Joel Ahmed

https://thefinancialexpress.com.bd/bn/মুক্ত-বাণিজ্য-চুক্তির-বৈশ্বিক-প্রবণতা-1629110748 মুক্ত বাণিজ্য চুক্তির বৈশ্বিক প্রবণতা মো. জুলফিকার ইসলাম | Published: August 16, 2021 16:45:49 বাণিজ্য সম্প্রসারণের সঙ্গে একটি দেশের অর্থনৈতিক উন্নয়নের ওতপ্রোত সম্পর্ক বিদ্যমান। বাণিজ্য সম্প্রসারণে বিভিন্ন দেশ প্রধানত মুক্ত বাণিজ্য অঞ্চল (ফ্রি ট্রেড এরিয়া), শুল্ক সংঘ (কাস্টমস ইউনিয়ন), অভিন্ন বাজার (কমন মার্কেট) এবং অর্থনৈতিক ইউনিয়ন (ইকনোমিক ইউনিয়ন)- এই চারভাবে একে অপরের সঙ্গে যুক্ত হচ্ছে । এজন্য তারা দ্বিপাক্ষিক, আঞ্চলিক অথবা বহুপাক্ষিক বাণিজ্য চুক্তি সম্পাদন করছে। এই চুক্তিসমূহের বেশিরভাগই মুক্ত বাণিজ্য চুক্তি (এফটিএ)। বাংলাদেশ স্বল্পোন্নত দেশ (এলডিসি) হিসেবে উন্নত দেশগুলোর কাছ থেকে শুল্কমুক্ত ও কোটামুক্ত বাণিজ্যসুবিধা, জিএসপি সুবিধা প্রভৃতি গ্রহণ করেছে যা বাংলাদেশের রপ্তানি সম্প্রসারণে প্রধান ভূমিকা রেখেছে। তবে ২০২৬ সালে এলডিসির কাতার থেকে উত্তরণের মধ্য দিয়ে এই সুবিধাগুলো হারাতে হবে। তাই বাণিজ্য সম্প্রসারণের অন্যান্য উপায় বিশেষ করে অগ্রাধিকারমূলক বাণিজ্য চুক্তি (প্রেফারেনশিয়াল ট্রেড এগ্রিমেন্ট) ও মুক্ত বাণিজ্য চুক্তি সম্পর্কে আলোচনা, গবেষণা ও কাজ শুরু হয় গেছে। মুক্ত বাণিজ্য চুক্তি : বিশ্ববাণিজ্য সংস্থার (ডব্লিউটিও) নিয়ম অনুযায়ী মুক্ত বাণিজ্য চুক্তি হলে সদস্য দেশের মধ্যে পণ্য বাণিজ্যের ক্ষেত্রে প্রায় সকল পণ্যের উপর কর বা শুল্ক এবং অন্যান্য বিধিনিষেধ অপসারণ করা এবং সেবা বাণিজ্যের ক্ষেত্রে এর সদস্য দেশের সেবা সরবরাহকারীদের প্রায় সকল বৈষম্য অপসারণ করতে হয়। পণ্য বাণিজ্যের ক্ষেত্রে বিশ্ব বাণিজ্য সংস্থার গ্যাট (জেনারেল এগ্রিমেন্ট অন ট্যারিফস অ্যান্ড ট্রেড) ২৪ অনুচ্ছেদের এবং সেবার ক্ষেত্রে গ্যাট ২৫ অনুচ্ছেদের আওতায় নির্ধারিত প্রক্রিয়ায় মুক্ত বাণিজ্য চুক্তি সম্পাদিত হয়। মুক্ত বাণিজ্যের প্রধান প্রচারক দেশ যুক্তরাষ্ট্র সরকারের সংশ্লিষ্ট ওয়েবসাইটে বলা হয়েছে যে তাদের মুক্ত বাণিজ্য চুক্তিসমূহের উদ্দেশ্য হচ্ছে যুক্তরাষ্ট্রের রপ্তানির ক্ষেত্রে প্রতিবন্ধকতা হ্রাস করা, বিদেশে প্রতিযোগিতার ক্ষেত্রে যুক্তরাষ্ট্রের স্বার্থ রক্ষা এবং মুক্ত বাণিজ্যের অংশীদার দেশ বা দেশসমূহে আইনের শাসন শক্তিশালী করা । এফটিএর ইতিকথা: ১৬ শতক থেকে ১৮ শতক পর্যন্ত ইউরোপীয় শক্তিধর দেশগুলো বেনেবাদী (মার্কেন্টাইলিস্ট) মতবাদ দ্বারা পরিচালিত হতো। তাদের প্রধান চিন্তা ছিল অনুকূল বাণিজ্য ভারসাম্য বা বাণিজ্য উদ্বৃত্ত অবস্থা যেখানে রপ্তানি বেশি থাকবে, আমদানি কম থাকবে। তখন বাণিজ্য চুক্তিকে নিরুৎসাহিত করা হতো। শুল্ক এবং কোটাব্যবস্থার মাধ্যমে দেশীয় শিল্পকে সংরক্ষণ করা হতো। উদাহরণস্বরূপ, ব্রিটিশ নেভিগেশন অ্যাক্ট ১৬৫১ এর কথা বলা যায়। এই আইন অনুযায়ী কোনো বিদেশী জাহাজ ব্রিটেনের সমুদ্রতীরবর্তী অঞ্চলে ব্যবসা করতে পারতো না । আমদানি করতে হলে ব্রিটিশ জাহাজ ভাড়া করতে হতো অথবা যে দেশে পণ্য উৎপাদিত হয়েছে সেই দেশে জাহাজটি নিবন্ধিত হতে হতো। অন্যদিকে বাংলায় ব্রিটিশ ইস্ট ইন্ডিয়া কোম্পানি প্রায় শুরু থেকেই শুল্কমুক্ত বাণিজ্য সুবিধা দাবি করে আসছিল । ১৭১৭ সালে মুঘল বাদশাহ ফররুখশিয়ারের নিকট থেকে বার্ষিক মাত্র তিন হাজার ৩০০০ রুপির বিনিময়ে শুল্কমুক্ত বাণিজ্য সুবিধা আদায় করতে সমর্থ হয়। অর্থনীতিবিদ অ্যাডাম স্মিথ (১৭২৩-১৭৯০) এবং ডেভিড রিকার্ডো (১৭৭২-১৮২৩)’র মুক্ত বাজার অর্থনীতি ও দেশসমূহের তুলনামূলক সুবিধা তত্ত্বের কারণে এই চিন্তায় পরিবর্তন আসে। সোনা, রূপার আধিক্য দিয়ে দেশের সম্পদ পরিমাপ না করে মানুষের জীবনমান দিয়ে পরিমাপ করার বিষয়টি সামনে আসে। তখন আমদানি বৃদ্ধির ব্যাপারটিও সামনে আসে। ১৮২৩ সালে ”রেসিপ্রোসিটি অব ডিডউটিজ অ্যাক্ট” এর মাধ্যমে দেশসমূহের মধ্যে দ্বিপাক্ষিক বাণিজ্যের ক্ষেত্রে আমদানি শুল্ক হ্রাসের অনুমতি দেয়া হয়। ১৮৫০ সালের মধ্যে ভুট্টা আইনসহ অনেক সুরক্ষামূলক নীতি বর্জন করা হয়। এরপর ব্রিটেন ও ফ্রান্সের মধ্যে ‘কবডেন-শ্যাভালিয়ের ট্রিটি’ হয় যার মধ্যে মোস্ট ফেভারড নেশন (এমএফএন) ধারাও ছিল- অর্থাৎ একদেশকে যে সুবিধা দেয়া হবে তার বাণিজ্যিক অংশীদার দেশগুলোকেও সেই সুবিধা প্রদান করতে হবে। এখানে বৈষম্য করা যাবে না। এর ফলে ইউরোপে আরও এমন বেশ কিছু চুক্তি হয় যার মাধ্যমে বহুপাক্ষিক বাণিজ্য উদারীকরণ ও মুক্ত বাণিজ্যের সূচনা হয়। এরপর অবশ্য বহু উত্থান পতনের মধ্য দিয়ে মুক্ত বাণিজ্যের ধারণা বিবর্তিত হয়। ১৮৭৩ সালে ইউরোপে মন্দা দেখা দেয়। তখন সুরক্ষাবাদী নীতি গ্রহণ করে দেশগুলো। এই প্রবণতা চলে প্রথম বিশ্বযুদ্ধ পর্যন্ত। দেশগুলোর উগ্র জাতীয়তাবাদী মনোভাব এবং যুদ্ধের পর অর্থনৈতিক দুরবস্থার কারণে বাণিজ্য উদারীকরণের প্রক্রিয়া বাধাগ্রস্ত হয় । ১৯২৭ সালের প্রথমবারের মতো বিশ্ব অর্থনৈতিক সম্মেলন অনুষ্ঠিত হয় লীগ অব নেশনস এর উদ্যোগে। কিন্তু ১৯৩০ এর মহামন্দার কারণে এই উদ্যোগের সুফল পাওয়া যায়নি। দ্বিতীয় বিশ্বযুদ্ধের পর ১৯৪৪ সালে ব্রেটন উডস চুক্তি এর মধ্য দিয়ে বিশ্ব ব্যাংক, আন্তর্জাতিক মুদ্রা সংস্থা (আইএমএফ) ও আন্তর্জাতিক বাণিজ্য সংস্থা (আইটিও) প্রতিষ্ঠিত হয়। এরপর আইটিও-র বদলে ১৯৪৭ সালে যাত্রা শুরু করে গ্যাট (জেনারেল এগ্রিমেন্ট অন ট্যারিফস অ্যান্ড ট্রেড)। এর মধ্য দিয়ে পুনরায় বিভিন্ন আঞ্চলিক ও বহুপাক্ষিক চুক্তি হওয়া শুরু হয়। দ্বিতীয় বিশ্বযুদ্ধের পর শিল্পোন্নত দেশগুলোর গড় শুল্ক ১৯৪৬ সালে ৪০ শতাংশ থেকে ১৯৯০ এর দশকে ৫ শতাংশে নেমে আসে। বাণিজ্য উদারীকরণের এই উদ্যোগ বৈশ্বিক রপ্তানি বৃদ্ধি করেছে এর ফলে ১৯৫০ থেকে ১৯৯৭ সাল পর্যন্ত বৈশ্বিক রপ্তানি প্রায় ১৪ গুণ বৃদ্ধি পেয়েছে। আনুষ্ঠানিকভাবে প্রথম মুক্ত বাণিজ্য চুক্তি হলো ইউরোপীয়ান ফ্রি ট্রেড অ্যাসোসিয়েশনস (ইএফটিএ) যার যাত্রা শুরু ১৯৫৯ সালের ১৪ নভেম্বর আইসল্যান্ড, লিকটেনস্টেইন, নরওয়ে ও সুইজারল্যান্ড এই চারটি দেশের সমন্বয়ে। এটা স্টকহোম কনভেনশনের উপর ভিত্তি করে হয়েছিল যাদের উদ্দেশ্য ছিল সদস্য দেশসমূহের মধ্যে শুল্ক হ্রাস, কোটা ব্যবস্থার উদারীকরণ, কৃষি পণ্যের বাণিজ্য উদারীকরণ প্রভৃতি। এরপর ৮০’র দশকে তৎকালীন ইউরোপীয় ইউনিয়নের সঙ্গে ইএফটিএ’র সদস্য দেশসমূহের সঙ্গে আলাদা মুক্ত বাণিজ্য চুক্তি হয় । ১৯৯২ সালে উত্তর আমেরিকা মুক্ত বাণিজ্য চুক্তি (নাফটা) ও দক্ষিণ-পূর্ব এশীয় জাতিগুলোর সংঘ (আসিয়ান) এবং ২০০৪ সাফটা চুক্তি সম্পাদিত হয়। বৈশ্বিক প্রবণতা: বর্তমানে ৩৫০ টা আঞ্চলিক বাণিজ্য চুক্তি (আরটিএ) কার্যকর রয়েছে তার মধ্যে ৩০৫টিই মুক্ত বাণিজ্য চুক্তি। বাকিগুলো অন্যান্য অর্থনৈতিক সংযুক্তির উপায় যেমন কাস্টমস ইউনিয়ন (সিইউ), অর্থনৈতিক সংযুক্তি চুক্তি (ইআইএ) এবং আংশিক সুবিধা চুক্তি (পিএসএ) । ডব্লিউটিও-র যাত্রা শুরুর পর আগ বা ১৯৯৫ সাল পর্যন্ত আঞ্চলিক বাণিজ্য্ চুক্তি (আরটিএ) হয়েছে ৫০টি। বাকি ৩০০টিই হয়েছে বাকি ২৬ বছরে। গত সাত বছরে সম্পাদিত সক্রিয় চুক্তির সংখ্যা ১০০টি। মূলত আঞ্চলিক চুক্তির ক্ষেত্রে নেতৃত্ব দিয়েছে ইউরোপীয় ইউনিয়ন। ইউরোপীয় ইউনিয়নের সক্রিয় চুক্তির সংখ্যা ৪৬টি। ইএফটি-র সক্রিয় চুক্তি সংখ্যা ২৭টি। ইউরোপে একক দেশ হিসেবে সবচেয়ে বেশি বাণিজ্য চুক্তি করেছে যুক্তরাজ্য। এশিয়ায় নেতৃত্ব দিচ্ছে দক্ষিণ কোরিয়া, ১৭টি। দক্ষিণ আমেরিকায় নেতৃত্ব দিচ্ছে চিলি, ১৭টি চুক্তি সম্পাদনের মাধ্যমে। যুক্তরাষ্ট্রের রয়েছে ১৪টি সক্রিয় মুক্ত বাণিজ্য চুক্তি। বর্তমানে আঞ্চলিক মুক্ত বাণিজ্য চুক্তি আরও বড় পরিসরে সম্পাদিত হচ্ছে। গত ২০২০ সালের ১৫ নভেম্বর আসিয়ানভুক্ত ১০টি দেশ, পূর্ব এশিয়ার চীন, জাপান, দক্ষিণ কোরিয়া, এবং ওশেনিয়ার দুটি দেশ অস্ট্রেলিয়া ও নিউজিল্যান্ড- মোট ১৫ টি দেশের মধ্যে স্বাক্ষরিত হলো মুক্ত বাণিজ্য চুক্তি রিজিওনাল কমপ্রিহেনসিভ ইকোনমিক পার্টনারশিপ (আরসিইপি) । এই চুক্তির সদস্য দেশগুলোতে পৃথিবীর এক-তৃতীয়াংশ মানুষ বাস করে এবং বিশ্বের মোট জিডিপিতে এদের অবদান ২৯ শতাংশ। আরসিইপি-র মধ্য দিয়ে সদস্য দেশগুলো আগামী ২০ বছরের মধ্যে অনেক ধরনের কর/শুল্ক প্রত্যাহার করবে। মো. জুলফিকার ইসলাম, গবেষক, বাংলাদেশ ফরেন ট্রেড ইনস্টিটিউট (বিএফটিআই), ঢাকা।

