient and of course less prone to graft. But such a grandiose mission, till now, remains largely unaccomplished.

Our finance minister has proposed a mega budget of Tk 4,00,266 crore for FY2017-18, of which Tk 1,53,331 crore is earmarked for Annual Development Programme (ADP).

Proposed budget is not for the development of the people, BNP says in its budget reaction.

Finance Minister AMA Muhith says the government plans to introduce pension scheme for the private sector by the end of its tenure in 2019.

I must say that the budget is too ambitious in terms of size. It's 15.5 percent larger than the current FY's initial budget and 29 percent higher than the revised one.