https://thefinancialexpress.com.bd/views/views/unlocking-the-growth-potential-of-it-sector-through-mitigating-financial-barriers-1628784742 Unlocking the growth potential of IT sector through mitigating financial barriers Zulkarin Jahangir, Abdullah Hasan Safir and Tanjim-Ul-Islam | Published: August 12, 2021 22:12:22 | Updated: August 12, 2021 22:21:46 The unique level of commitment from Bangladesh's government for digitisation has been working as a driving force for the country to thrive in the digital economy. The current government has accelerated the rapid digitisation and smart use of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) to spur progress in almost all sectors in Bangladesh (Strategic Priorities for Bangladesh, A2i, 2011). In this context, partnering with the University of Oxford's Digital Pathways Initiative, BRAC Institute of Governance and Development (BIGD), intended to chart a pathway for Bangladesh to decide holistic strategies to accelerate its inclusive growth in the digital age. The study identified three opportunity areas and 13 strategies to leverage those opportunities for the purpose of ensuring inclusive growth. The first opportunity area revolves around scaling up the BPO and IT/Software industry in the strategy primer. The study identified several bottlenecks hindering the growth of the industry. In this series of op-eds, the various bottlenecks will be analysed along with recommended policy measures. The first op-ed presented here illustrates financial and regulatory barriers that hamper the growth of this industry and discusses relevant strategies to mitigate the issues. WHERE DOES THE BPO AND IT/SOFTWARE INDUSTRY CURRENTLY STAND?: Software development firms share 47 per cent of the market for the technology industry in Bangladesh (BASIS and LICT). Bangladesh's IT/ITES industry is expected to grow nearly five-fold to reach USD 4.6-4.8 billion revenue by 2025 (BCG Everest Group). Evaluating the size of the BPO industry is difficult as a mix of enterprises drives it. There are 500,000 regular freelancers and 2,500 agencies that are serving in different freelancing platforms. Besides, more than 120 call centres have been operating in Bangladesh, and in FY 2016-17, they earned approximately USD 300 million reportedly. Among the top 250 global IT-ITES delivery locations, Bangladesh is one of the lowest cost destinations offering significant savings over many of its counterparts, including well established and dominant offshore centres such as India and the Philippines (BCG Everest Group, 2017). The ability to operate at significantly lower costs than India and the Philippines is one of Bangladesh's IT/ITES industry's key value propositions. FINANCIAL AND REGULATORY BARRIERS FOR THE GROWTH OF BPO AND IT/SOFTWARE INDUSTRY: a) Existing gaps in Foreign Direct Investment: Bangladesh currently ranks 168th out of 190 economies in the World Bank's Ease of Doing Business Index. Although the 7th five-year plan targeted USD 9.6 billion FDI annual inflow by FY2020, it was only USD 1.6 billion in 2019, falling by 56 per cent compared to USD 3.6 billion in 2018. The FDI to GDP ratio in Bangladesh was 0.7 per cent in 2019, which is one of Asia's lowest values, even lower than peer countries like India, Vietnam, and the Philippines (World Bank, 2020). Furthermore, with special incentives such as 100 per cent equity control on the businesses, the software and IT industry received USD 26.1 million foreign direct investment in FY 2019-20 whereas India's computer software and hardware industry garnered USD 7.67 billion FDI during the same FY. Lower affordability and accessibility of ICT hardware, software, and services and inadequate internet bandwidth on both the demand and supply side are some of the sector-specific hurdles to attract foreign direct investment in the industry. b) Barriers for the local investors: Local private investors can avail of corporate income tax exemption on their investment from BIDA and Hi-Tech Park authority for the first 10 years. However, there are struggles at various stage of operations for IT companies. In the initial stages, the private banks do not cater to their requests for loans due to the high risks associated with the sector in the absence of a proper mechanism or practice to quantify the value of IT work in Bangladesh (Bangladesh Sectoral Growth Diagnostic, EDIG, 2017). Secondly, in comparison with the Indian or Filipino offshore industry, the industry in Bangladesh is still nascent; therefore, investors need to build entire ecosystems investing in training talent and infrastructure which is often burdensome for the local investors (Everest Group Research, 2017). Besides, there is an inherent entry barrier for new and small entrepreneurs in the industry with policies inclined to the large producers/ exporters. For example, IT firms with less than 200-bit data storage have to bear a larger burden of tax compared to the firms with higher data storage. c) Weaker cross-border payment system: The cross-border payment system works as a significant obstacle in Bangladesh compared to its neighbouring countries. The payment system in Bangladesh operates through international bank transfer, which is a time-consuming, tedious, and costly option. Many companies prefer not to use these services, and instead, prefer to go through informal channels. In the absence of international payment gateways like PayPal, freelancers, and small and medium IT/ITES service providers usually deal with very few direct clients outside the marketplaces such as Fiverr and Upwork. Bangladesh, as a consequence, is losing a considerable amount of revenue every year. ENSURING ADEQUATE FINANCING AND FIXING THE REGULATORY BARRIERS: From the discussion, it is clear that the financing and regulatory issues work as developmental hindrances affecting the growth and sustainability of the IT/ITES Sector in Bangladesh. Considering the challenges, the primer discussed following strategies to make Bangladesh IT industry recognised globally as a premium service location for IT/ITES/BPO by increasing financial attractiveness and enabling the business environment: Improve the overall business environment, including regulatory or legal adaptability to attract foreign investors to invest in the IT/ITES industry: Enforcing contracts, registering property, trading across borders, getting electricity, and resolving insolvency are the bottom five indicators for Bangladesh's Doing Business Index, where Bangladesh has performed poorly. These are areas where improvement of the indicators is pertinent. Among the regional competitor countries of Bangladesh, India has the highest rank (63rd) on the World Banks' Doing Business Index, while Vietnam, with its 70th position, continues to be a magnet for attracting foreign direct investment. Both these countries proactively improved their business and investment environment for foreign companies. India's strategy was to reform areas of starting a business, dealing with construction permits, trading across borders, and resolving insolvency (The World Bank, 2019). On the other hand, Vietnam's reforms have focused on access to credit and payment of taxes (Vietnam Briefing, 2019). Bangladesh can benefit from following Vietnam's strategies by focusing on improving access to credit and simplifying the payment mechanism of taxes to have a quick jump on the Doing Business ladder. This is to mention that streamlining the administrative procedures through digitisation worked as a key step for Vietnam in this regard. Moreover, to attract foreign investors in the IT industry, Bangladesh essentially needs to reduce costs and increase the accessibility of the internet, ICT hardware, software, and services in rural and remote areas. Encourage the local investors with incentives to invest in the IT/ITES industry to compete with the foreign investors equally: One of the significant problems local investors face here is access to credit. In general, having access to credit in Bangladesh is more complicated than the regional competitor countries like India (Bangladesh ranks 119th and India ranks 25th in Doing Business Index 2020 for this indicator). Bangladesh needs to formulate an integrated or unified legal framework for secured transactions that extend to the creation, publicity, and enforcement of functional equivalents to security interests in movable assets (as an alternative of collaterals) to encourage local investors. At the same time, banks and financial institutions should have access to borrowers' credit information online, which might be through a secured online platform. For IT industries, proper mechanisms need to be in place to quantify the value of IT work to reduce the sector-specific difficulties to access credit from the banks. The higher interest rate should be reduced, and the investors in this industry should receive borrowing and loan benefits like in the RMG sector. Incentives should be taken to create a level playing field for the new and small entrepreneurs in the industry who are often not tenanted in the formal economic zones. Initiate platforms to ease the process of international payment: PayPal is the most popular digital payment method, currently available in 203 countries globally, including India, Nepal, Bhutan, and Sri Lanka. Even though PayPal is welcomed by the ITES providers and the service seekers worldwide, it's not available in Bangladesh. This platform can facilitate speed, convenience, and international transactions' security - something precious for users, especially for the freelancers with recurring transactions. The Banking Company Act, 1991 states that Bangladesh Bank is an autonomous body; however, the establishment of the Banking Division by the Ministry of Finance (MoF) has practically reduced Bangladesh Bank's capacity and jurisdiction. Therefore, despite facing no obstacles from the central bank, PayPal cannot operate in Bangladesh due to bureaucratic complexities. To avoid losing a considerable amount of revenue from foreign direct clients in the freelancing sector every year, MoF might be able to play a role based on the non-objection of the central bank. Although a payment system called Xoom has been introduced instead of PayPal in Bangladesh, it cannot be regarded as a proper replacement as this platform contains similar difficulties like other conventional payment systems like bank transfers. Therefore, even if alternative platforms are introduced, it must offer a money transfer experience as smooth as PayPal. The removal of the financial and regulatory barriers through implementing the aforementioned strategies can contribute towards scaling up the BPO and IT industry in the country. That would allow the sector to generate broader employment creation opportunities for the youth. However, one of the core challenges for the industry is supplying skilled professionals. The next op-ed of the series will focus on this shortage of skilled labour.

https://www.tbsnews.net/bangladesh/3-bangladeshis-escape-kabul-jail-288844#.YRn39rNEucE.facebook TBS Report 16 August, 2021, 11:25 am Last modified: 16 August, 2021, 11:29 am 3 Bangladeshis escape from Kabul jail Three Bangladeshi prisoners have fled from jail in Kabul after the Taliban captured the Afghan capital and opened the doors of the prisons in Kabul. Bangladesh's ambassador to Uzbekistan, Md Jahangir Alam, who is also serving as a distant ambassador to Afghanistan, informed the matter. He told Prothom Alo that the three Bangladeshis who escaped from the jail are-Moin Al Mezbah of Daulatpur upazila in Khulna, Kawsar Sultana of Mirpur (Bashantek) in the capital and Ubaidullah Harun of Fulgazi in Feni. The Ambassador said, "Moin Al Mezbah contacted the embassy and he was told to stay safe. The embassy also said it would arrange for him to return to Bangladesh." Multiple information is available about the crimes of the three Bangladeshi prisoners who escaped. According to a source, they were involved in illegal VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) business while another source said that a total of four Bangladeshis, including the three, were sent to jail a few years ago on charges of aiding the Taliban. "So far no Bangladeshi living in Kabul has been reported injured or in crisis," said the ambassador. Meanwhile, the non-governmental organisation BRAC said that the process of bringing back six Bangladeshi officials of BRAC International in Afghanistan is underway. Earlier, three were returned last Friday.

https://www.dhakatribune.com/bangladesh/2021/08/16/extreme-religious-jihadi-bangla-contents-flood-digital-platforms Extreme religious, Jihadi Bangla contents flood digital platforms M Abul Kalam Azad Published at 08:52 am August 16th, 2021 There is not a single official platform to counter the propaganda narratives of extremist groups, only a handful of radical platforms and contents are taken down A video on 44 ways to join jihad was uploaded on the social media platform Facebook on August 7. The three-and-half minute video posted from a fake account, Ibne Nuhash, began with an Arabic sermon, showing the Holy Kaaba and horse-riding warriors fighting in the desert. It was followed by a Bangla interpretation of the sermon. Most contents in the profile--texts or audio-visuals--shared among 1, 857 friends are about waging Jihad and combat training. The user recently posted a list of 30 Islamic books, many denouncing democracy and democratic rulers while a few were exclusively on Jihad. The account, which is just a month old, is merely the tip of an iceberg. For example, another user, Mohammad Bin Kasim, regularly posts photos, videos and other contents to misguide people and push them toward radical ideology. Many of his posts call for taking up arms and getting ready for Jihad. The user posts many tips on evading the eyes of the law enforcement agencies and opening a fake account, using VPN and tor browser to spread jihadi contents for his 5000 friends. Both the accounts are fake but successfully promote the ideology of al Qaeda. Such fake and real Facebook accounts and pages are plenty and operated by Bangladeshis from home and abroad to promote the ideology of al Qaeda and Islamic State (IS). Facebook is immensely popular among Bangladeshis and thus extremists still find this social media platform a suitable territory to operate, although Facebook has a policy to take down all extreme contents from its platform. Moreover, there are numerous IPs, websites, forums, blogs and messaging channels that are full of Bangla contents aimed at attracting the young and calling them, under the flag of Jihad, to establish Allah’s rule in Bangladesh and elsewhere. Extremist groups have their own IPs. For example, the IP using which Gazwatul Hind is being run, is perhaps one of the biggest treasure troves of religious, radical and jihadi contents. One will need months to go through all the contents available here. Like every radical platform, Gazwatul Hind shares links with hundreds of other platforms that are actively spreading radical ideology. One of them is Muwahdidun, a blog where guidelines are shared for those who are willing to join online Jihad. They provide instructions on how to operate as a lone wolf mujahid. The forum has links of 32 media platforms that are run by different radical and jihadist groups in Bangladesh and elsewhere along with an archive section. Among many records in the archives, there is a list of 24 Bangladeshis who died in Afghanistan while fighting Soviet soldiers in the 1980s. A note reads: names of those Bangladeshis who fought against the US soldiers and died will be disclosed soon. The alfirdaws.org seems like a news site but a closer look will reveal that it is a radical site publishing articles on carrying out attacks and various activities of jihadist groups in Asia, Africa and the Middle East. The headlines, photos and videos are crafted to glorify the groups and spread a message that there is no alternative but to take up arms and join combat for the cause of Islam. One of the latest articles describes how the mujahideen of al Shabab, an al Qaeda supported jihadist group in East Africa, occupied territory battling Ugandan soldiers. Launched from Iceland in mid-2019, this site is being operated by a group of Bangladeshis living in different countries and has a good number of readers here in the country. Most of these platforms are interconnected, share each other’s contents and promote their activities to expand networks. Many operate openly while others do so covertly. A Dhaka Tribune study on a dozen radical platforms over the past couple of months has revealed that they are very active and upload Bangla contents frequently. There are contents that term the Awami League government and law enforcement agencies as Taghut (Islamic terminology denoting a focus of worship other than God) and criticizing them for going against Islam lovers. Some contents clearly hint at toppling the government and replacing it with Islamic rule. “Hundreds of these platforms popped up during these pandemic times and are breeding a new generation of extremists,” said cybersecurity analyst Tanvir Hassan Zoha, who has been tracking radical networks since 2012. Scanty monitoring, no official platform to counter propaganda The law enforcement agencies cannot keep on tracking the vast trove of online radical activities and pull them down. What is surprising is that there is not a single platform run by any government agency to counter the radical platforms and their extreme religious and Jihadi narratives. Dedicated online platforms to counter extremists have been in discussion for many years but Counter Terrorism and Transnational Crime (CTTC) Deputy Commissioner Abdul Mannan says for each platform that is taken down, many more pop up. “We do track and shutdown platforms but the fact is radicals don’t remain in one platform for long. They open new windows and shift there,” he told Dhaka Tribune. Another CTTC official pointed out, “We should have several powerful websites and Facebook pages to fight radicals digitally or the radicals will have a free reign to recruit new members and grow strong.” Extremists are in darknet Tanvir Hassan Zoha, who is also the managing director of the IT firm Backdoor Private Ltd, says that among the patterns that have been noticed over the years is of militants successfully adapting to new technologies and social media platforms to reach a larger audience. Last year, Hizb-ut Tahrir organized an online seminar and in its announcement poster the banned outfit used its dark web link for people to join the program live. “Radicals now consider the surface web risky. So, they are slowly moving to darknet access which needs a certain level of tech knowledge. Many global and regional jihadists have already been in the dark web for some years now. We need to track the extremist groups in the darknet for getting a real picture of extremism and terrorism,” Zoha said[1] . The story doesn’t mention whose quote it is. I am assuming it’s Zoha’s.

https://www.dhakatribune.com/bangladesh/2021/08/15/west-bengal-bjp-chief-vows-to-undivided-india West Bengal BJP chief vows to ‘undivided’ India Tribune Desk Published at 02:22 pm August 15th, 2021 Maps showing Bangladesh as being part of India are very often shared by Indian Hindu right wing leaders on social media In an interesting turn of events, a senior leader of Indian ruling party has taken oath for what he termed an undivided India while sharing its map incorporating Bangladesh on Twitter. Ever since being posted on Saturday afternoon, the tweet kept on garnering sharp criticism. 14th August is the day of solemn vow & oath for "#AkhandaBharatSankalpaDiwas (undivided Bharat)", the tweet of Dilip Ghosh, president of the West Bengal state unit of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), reads. The call followed his claim in the same tweet: “From Kashmir to Kanyakumari, Gandhar to Brahmadesh, this is our Bharatbarsha, this is our holy motherland." This is not the first time such a gaffe has been made. Maps showing Bangladesh as being part of India are very often shared by the Hindu right wing leaders on social media. Basically, Hindu nationalist group Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) has been patronizing the concept of an undivided India, which is strongly backed by many senior and key BJP leaders including Amit Shah. Dilip’s tweet coincides with the celebration of “Akhand Bharat Day” by the RSS and its affiliates celebrated on Saturday. The day was supposed on be marked in many other places on Sunday, when India observes its Independence Day. Many BJP leaders have also posted on social media in support of the RSS’s program. Meanwhile, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi declared August 14 as “Partition Horrors Remembrance Day” to acknowledge the suffering of citizens during a traumatic period in history on Saturday. Modi and his party, BJP, have themselves been accused of diving India along religious lines. The reactions One of the Twitter users named Pradeep wrote: “Go to Pakistan and contest in election there. Why are you here in India? Once you win there you can plan for the Akhand Bharat.” Another account named after Bumble Bee tweeted: “Pls immediately leave for Afganistan they need people like you to fight Taliban. Afterall its a part of your Akhanda Bharat.” Many Bangladeshis also expressed their resentment on the BJP leader’s tweet. “As a Bangladeshi I used to get angry at such insensitive take on my country's sovereignty. Now I am just amused at these clowns day dreaming,” Sadab Adhit mentioned. However, many defended Dilip’s tweet, pledging to help implement the plan.

https://thefinancialexpress.com.bd/stock/bangladesh/tax-receipts-from-dse-jump-54pc-1629086244 Tax receipts from DSE jump 54pc BABUL BARMAN | Published: August 16, 2021 09:57:24 The government's revenue earnings from the Dhaka Stock Exchange (DSE) rose 54 per cent year-on-year in the first month of the current fiscal year as trading volume was on the rise. Market analysts said on the back of rising trading volume, the government earnings from the Dhaka bourse rose accordingly, as earning is related to turnover. The market turnover rose significantly as the buoyant investors have given boost to the capital market amid growing confidence riding on various regulatory reforms to bring disciple in the market, said a merchant banker. The government bagged revenue worth Tk 289 million in the first month of the FY 2021-22, which was Tk 188 million in the same month in the FY 2020-21, registering an increase of 54 per cent, according to data available with the DSE. Of the total earnings in July 2021, Tk 233 million came from the TREC holders' commission, popularly known as brokerage commission, while Tk 56 million came from the share sales by sponsor-directors and placement holders, the DSE data shows. In July last fiscal year, Tk 60 million came from the TREC holders' commission and Tk 128 million came from the share sales by sponsor-directors and placement holders. However, month-on-month, the government earnings from DSE fell by 46 per cent in July as the government raked in Tk 544 million in June, 2021. The government earned the amount on TREC (trading right entitlement certificate) holders' commission and share sales by sponsor-directors and placement holders. The DSE, on behalf of the government, collects tax as TREC holders' commission and share sales by sponsor-directors and placement holders at the rate of 0.05 per cent and 5.0 per cent respectively and deposits the amount to the government exchequer. A DSE official said the government earnings from the prime bourse rose as trading volume increased substantially in July, the first month of the FY2021-22, which helped higher revenue collection. "The earnings are related to turnover. It's usual that tax will rise if turnover increases," he said. He noted that as the turnover marked an increase in the first month of the current fiscal year compared to the previous fiscal year's July, so did the tax. The daily turnover, the important gauge, jumped to 15.53 billion on average in July 2021, soaring 445 per cent over the previous fiscal year's July of Tk 2.85 billion. DSEX, the prime index of the DSE, rose 275 points or 4.47 per cent in July 2021. The government's revenue earnings from the DSE registered a 10 years high to Tk 2.66 billion in the FY 2020-21 as the DSE turnover recorded a decade high in few sessions in the last fiscal year. The country's capital market also posted the highest return of 54 per cent in a decade in the FY 2020-21 despite ongoing pandemic. However, in the FY 2019-20, the government's earnings from the DSE plunged more than 10 years low to Tk 1.04 billion due to sluggish market turnover coupled with trading suspension for more than two months due to Covid-19 outbreak. The DSE paid tax worth Tk 2.72 billion in FY2011-12, Tk 1.27 billion in FY2012-13, Tk 1.54 billion in FY2013-14, Tk 1.74 billion in FY2014-15, Tk 1.58 billion in FY2015-16, Tk 2.46 billion in FY2016-17, Tk 2.33 billion in FY2017-18 and Tk 2.51 billion in FY2018-2019 on TREC holders' commission and share sales by sponsor-directors and placement holders. However, the DSE paid tax worth Tk 4.47 billion in the FY2010-11, the highest in its history, when the market witnessed a wild trend before crashing.

https://www.tbsnews.net/bangladesh/crime/militants-renew-activity-taliban-take-afghanistan-288715 Nurul Amin 15 August, 2021, 10:25 pm Last modified: 15 August, 2021, 10:26 pm Militants renew activity as Taliban take Afghanistan Ansar Al Islam members are showing fresh activity on various online platforms, with many making plans to go to Afghanistan to join the Taliban Members of Bangladesh's banned militant organisation Ansar Al Islam are planning to reach Afghanistan to join the Taliban, spurred on by the Afghan militia's taking over of most of the country's territory. They are now showing fresh activity on various online platforms, making plans to hijrat or migrate into Afghanistan, law enforcers told The Business Standard, adding that the Dhaka Metropolitan Police's (DMP) Counter-Terrorism and Transnational Crime (CTTC) Unit is working to prevent any more of them from reaching Afghanistan in the name of hijrat. Leaders of the terror outfit have renewed their efforts to brainwash local youths, misusing the ongoing crisis in Afghanistan as an example of "Islam's big victory", said officials of the CTTC Unit. Such enthusiasm to reach the war-torn nation was seen almost four decades ago during the Soviet-Afghan War. Several CTTC officials said the local militants have gotten very excited over the news that the Taliban are right at the doorstep of the Afghan capital Kabul. The police have launched an inquiry into the number of Bangladeshis who have already left for Afghanistan, and the identities of these people. Ansar Al Islam is deliberately misinterpreting the teachings of Islam to encourage youths into entering Afghanistan – so that they can join the Taliban to help impose an Islamic regime in that country, police sources have said. 2 already reached Afghanistan On 8 May, the CTTC arrested four members of Ansar Al Islam while they were preparing to leave for the war-ravaged country. During questioning, the militants confessed that two of their members had already reached Afghanistan. These youths travelled by sea from Chattogram and used Pakistan as a corridor to reach their destination, detectives revealed. According to CTTC sources, a number of youths have already left their homes for Afghanistan. Among them, Cumilla's Abdur Razzak and Sylhet's Sibbir Ahmed have made it to their destination. Razzak used to study at a madrasa in Sylhet and made his living as a driver. When he left home, his brother Salman Khan filed a general diary (GD) at the Sylhet's Kotwali police station on 25 March. Razzak – who was a college-level student – went to tablighs with his friends more than once. He had no television or laptops at his home, but he recently had bought a smartphone, police sources have said. Meanwhile, his brother Salman Khan told the media, "Razzak left home on 24 March, and he told us that he is visiting a friend. He was supposed to return home in two days, but there is no trace of him as yet." Police further said a youth from Noakhali named Rabiul has also left his home to reach the war-torn nations, but the law enforcers have yet to determine his whereabouts. Many Bangladeshis had joined the Soviet-Afghan War almost four decades ago, and many who returned home, brought with them the poison of militancy. The CTTC is working to stop the tragic history from repeating itself. On the issue, CTTC's Deputy Commissioner of Research and Development Md Habibunnabi Anisur Rashid said, "We have researched various facets of militancy. The youths who are planning to reach Afghanistan have raised fresh concerns. We will soon address the matter." DMP Commissioner Shafiqul Islam on Saturday told reporters that some Bangladeshis are making their way to Afghanistan in response to a call by the Taliban to join their ranks. He added, "Recently, the Taliban has been calling people to join their war in Afghanistan and some people from Bangladesh have already been motivated to join. We think some have been caught in India, and some are trying to reach Afghanistan on foot and in other ways. "Government's intelligence agencies – including the DMP's cybercrime unit are alert over the matter."

https://thefinancialexpress.com.bd/economy/bangladesh/govt-giving-importance-to-local-foreign-investment-for-post-pandemic-recovery-1628945544 Govt giving importance to local, foreign investment for post-pandemic recovery UNB | Published: August 14, 2021 18:52:24 | Updated: August 14, 2021 22:10:54 With the pandemic hitting the economy hard as an external shock, the government gives immense importance to investments, both local and foreign ones, for ensuring balanced development and improving the business environment in the country. "The government will take effective steps to build infrastructures and provide other policy supports to improve the investment-friendly environment," says an official document obtained by UNB. To increase investments and create jobs, it says, steps have been taken to establish 100 Economic Zones across the country, which will provide employment opportunities for nearly 10 million people. Approval has already been given for the establishment of 97 Economic Zones. The document says production has already begun in nine economic zones and the development work on 28 economic zones is underway, creating jobs for around 40,000 people. "Employment opportunities will be created for another 800,000 people," it says. As of now, investment proposals, worth US$ 27.07 billion, from 210 investors have been submitted for these economic zones. "Of the total amount, about US$ 1.60 billion is foreign investment." The largest Economic Zone in the public sector 'Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Industrial City' is being developed in Mirsarai, Sonagazi and Sitakunda upazilas on 30,000 acres of land as a modern industrial zone. To woo investors, seminars, workshops, roadshows and tradeshows are being organised and sponsored both at home and abroad. Through these arrangements, as per the document, Bangladesh can identify new investors, which will help augment the investment. More importantly, the document says, the government is laying special emphasis on the implementation of projects under Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs) to attract investment required for the implementation of the government's development plans. At present, as many as 76 projects are scheduled to be implemented under the PPP, against which the investment worth US$ 27.76 billion has been mobilised. One project under PPP has already been implemented and six more projects are under implementation. The process of bringing Customs Bond Management under automation is underway so that the manufacturing activities of export-oriented industries like the readymade garments industry also come under the Customs Bonded System. As per the official paper, the tender process for the procurement of relevant solutions and software for automation has been completed. "It's expected that this will bring dynamism in the production and exports of all types of export-oriented industries." Meanwhile, the government has taken massive reform programmes to improve its position in the World Bank's Ease of Doing Business Index. According to the latest World Bank annual ratings, Bangladesh rose to a rank of 168th among 190 economies in the global ease of doing business index in 2020 from 176th in 2019. As per the World Bank Report, reduced registration fees, improvement in the case of getting new electricity connections and improved access to credit information helped the country level up by eight notches. The World Bank's Ease of Doing Business Index is used to indicate how well the business environment of a country is. "Bangladesh's position in that index has improved from 176th to 168th in 2019 and it has been included in the top 20 countries that have undertaken massive reform activities to improve the Ease of Doing Business Index," the document mentions. The Bangladesh Investment Development Authority (BIDA) is working to improve further Bangladesh's position in the index within double digits -- below 100. To this end, BIDA has set up a specialised team to accelerate implementation of various reform activities, the document adds. The One Stop Service (OSS) portal system has been in place since 2019 to provide all investment-related services from a single platform. Services of various companies related to investment are being added to the portal in phases. A total of 42 services of 12 companies are being provided online in the current financial year with the target of providing 154 investment services of 35 companies through One Stop Service (OSS) portal. The remaining services will be added to the portal in the next financial year. It is expected that Bangladesh's position will improve significantly, the government hopes.

https://www.dhakatribune.com/bangladesh/2021/08/14/plans-afoot-to-transform-bangladesh-s-economy-in-view-of-ldc-graduation Plans afoot to transform Bangladesh’s economy in view of LDC graduation UNB Published at 12:59 am August 14th, 2021 Bangladesh has already qualified for graduation from a least developed country to a developing country The government has taken structural transformation of the economy as a priority agenda for the coming days to maintain its position among the developing countries and become a higher middle-income country by 2031 defying all the hurdles of the post-LDC era. "We, therefore, need to accelerate this structural transformation of the economy," the government said in an official budget document. To this end, the government will provide necessary financial assistance for the implementation of some activities. These are -- mechanization of agriculture, development of the agro-processing sector, skill development and productivity enhancement, and expansion of training and education related to 4th Industrial Revolution. The government will also provide necessary financial assistance for the encouragement of online-based outsourcing work, self-employment/creation of new entrepreneurs, and encouragement of basic and practical research at the university level. It said that the country has been gradually moving from an agro-based economy to a manufacturing-based economy following the pursuit of effective government policies and strategies during the last 12 years. Therefore, the document said, the contribution of agriculture to the GDP has been gradually declining and the desired structural transformation is taking place in the economy. It mentioned that Bangladesh has already qualified for graduation from a least developed country to a developing country. "To maintain its position among the developing countries and become a higher middle-income country by 2031, we need a strong industrial and manufacturing sector, which will help sustain high economic growth." According to the United Nations Committee for Development Policy (UNCDP) recommendation, Bangladesh's transition will be effective in 2026. It means until 2026, Bangladesh will be able to enjoy all the benefits applicable to LDCs. However, under the current rules, Bangladesh will be able to enjoy duty-free and quota-free market access for another three years, i.e. until 2029, after entering the EU market. Meanwhile, the government is preparing a detailed action plan for supporting the country's export competitiveness to maintain its position in the world market as well as improving further in the post-LDC era. The plan, which is being prepared by the Economic Relations Division, will incorporate all necessary strategies in the 8th Five Year Plan for the purpose. Bangladesh will have at least five years to deal with the challenges of transitioning from a least developed country to a developing country. The UNCDP upon the request of the government has recommended that against the backdrop of the Covid-19 pandemic, the preparation period for the transition will be five years instead of three. During this period, that is, until 2026, all international facilities will continue. The LDC Group of the World Trade Organization (WTO) has put forward a proposal to ensure that all trade facilities pertaining to LDCs remain in force for another 12 years after transition. Bangladesh has actively participated in this process, and is continuing its efforts to get this proposal accepted. The document said that the government has already taken steps to avail the advantages of GSP+ in EU countries after graduation. Meanwhile, the government has taken various steps to address the challenges that Bangladesh will face as a result of its graduation from an LDC. The government has taken multiple steps to increase the overall competitiveness of the country's trade and commerce to survive in the international market by competing with products from other countries. Moreover, the government has taken effective steps to improve its ranking in the Ease of Doing Business Index to increase the flow of foreign direct investment (FDI). The benefits of these steps are becoming evident, the document reads.

https://www.tbsnews.net/bangladesh/infrastructure/new-circular-riverways-plan-aims-ease-dhaka-traffic-2030-288727#.YRlHFTm2JRw.facebook Jahidul Islam 15 August, 2021, 10:50 pm Last modified: 15 August, 2021, 10:59 pm New circular riverways plan aims to ease Dhaka traffic by 2030 In the first phase of establishing the river routes, $636 million – equivalent to Tk5,400 crore – will be spent The government is planning to build circular waterways around Dhaka by increasing the navigability of major rivers and a canal through dredging and digging to reduce road traffic. An estimated cost of $2.9 billion has been drawn up to restore navigation of the Buriganga, Turag, Balu and Shitalakkhya rivers surrounding Dhaka, and the Tongi canal, demarcate the shoreline of the rivers, set up treatment plants to improve water quality, and construct a sewage treatment plant. The government has set a target to complete the work by 2030 under the 100-year Delta Plan, the longest climate compatible development plan in the country's history, approved in 2018. Since Dhaka city has insufficient road spaces for its rising population, vehicles move at a pace close to the walking speed, according to a research done by the World Bank and the Bangladesh Institute of Engineering and Technology (Buet). Traffic congestion in the capital costs $3-5 billion a year, according to an estimate by the World Bank and Buet, while the government estimates a loss of $7.05 billion that is equivalent to 2% of the country's Gross Domestic Product. Experts have been suggesting alternate transport systems around Dhaka to bring down the loss. The city's economic contribution accounts for nearly 35% of the total GDP. The per capita income in Dhaka is $4,242 whereas the national figure is $2,448. By 2035, Dhaka's population will reach 2.5 crore from 1.8 crore now, and per capita income $8,000. If the shores and navigability of the rivers can be protected and a river transport network established to lower the cost of business, the economy will see further growth and per capita income of Dhaka residents would climb to $9,200 by 2035, according to the World Bank. But it fears that the city will not be able to reap the benefits of urbanisation if there is a lack of clear vision, careful planning and implementation. In the first phase of establishing the river routes, $636 million – equivalent to Tk5,400 crore – will be spent. The government has already sought $600 million in aid from the World Bank and the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank. The Economic Relations Division has received primary approval of its aid proposals sent to the two agencies. The World Bank has prepared a concept paper on funding of the project. It, however, expressed concern over waste management in Dhaka, allocation for the job, water quality of the rivers and the government's limited allocation for water management. Where to spend $636 million The project implementation document of the World Bank, updated until April, says the money will be spent in four components of the project. Of the fund, $295 million is set aside for reclaiming rivers and canals. This part of the project will cover restoring natural drainage function of rivers and canals, demarcation of their boundaries; showcasing a pilot for hazardous waste and plastic management; and land reclamation. Once water flow is reestablished and rivers and canals are reconnected, water quality and navigation will improve. Another $330 million will be allocated for wastewater collection and treatment. To improve the water quality of rivers and canals, domestic sewage treatment plants, sewer networks, and other on-site sanitation facilities in informal residential areas will be built. And $10 million would be allocated for institutional strengthening and project management. World Bank on water pollution in Dhaka The only sewage treatment plant in Dhaka purifies only 3-4 crore litres of water a day while 125 crore litres of wastewater from households end up in rivers, the global lender said in the concept paper. Referring to a 2008 report, it said industries around Dhaka had released 125 crore litres of wastewater into rivers back then. The quantity of wastewater being released into the water bodies must have increased over the years but only 20% of the factories have effluent treatment plants. Health, social and economic damage done by the release of untreated water into the rivers are costing $150-170 million a year. A two-decade old initiative The first initiative to build circular waterways around the capital and launch water bus services was taken in 2000. Two waterbuses were inaugurated on the Ashulia-Sadarghat route in 2004, but the services were suspended within a short time. The route was reopened with two waterbuses in 2010. The government has tried to revive the route four times but the effort did not succeed. A 30-kilometre route from Sadarghat to Ashulia was established at Tk40 crore. In the second phase, a 40km Tongi-Rajakhali-Demra-Kanchpur route was built at Tk54 crore. Experts think if an effective communication network is built around Dhaka city, the transport scenario here will have a turn around. Architect Iqbal Habib said many such initiatives had been taken, but nothing positive came out of those because of the absence of coordination. Before opening up water routes, a transport system has to be designed that will make the routes commercially viable, he added. In the past, shipping was introduced on several river routes, but people showed little interest in boating as there was no road or other means of communication from jetties. If water communication around Dhaka can be aligned with roads, rail, metrorail and elevated expressways, passengers travelling from north to south will not move into the city's centre. Passengers from east to west will also avoid the city's thoroughfares, said Iqbal Habib. Measures to establish road and rail communication To connect the circular waterways with the city's roads, the government has taken a move to build inner circular roads of 91km at $2 billion. As part of the initiative, the Water Development Board will work on 24km roads from Beribadh on the city's eastern side to the road connecting an elevated expressway. The remaining 67km will be constructed by the Roads and Highways Department. Roads will be constructed from Teromukh of Dhaka to Demra via Dhaur-Gabtali-Sadarghat-Postagola-Chashara. The Water Development Board will build embankments and elevated roads from the River Demra to Teromukh on the city's eastern side. Construction of 80km circular rail tracks aligned with the roads was approved by the cabinet committee on economic affairs in 2018. It will be implemented through public-private partnership. As many as 20 stations will be built by the tracks. The project cost was estimated at $8.37 billion after a pre-feasibility study. Several companies in Japan are willing to fund the rail project through a government-to-government deal. Bangladesh received funding proposals from Korea as well.

https://thefinancialexpress.com.bd/economy/bangladesh/bangladeshs-revenue-receipts-increase-21pc-1628994728 Bangladesh's revenue receipts increase 21pc DOULOT AKTER MALA | Published: August 15, 2021 08:32:09 | Updated: August 15, 2021 14:59:42 The tax revenue collection recorded an impressive 21 per cent growth in the fiscal year (FY) 2020-21 over that of the previous FY. Greater mobilisation of corporate and withholding tax made the feat possible on the part of the National Board of Revenue (NBR), the NBR data show. However, the collection fell short of the target by Tk.411.18 billion, set for the last FY. The NBR collected Tk2.61 trillion in tax revenue in FY 2020-21against the revised target of Tk 3.01 trillion. The updated data for the last FY was placed before National Board of Revenue (NBR) chairman Abu Hena Md Rahmatul Muneem in a meeting on Thursday last. Though the collection fell short of the target, tax officials and economists have appreciated the NBR's efforts for registering higher internal revenue under a very difficult situation. The tax collection growth was two-fold in FY '21 against its average growth of 10 per cent during the last FYs. The customs wing posted the highest 27.41 per cent growth last FY followed by income tax 20 per cent and VAT 15.44 per cent. In FY 2019-20, the customs and VAT wings had posted a negative growth of 4.48 per cent and 3.11 per cent respectively while the income tax grew by only 3.99 per cent. The VAT wing collected highest revenue worth Tk 975.07 billion, followed by income tax and travel tax Tk 867.2 billion and customs wing Tk 771.50 billion. The original target for the last FY was Tk 3.30 trillion, which was later revised down to Tk 3.01 trillion. In FY 2019-20, the NBR collected Tk 2.18 trillion, registering a negative growth. Talking to the FE, a field-level commissioner said that the economy has started learning to live with the pandemic that is showing no sign of an early exit. Tax collection usually grows in line with the rising consumption of goods, use of services and implementation of development projects, he said. The fiscal measures also helped boosting the tax revenue collection, he added. He said there is a misperception that tax collection growth was not effort-based as the withholding tax contributes significant part, but the taxmen needed to monitor proper depository of taxes to the public exchequer by deducting authority, he added. The taxmen's all-out effort is the major reason of the impressive revenue collection growth last FY, he said. The opportunity to disclose undeclared money has also contributed a significant part of the collection, he added. Finance adviser to the last caretaker government Dr Mirza Azizul Isam, however, found the revenue collection growth 'surprising'. "I have doubt about the collection data as it is not mutually consistent with other economic indicators, including the GDP growth," he said. He said the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS) revised the GDP growth downward and the import growth was not satisfactory in the whole year. The BBS estimated that the country achieved 5.47 per cent growth in FY 21 against the government's target to attain a lofty 8.2 per cent growth. According to the Bangladesh Bank (BB) data, import payments did not increase significantly in FY'21 compared to the pre-Covid fiscal year (FY'19). However, imports grew nearly 20 per cent year-on-year, following significant rise in the month of June, 2021. Officials, however, said the advance tax at import stage of major revenue-generating items was one of the major reasons behind the higher revenue growth last year.

https://thefinancialexpress.com.bd/national/country/tale-of-an-arborist-1629000324 Tale of an arborist OUR CORRESPONDENT | Published: August 15, 2021 10:05:24 Wasim, an arborist in Kendua upazila of Netrakona district, has now successfully cultivated Baromasi BARI Mango-11 commercially. He is happy to be able to pick mangoes after about a year and a half of planting. According to sources, the new variety of mango was invented by the Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute (BARI). This mango tree will bear fruits all the year round. That is why BARI-11 mango has been named as Baromasi mango. This mango variety is 11.3 cm in length and it weighs 300-350 grams. Anwar Zahid Mallick Wasim, known as a tree lover at Brahmanjat village of Kandiura union in Kendua upazila of Netrakona, took the initiative to cultivate this mango commercially. Last year, he planted a new variety of BARI-11 mango saplings on about 40 acres of land. After planting the saplings, he started organic mango orchards with the aim of producing safe fruits by eliminating harmful chemical fertilisers, pesticides, hormones etc. He is selling the mango for Tk 130 per kg. Every morning, people are coming to the garden to buy mangoes. Wasim is known as an arborist in the area. He has Malta orchards, improved BARI-4 mango orchards and lemon orchards. Moreover, his house is like a fruit garden on about 120 acres of land. He has about 170 species of fruit trees in his garden. Of these, 45 species are mango, 85 jackfruit, 8 blackberry, 6 orange, 5 litchi, 10 guava, 6 dragon, 40 latkan, papaya, betel, rose blackberry, coconut, almond, tangfal, kamranga, arbulai, daphne, chalta, safeda, ashfal, bilambu, grape, pineapple, banana, wood apple, Thai grape, watermelon, jamrul, mango, pomegranate and so on. Besides, there are medicinal plants like hartaki, bahera, patharkuchi, diaget, aloe vera, pan bilap, tulsi, lajjavati, ulatkambal, alobokera, clove and many other butterflies and medicinal plants. Wasim is the only son of his parents. After completion of his studies, he set up a business called 'Messrs Mallick Agricultural Center' in Kendua Bazar. He has already gained a good reputation in business. He has been fond of planting fruit trees and farming since childhood. Wasim said, "A year and a half ago, I cultivated BARI-11 variety of mango on about 40 acres of land. Although the tree is not very big, it has buds and mangoes as expected. I do not use any harmful medicine or fertilizer in my garden. In order to produce safe fruits, we have introduced organic methods in mango orchards. Each mango weighs 200 to 250 grams. I am selling mangoes for Tk 130 to 250 per kg. Mango is in good demand as it is delicious. Every morning people come to the garden to buy mangoes". He said, "I have planted mango of Bari-4 variety. It was the first fruit this year. Since mangoes are very sweet, I have sold all the mangoes in the garden in 2/3 days’ This time Malta has also done well. I will start selling it after 15/20 days, he added. His house has 170 varieties of local and foreign fruit trees. He keeps some fruits in his house all the year round.

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Sana Ullah Sanu 14 August, 2021, 10:00 am Last modified: 14 August, 2021, 05:36 pm Tk50cr fish egg trade in Lakshmipur About 3,000 kg of fish egg are produced every year in different government and private hatcheries in Lakshmipur Fish egg business has become the means for many people in Lakshmipur to be self-reliant as the district produces egg worth about Tk50 crore every year, according to the local fisheries office. However, local egg farmers and traders claim that the market is much bigger which exceeds Tk100 crore. They say around 5,000-7,000 people in the district are employed in this sector in government and non-government hatcheries, fish nurseries and farms. Lakshmipur Fisheries Office said that last year 63,000 tonnes of fish were produced in the district. Of them, 42,000 tonnes were carp fishes. All these carp fishes were produced from eggs traded in the district. Mir Shibbir Ahmed is one of the top fish nursery traders in Lakshmipur. In 2010, he set up Ayon Agro Fisheries on three acres of land in Torabganj village of Kamalnagar. Over the past three years, he has transformed his farm into a fish egg nursery. He brings 3-4 days old egg from different hatcheries and sells them when they become 12-15 cm long. Shibbir sells 10-15 native species and eight species of carp egg. Farmers from other districts also come to his nursery to collect egg. "I sold about one million carp egg last year. There are 5-6 workers in my nursery. Excluding all expenses, I earn about Tk50,000 per month," he said. Md Yusuf from Raipur upazila of the district has been involved in the hatchery business for 30 years. He sold 300kg of egg last year despite the Covid-19 pandemic. He said, "About 10 million fishes are produced every year from the egg sold from my hatchery. There are six more hatcheries in my area." Fazr Ali Agro Complex was built on 20 acres of land in Char Mansa village of Sadar upazila. There are 11 big ponds in the complex. About 5-6 lakh eggs are released in these ponds every year. Fazr Ali, the owner of the agro complex, collects these egg from local nurseries. He said that he buys egg worth Tk10 lakh every year. According to sources, about 3,000 kg of egg is produced every year in different government and private hatcheries in Lakshmipur. About one lakh fish are produced from per kg egg. The price of per kg egg is between Tk2,000 to Tk10,000 depending on the species. Nursery owners collect egg from the hatcheries and after rearing them for some time, sell them to farmers. Md Shahjahan works as an announcer who uses a loudspeaker to advertise for egg traders. He said, "Farmers come to collect egg after learning the information via the advertisements. The trading season for fish egg goes from April to September." Md Abdus Salam, a worker of the District Truck Owners' Association, said, "An average of 30 trucks of egg come to Lakshmipur from different districts every day during the monsoon. Many traders come here from other districts to sell egg." Most of the traders who come here to sell egg are from Cumilla, Chattogram, Chandpur and Laksam. They sell egg worth several crores of taka every season, said Haji Alauddin, a egg trader. There are two government fish breeding and training centres, nine listed hatcheries and 101 fish nurseries in the district for fish egg production. However, there are at least 500 more fish nurseries in the district outside the official enrollment, said Shibbir Ahmed, a egg trader. Raipur Fish Breeding and Training Centre is the largest among the 76 government hatcheries in the country. Wahidur Rahman Majumder, senior scientific officer of the centre, said, "Raipur Fish Breeding Centre produced 1,053 kg of egg and 18 lakh fishes this year. A large portion of the country's carp fish demand is met from Raipur hatchery. The breeding centre has 75 ponds and 11,000 kg of mother fishes. Most of the mother fishes here are collected from Halda and Jamuna rivers." District Fisheries Officer Billal Hossain said there are 34,125 listed fish farmers and 8,017 hectares of water bodies in Lakshmipur. Last year, 21,000 tonnes of hilsa fish were also collected from the Meghna River. Besides, shrimp egg worth Tk600 crore is extracted from Meghna every year.

https://thefinancialexpress.com.bd/trade/apparel-trade-body-urges-revenue-board-to-revert-to-port-cargo-delivery-1628995341 Apparel trade body urges revenue board to revert to port cargo delivery JASIM UDDIN HAROON | Published: August 15, 2021 08:42:21 | Updated: August 15, 2021 10:21:43 Bangladesh's biggest export- earners --- apparel makers-are opposing delivery of imported cargoes from private depots instead of Chittagong Port as they find it "expensive and time-consuming". The National Board of Revenue on July 25 ordered the delivery of imports from 17 such depots directly in order to ease shipping congestion at the country's premier seaport. Usually, the depots set up around the port handle cent per cent of exports worth around US$35 billion. They also handle 25 per cent of all imports. But, after the issuance of the order, all import cargoes were meant for depots and the consignees took delivery from there. The country's clothing-sector apex body, Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA), Thursday applied to the Customs Authority urging it to go back to the old system of cargo handling under public sector. It said exorbitant higher cost at the depots cause them to lose competitive edge on the global RMG market-at a time when competitors are aggressively moving to usurp Bangladesh's position in the trade. The BGMEA has also written to the Chairman of the NBR and the Chairman of the Chittagong Port Authority for action on the matter immediately. Its letter, a copy of which is obtained by the FE, says that the cost at the depots is at least 118 percent higher at Tk 9,338 than the Ctg Port tariffs, applied for 20-foot-mark containers. And 40-foot-mark container handling at the depots costs 91 percent higher at Tk 11,466 than port charges. The association also pointed out that there is another charge called 'extra movement' which is US$ 4417 [51.97X85] for a 20-foot container and $6625 [77.95X85] for a 40-foot one. It mentioned in its letter that there was no such extra-movement cost at the seaport. The apparel traders also said the private depots have lack of required equipment supports, leading to delay in delivery of goods, mostly imported capital goods like raw materials and garment chemicals. "We need 6 days to take delivery from the depots, but this is just two days from the Ctg port," Syed Nazrul Islam, first vice president at the BGMEA, told the FE over phone. Mr Islam said that they did not raise their objection at the time when the revenue board issued the order as it was unnecessary then. "The port now has no congestion, the ship's turnaround time has dropped to 72 hours, so we want to go back to the previous system". He said this is a very crucial time for the clothing sector which faced closures on the back of the strict lockdown enforced to curb coronavirus transmission, which had spiked into thousands with over 200 daily deaths. "For the interest of the clothing sector, we should go back to the earlier system," Mr Islam noted. He, however, suggested that the Ctg Port should start construction of the Bay Terminal in order to reduce dependency on the depots owned by private businesses. Bangladesh is now rated third-largest clothing exporter in the world as Vietnam has knocked it out of the second position, according to the World Trade Statistical Review 2021. On the other hand, depots represented by a body named BICDA contested the allegations. Nurul Qayyum Khan, president of the Bangladesh Inland Container Depots Association (BICDA), a representative organisation of 19 depots, said most of the allegations were not true. "The tariff comparison mentioned in the letter is not true," Mr Khan gainsaid. He said: "There are some delays because of the deplorable road situation in Ctg and heavy rainfalls that disrupted work at the depots." Mr Khan mentioned that the global freight cost has shot up by 250 per cent but "We are in the same tariff status for the past eight years". The BICDA chief said that they did a splendid job in the past more than one week by easing the port congestion. "Port was almost shut situation-we played very time-befitting role in freeing the congestion," he said. "There was more than 17000- TEU export backlog at depots, ships' waiting time rose to 6/7 days-these are now no more. And all credit should go in favour of us," he further said to underpin arguments from their side of the trade. "But the reality is that we are blamed for the higher cost and delay in delivery," he added. Bangladesh has 19 depots with two remaining shut. They have a storage capacity of 78700 TEUs. Currently they have stored 60,502 TEUs.

https://www.tbsnews.net/economy/commerce-minister-urges-nrbs-foreign-investors-invest-bangladesh-288253#.YRfdedl0sdk.facebook TBS Report 14 August, 2021, 09:10 pm Last modified: 14 August, 2021, 09:12 pm Commerce minister urges NRBs, foreign investors to invest in Bangladesh Commerce Minister Tipu Munshi has called on foreign investors and non-resident Bangladeshis (NRBs) to invest in Bangladesh as the country is now offering ample business scopes for investors. He urged the NRBs to get involved in Bangladesh anyway they can, and help the country with their talents and experiences. Bangladesh would benefit a lot by their (NRBs) experience and engagement, the minister said while addressing a seminar titled 'Bangladesh the Next Investment Frontier' as the chief guest held in the USA on Saturday. In association with Bangladesh's commerce ministry and the consulate general of Bangladesh in Los Angeles, Startup Bangladesh Limited hosted the seminar for foreign investors and expatriates in Silicon Valley, USA. The event highlighted the investment scopes in Bangladesh's various sectors for the NRB's and the foreign investors. Tareque Muhammad, consul general of Bangladesh in Los Angeles; Md Hafizur Rahman, additional commerce secretary (export); Abdur Rahim Khan, joint commerce secretary; Shomi Kaiser, president of e-Commerce Association of Bangladesh (e-CAB), and SM Khurshid-Ul-Alam, commercial counselor at the consulate general of Bangladesh in Los Angeles, attended the event. Many globally prominent business leaders in the US technology sector, startup founders, venture fund founders, and distinguished professionals from globally prominent companies in Silicon Valley, participated in the seminar. Tina Jabeen, managing director and chief executive officer of Startup Bangladesh Limited, presented an experience sharing session in presence of special guests, academics and NRBs. She discussed the current state of foreign direct investment in Bangladesh and its strategies that might encourage US investment partnerships with Bangladeshi startups. In his remark, Alfredo Coppola of US Market Center, the longest running accelerator in Silicon Valley and manager of the BIG (Bangabandhu Inovation Grant) International competition, said Jabeen practically connected Silicon Valley with the startup ecosystem in Bangladesh. Md Hafizur Rahman, additional commerce secretary (export) and SM Khurshid- Ul-Alam, commercial counselor at the consulate general of Bangladesh in Los Angeles, also spoke at the event.

https://www.tbsnews.net/economy/banking/banks-show-high-profit-its-not-real-288301#.YRfz6UBZwQg.facebook Ahsan Habib Tuhin & Jebun Nesa Alo 14 August, 2021, 10:45 pm Last modified: 15 August, 2021, 10:40 am Banks show high profit, but it’s not real In the six months, 10 out of listed 30 banks suffered negative cash flow of Tk4,900 crore Banks appear to have attained high profits even amid the pandemic-led crisis, but negative cash flow reflects a rainy day looming on the horizon for them as their profits exist only on paper with no real income. For instance, Eastern Bank, one of the top performing banks in the country, has experienced a 55% profit growth in the first half of the current year although it has been running with negative cash flow. The situation is the same for many banks that have shown a high profit growth with negative cash flow in January-June this year In the six months, 10 out of listed 30 banks suffered negative cash flow of Tk4,900 crore. Bankers have attributed the negative cash flow mainly to payment deferral. Nevertheless, banks are recording interest income in their accounts despite not receiving payments. This accrual accounting method is helping banks show high profits, they add. Accrual accounting refers to the recording of revenue or expenses when they are earned, regardless of when the money is actually received or paid. The adoption of such an approach will have some negative impacts on banks. Firstly, banks are disbursing dividends by taking unrealised interest incomes into account, which will ultimately deteriorate their financial health in the future. Because it is uncertain whether banks will finally be able to realise those interest incomes. Secondly, negative cash flow has kept banks away from lending activities, a core business for them, resulting in a pile of excess liquidity with low private sector credit growth. The private sector credit growth was 8.40% in the last fiscal year, far below the monetary target of 14.8% when excess liquidity almost doubled in the last one year and stood at Tk2.39 lakh crore in June this year, according to Bangladesh Bank data. Presuming unforeseen losses, the Bangladesh Bank issued a dividend policy last year to discourage disbursements of cash dividends. But the policy had little effect as most private commercial banks did not compromise on cash dividend payout last year. In fact, they disbursed higher cash dividends for 2020 than that of the previous year, keeping directors happy. Out of 31 private banks listed on the Dhaka Stock Exchange, 22 have disbursed cash dividends for 2020. The total cash dividend payout by these banks stands at around Tk2,300 crore for pandemic-hit 2020, of which around Tk1,000 crore will go to the directors' pockets. The high profitability continued this year also as borrowers have been enjoying payment deferral, which gave banks relief from maintaining a provision against default loans. Negative cash flow is not a concern at this moment, but it will put banks into trouble if negativity prolongs, said Syed Mahbubur Rahman, managing director of Mutual Trust Bank. Payment deferral period has been in force for one and a half years, which caused negative cash flow, he also said. M Reazul Karim, managing director of Premier Bank, told The Business Standard, "In the first six months of this year, our bank had Tk3,000 crore in excess liquidity. So we are discouraging new deposits. "We are taking money from the call money market as its rate is lower than that of deposits. We have increased investment too," he added. The bank is lending more to the export-oriented textile sector alongside investing in government securities, he said, adding that they are giving loans to many textile mills that are going for expansion even in this pandemic time. "I think it is better to have a negative operating cash flow at this time of excess liquidity, meaning that bankers are increasing investments," Rezaul pointed out. According to the first-half reports of this year of listed banks published through the stock exchanges, the net operating cash flow of Exim Bank was the worst - negative Tk1,053 crore. The bank has invested Tk2,038 crore against its deposit collection amounting to Tk906 crore. The managing director of Exim Bank could not be contacted for comments. Abdullah Al Mamun, company secretary at Eastern Bank, said a bank usually raises funds in two ways – by borrowing from another institution and collecting deposits from customers. Only the deposits received in the first half of this year have been shown in the balance sheet. The collection of preceding quarters are usually not added to it. And in the first half of this year, their loan disbursements have been more than deposits. So, the operating cash flow has been negative. The bank remedy the negative cash flow by raising funds from other sources, he added. However, he also said this negative cash flow in the long run is not good for a bank. Eastern Bank invested Tk1,145 crore during the period, but it did not take any deposits during that time. The bank maintained its operating cash flow by borrowing from other financial institutions. "We are trying to increase risk-free investment in the pandemic. We are investing in government securities and bonds and are also giving loans to the housing sector," said the Eastern Bank's company secretary. In January-June this year, the net operating cash flow was negative Tk992 crore in United Commercial Bank, Tk882 crore in Eastern Bank, Tk729 crore in AB Bank, and Tk571 crore in Premier Bank.

https://thefinancialexpress.com.bd/bn/ভারতের-মিজোরামে-ট্রান্সশিপমেন্ট:-বাংলাদেশের-বিবেচনায়-বাণিজ্য-ও-নিরাপত্তা-সংশ্লিষ্ট-বিষয়-1629002810 ভারতের মিজোরামে ট্রান্সশিপমেন্ট: বাংলাদেশের বিবেচনায় বাণিজ্য ও নিরাপত্তা সংশ্লিষ্ট বিষয় সাইফুল ইসলাম | Published: August 15, 2021 10:46:50 ভারতের স্থলবেষ্টিত রাজ্য মিজোরামে পণ্য পরিবহনের উদ্দেশ্যেই মূলত থেগা নদীতে সেতু নিমার্ণের যে প্রস্তাব নয়াদিল্লি ঢাকাকে দিয়েছে,সে বিষয়ে পদক্ষেপ নেবার আগে ঢাকা এর সম্ভাব্যতা যাচাই (ফিজিবিলিটি স্টাডি) করতে চায়। এই প‌থে যোগা‌যোগ স্থাপন হ‌লে প্রতি‌বে‌শি দেশটিতে বাংলা‌দে‌শের পণ‌্য রপ্তানির উপর সম্ভাব্য প্রভাব নিরূপণের জন‌্যই এই স্টাডি সম্পন্নের বিষয়টি বিবেচনা করছে বাংলাদেশ। কর্মকর্তারা আরও জানিয়েছেন, ভারতের পূর্বাঞ্চলের এই রাজ্য মিজোরাম একসময় ছিল সংঘাতসঙ্কুল। আর তাই এই রাজ্যের প্রত্যন্ত অঞ্চলগুলোর সঙ্গে যোগাযোগ স্থাপনের (কানেকটিভিটি) ক্ষেত্রে নিরাপত্তার বিষয়টিও সর্বোচ্চ বিবেচনায় রাখছে বাংলাদেশ। সম্প্রতি আয়োজিত এক আন্তঃমন্ত্রণালয় বৈঠকে রাঙ্গামাটির থেগামুখ দিয়ে সীমান্ত খুলে দেবার ভারতীয় প্রস্তাব পর্যালোচনার পর সম্ভাব্যতা নিরূপণের সিদ্ধান্তটি নেওয়া হয়। ভারত তাদের উত্তর-পূর্বাঞ্চলের দূরবর্তী রাজ্যগুলোতে পণ্য পরিবহনের জন্য চট্টগ্রাম সমুদ্রবন্দরের মধ্য দিয়ে কানেকটিভিটি জোরদার করতে চাচ্ছে। সুত্রমতে, ভারতের উত্তর-পূর্বাঞ্চলীয় রাজ্যগুলোর সঙ্গে সংযোগ স্থাপনের পর সেগুলোর সঙ্গে বাংলাদেশের রপ্তানি-বাণিজ্যে যে প্রভাব পড়বে তা নিয়ে সংশয়ে রয়েছে বাণিজ্য মন্ত্রণালয় ও জাতীয় রাজস্ব বোর্ড। আন্তঃমন্ত্রণালয় বৈঠকে এই দুটি সরকারি সংস্থার প্রতিনিধিরাও উপস্থিত ছিলেন। রপ্তানির উপর যেসব প্রভাব পড়তে পারে সেগুলোর মূল্যায়ন করতে একটি ফিজিবিলিটি স্টাডি হওয়া দরকার বলে মত দেন বাণিজ্য মন্ত্রণালয়ের প্রতিনিধি। চলমান কোভিড মহামারীতে সবকিছু বিপর্যস্ত হয়ে পড়ার বিষয়টি বিবেচনায় নিয়ে থেগামুখ-ডেমাগিরি সীমান্তে যৌথ পরিদর্শনের পরিকল্পনা আপাতত মুলতবি রাখা হয়ে‌ছে ব‌লে জানান তি‌নি। তি‌নি আরও জানান, ওই এলাকায় সীমান্ত-হাট স্থাপনের জন্য মিজোরামের বাণিজ্য মন্ত্রণালয়ের প্রস্তাবে বাংলাদেশ সম্মতি দিয়েছে। সীমান্ত-হাটের মাধ্যমে দুটি দেশের মধ্যেকার প্রাতিষ্ঠানিক সীমান্ত-বাণিজ্য সহজতর হবে। সভায় জাতীয় রাজস্ব বোর্ডের প্রতিনিধি বলেন, পার্বত্যাঞ্চলের খাগড়াছড়ি জেলার অন্তর্গত রামগড় ও রাঙ্গামাটি জেলার থেগামুখে শুল্ক স্টেশন স্থাপনের ঘোষণা দেওয়া হয়েছে। কিন্তু, এ অঞ্চল ঘিরে বাণিজ্যিক লেনদেন নেই বলে এ-যাবত সেখানে কোনো ধরনের অবকাঠামো গড়ে ওঠেনি। সভায় রাজস্ব বোর্ডের প্রতিনিধি বলেন, থেগা নদীতে সেতু নির্মাণের মাধ্যমে প্রস্তাবিত সংযোগ রুট স্থাপন করা হলে কোলকাতা থেকে সরাসরি কম খরচে ভারতের উত্তর-পূর্বাঞ্চলীয় রাজ্যগুলোতে মালামাল পরিবহন সম্ভব হবে। তাঁর মতে, এর ফলে এসব রাজ্যে বাংলাদেশি পণ্যের রপ্তানি কমে যাবে বলেই বিষয়টি নিয়ে ফিজিবিলিটি স্টাডি হওয়া জরুরি। ভারতের ত্রিপুরা ও মিজোরামে বাংলাদেশি পণ্যের চাহিদা রয়েছে বলেই আখাউড়া ও বিবিরবাজার স্থলবন্দর দিয়ে বর্ধিত পরিমাণে পণ্য রপ্তানি হচ্ছে। দেশের অন্যান্য স্থলবন্দরের ক্ষেত্রে পণ্য আমদানির তুলনায় রপ্তানি অনেক বেশি পিছিয়ে রয়েছে। জাতীয় রাজস্ব বোর্ডের প্রতিনিধি এ-প্রসঙ্গে গুরুত্বপূর্ণ একটি দিক তুলে ধরে বলেন যে, আখাউড়া থেকে ভারতের রাজ্যগুলোর ভেতর দিয়ে মিয়ানমার হয়ে সড়কপথে থাইল্যান্ডের সঙ্গে সংযোগ স্থাপনের বাংলাদেশের সাম্প্রতিক প্রস্তাবে ভারত এখনও ইতিবাচক সাড়া দেয়নি। ২০২০ সালের আদমশুমারি অনুসারে মিজোরামের জনসংখ্যা মাত্র ১৩ লাখ— এ-কথার উল্লেখ করে স্বরাষ্ট্র মন্ত্রণালয়ের একজন প্রতিনিধি বলেন, “এত অল্প জনসংখ্যার এই ভারতীয় রাজ্যটিতে বাংলাদেশের বাণিজ্যের যে বৃদ্ধি ঘটতে পারে, সেটির সঙ্গে নিরাপত্তা-সংশ্লিষ্ট বিষয়ের আনুপাতিক হিসাবটি সর্বাধিক গুরুত্ব দিয়ে বিচার করতে হবে।” প্রস্তাবিত এলাকাটি বন্যহাতির চলাচলের রুট এবং প্রকল্পটির বাস্তবায়ন হলে সেখানে বন্যপ্রাণির স্বাভাবিক চলাচলে বিঘ্ন ঘটবে বলে জানান পরিবেশ অধিদপ্তরের একজন প্রতিনিধি। আন্তঃমন্ত্রণালয় সভার সিদ্ধান্ত নিয়ে বাণিজ্য মন্ত্রণালয়ের ঊর্ধ্বতন এক কর্মকর্তার সঙ্গে যোগাযোগ করা হলে তিনি ফিন্যান্সিয়াল এক্সপ্রেসকে বলেন, মহামারী পরিস্থিতি খানিকটা স্বাভাবিক হলেই মিজোরামের সঙ্গে কানেকটিভিটি স্থাপনের প্রেক্ষিতে রপ্তানির উপর সম্ভাব্য প্রভাব যাচাইয়ের জন্য ফিজিবিলিটি স্টাডি শুরু করা হবে। তবে, তিনি বলেন, ভারতে বাংলাদেশের রপ্তানির পরিমাণ খুবই কম এবং এ অবস্থায় থেগামুখ অঞ্চল দিয়ে সংযোগ স্থাপন আমাদের রপ্তানি বাণিজ্যকে আরও সঙ্কুচিত করে ফেলতে পারে। সাম্প্রতিক বছরগুলোতে বাংলাদেশ ভারতকে স্থল ও জলপথে ট্রান্সশিপমেন্ট সুবিধা দিয়েছে। সেই সঙ্গে, ভারত তাদের নিজস্ব পণ্য প্রত্যন্ত অঞ্চলগুলোতে পরিবহনের সুবিধার জন্য বাংলাদেশের সমুদ্রবন্দরগুলো ব্যবহারের অনুমোদনও পেয়েছে।

https://thefinancialexpress.com.bd/trade/bangladeshs-rmg-export-to-chile-china-brazil-falls-sharply-1628999349 Bangladesh's RMG export to Chile, China, Brazil falls sharply MONIRA MUNNI | Published: August 15, 2021 09:49:09 Readymade garment (RMG) exports to three non-traditional markets of Chile, China, and Brazil declined sharply during the last two fiscal years (FYs) amid the Covid-19 pandemic. The apparel exports to China fell to US$271.28 million in just concluded FY 2020-21, marking a decline of more than 46 per cent from the earnings of FY 2018-19, according to official data. In 2018-19, Bangladesh shipped apparel items worth US$506.51 million to China, according to Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) data. Similarly, RMG exports to Brazil stood at $70.73 million in FY 2020-21 which was $160.51 million in FY 2018-19. The shipments to Brazil witnessed more than 55 per cent fall in the last two FYs, BGMEA data showed. Meantime, the exports to Chile witnessed a declining trend with earnings of $82.56 million in the last FY which was $111.36 million in FY 2018-19. When asked, Fazlee Shamim Ehsan, a director of Bangladesh Knitwear Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BKMEA) said the pandemic has hit hard the overall RMG exports in all its destinations. Though the performance was getting better gradually in the traditional markets like the USA and European Union, he said the growth is yet to reach the desired level in the non-traditional markets mainly because of the virus outbreak. "We have established our relationship with the buyers of traditional markets through communications with their local offices or emails or other virtual ways despite travel restrictions from time to time during the last two years," he said. On the other hand, both buyers and local suppliers could not move and explore the potential markets due to the travel restrictions, he said. "As a result, we can't nurture our relations with those buyers who mostly source from the third party." During the pandemic, China has reduced its purchase and met the local demand through its own production, Mr Ehsan added. Irfanul Hoque, director of Fatullah Fabrics Ltd, said China mostly imports low-end products from Bangladesh. In recent months, Chinese buyers have almost stopped their orders due to the rising trend in yarn prices, said Mr Hoque who exports products to China. BKMEA vice president Mohammad Hatem, who is the managing director of MB Knit Fashion Ltd, attributed high import duty in Brazil, Mexico, Turkey, and South Africa to the fall in exports to these countries. Turkey being an apparel-producing country took measures to protect its local manufacturers, he told the FE recently. Talking to the FE, managing director of Sparrow Group of Industries Shovon Islam, however, said that with the revival of economic activities followed by the downturn of coronavirus spread, they were getting inquiries and orders from Brazil, China, and South Korea for delivering in the upcoming months. Despite the pandemic, exports to Australia, Korea and Russia increased during the last two FYs, according to data. The country fetched $731.13 million from RMG exports to Australia in the last FY which was $719.78 million in FY 2018-19. Exports to Korea and Russia stood at $322.31 million and $593.66 million respectively in last FY which was $279.20 million and $488.58 million in FY 2018-19. The country fetched $31.45 billion from RMG exports in FY'21, up from $27.94 billion in FY'20. The RMG export earnings were $34.13 billion in FY 2018-19.

https://thefinancialexpress.com.bd/national/biwta-showed-negligence-to-padma-bridge-project-office-advice-not-to-set-up-jetty-at-banglabazar-1628999084 BIWTA showed negligence to Padma Bridge project office advice not to set up jetty at Banglabazar MUNIMA SULTANA | Published: August 15, 2021 09:44:44 Repeated incidents of hitting the piers of Padma Bridge by ferries have been reported due to negligence of directions given by the bridge project office. In the very beginning, sources said, the Padma Multipurpose Bridge (PMB) Project office opposed setting up a jetty at Banglabazar in Madaripurand suggested it further upstream around Kobutarkhola. It also directed the Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority (BIWTA) and Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Corporation (BIWTC) to guide ferries to cross the bridge between piers four and eight for two ways. The office asked the ferries to use piers four, five and six while coming from Shimulia jetty and piers six, seven and eight while coming from Banglabazar jetty to avoid mainstream river water. Experts say mainstream water of the river crosses below piers eight to 22, making ferries difficult to manage the wheel under the bridge as they also face turbulence due to the swelling of water in the rainy season. After the August 09 accident, sources said, a joint meeting was also held at the cantonment on Jajira side on August 11 in the presence of 99 Composite Brigade's commander where similar directions were also given. They said the attendees of the meeting, including BIWTC and BIWTA chairmen, also crossed the river through the suggested route without any trouble. But the directions were not followed by ferries, thus inviting another occurrence of hitting the piers a day after the meeting. "The ferries that cross the river from Banglabazar don't follow the route as directed. Ferries try to cross under the bridge coming from the channel in a curved way, thus pushing them into mainstream water just below the bridge," said a project insider. An official also said the ferry carrying BIWTC and BITWA heads safely crossed the piers between six and seven after heading 500 metres to 1.0 kilometre straight from the channel coming from Banglabazar. Despite this directive, employees and staff of ferries ignored it, thus inviting another occurrence of hitting pier number 10 just after the meeting. The PMB office informed the BIWTC and BIWTA of the river's velocity recorded at 3.25 metres to 3.5 metres per second which is much higher than the ferry's capacity of 1.5 metres per second. It installed most of the piers of the bridge in the mighty Padma in 2019, but there has been no such incident of hitting piers in the past two seasons. Last year's river erosion forced the BIWTA to shift the Banglabazar jetty slightly downstream despite opposition from the PMB. It finally opened in November 2020. It is also reported that Shimulia jetty at Mawa site was also set up ignoring suggestions. However, the BIWTA said the problem occurred due to emersion of new chars (shoals) between the channel. Due to repeated accidents, the authorities are now considering shifting the Banglabazar jetty to Majhirkandi jetty in Shariatpur. Since Banglabazar jetty in Madaripur was set up, the PMB faced at least five incidents of hitting piers since July 04. The last accident occurred while a ro-ro ferry was crossing the bridge between piers 10 and 11.

Local technology on ship tracking https://www.facebook.com/tbsnews.net/videos/1212486325939134

https://www.tbsnews.net/bangladesh/health/chattograms-albion-set-make-drug-export-debut-287587#.YRXkhQNXBOc.facebook Omar Faruque 13 August, 2021, 09:00 am Last modified: 13 August, 2021, 09:09 am Chattogram’s Albion set to make drug export debut Under the terms of the agreement, 20% of the payment for the first shipment reached Bangladesh on 9 June Albion Laboratories Limited in Chattogram is on its way to becoming a new exporter in the pharmaceutical sector. Albion Group's affiliate has been waiting for the export of drugs worth $66,690. The first shipment from Chattogram port to Kabul, Afghanistan, will reach its destination next month. The company obtained the good manufacturing practice (GMP) certificate on 13 January this year. Then on 29 May, there was a confirmation about the export. Under the terms of the agreement, 20% of the payment for the first shipment reached Bangladesh on 9 June. In addition to Afghanistan, invoices have been issued for export of 10 pharmaceutical products worth $53,650 to Yemen, which will open a drug export bond from Albion next week. The Albion authorities are preparing for the shipment of drugs from Chattogram port to Aden in Yemen in the first week of October. Albion Laboratories is on the verge of exporting drugs to Cambodia, Myanmar and Bhutan. The three countries are currently in the process of getting approval from their health ministries. The drugs produced by Albion will have generic names as well as brand names abroad. The company has been producing various types of complex medicines of an international standard, such as tablets, capsules and injections. That is why Albion is gradually increasing its investment in Sitakunda. There are a variety of antibiotics among nearly 450 human health-related drug items. Additionally, there are new products, among which are one-time injection syringes, drops and injectable items. According to the Bangladesh Export Promotion Bureau (EPB), in fiscal 2020-21, medicines worth $169 million or Tk1,436 crore were exported from Bangladesh to 123 countries around the globe. The highest volume of these exports went to neighbouring Myanmar. In the last fiscal year, the export of medicines to Myanmar amounted to $18.21 million. Sri Lanka was next with $15.76 million in exports. According to the Directorate General of Drug Administration, Bangladesh's share of the Sri Lankan drug market is 7.4%. And 4.53% of the Myanmar drug market is dominated by Bangladeshi items. The company has also prepared a table for the second and third steps by reviewing data related to the importing countries in the process of exporting drugs. The list includes Sri Lanka, Vietnam and the Philippines. The next step will be the African countries of Sudan, Ghana, Somalia, Cameroon and Nigeria. Kuala Lumpur is also interested in reducing China's dominance in the Malaysian pharmaceutical market. For this reason, Albion sees the country as an important market. That is a reason why Albion's research team is analysing market entry data. Albion also has plans to expand its drug market in the West. Raisul Uddin Saikat, chairman of the Albion Group, said, "It is a great pleasure for us to be able to start our journey as the first Chattogram-based drug exporter. But, as it is a competitive market, the profit margin on exports is very low." Md.Raisul Uddin Saikat, Chairman of Albion Laboratories Ltd He said the Bangladesh government wants to increase the spread of Bangladeshi medicines abroad. As a way of promoting the policy, a 10% incentive has been given by the government to encourage the export of medicines. "We will also gradually open up our export market. Apart from that, it is also an honour to have the name of our organisation in the list of exports," he added. Raisul Uddin Saikat said the Albion Group has approval to produce 450 types of drugs. Of these, Albion is currently marketing 300 varieties. "Lotil-20, Monkon-10, Reclevus Met, Epram and Olme-20 of the omeprazole group are among the top drugs produced by Albion," he added. Officials at Albion Laboratories say it has not been easy to get nominated or recognised for exports to multiple countries. Manufacturing activities have been in line with the World Health Organization (WHO) defined GMP. Albion medicines are now ready to go to different countries after passing the appropriate quality verification tests and gaining some significant certificates in the global pharmaceutical sector. As it is a sensitive product, it is as difficult and time consuming for an importer to get a country clearance, they added. In 1991, Albion Laboratories Limited started production of 15 categories of drugs on a small scale with 100 employees. The company started production in a rented building in Chandgaon residential area of Chattogram. And this beginning was in the hands of Md Nezam Uddin. As managing director of the company, he also had a seat in business management. The second generation, meaning the children of Nezam Uddin, has been involved in the business since 2006. Nezam Uddin's elder son Raisul Uddin Saikat studied computer science in Australia. After completing his studies, he quickly returned to the country and joined Albion Laboratories Limited as an officer. The business style of the company keeps changing with new plans. Self-identification in exports is one of the most significant changes in the work of the firm. Raisul Uddin Saikat is currently chairman of Albion Group. Muntahar Uddin Sakib, the second son of Nezam Uddin, joined the company in 2012 after completing his studies as a chartered accountant in Malaysia. He is currently serving as managing director. Daughter Tasnuva Afrin, a pharmacist, is currently serving as a director of the company. The production of medicines started in 2007 in Barbakunda of Sitakunda upazila in Chattogram on an area of 50,000 square feet. The scope is now being extended to meet the needs of expanding infrastructure facilities in light of the drug export plan being undertaken. The Albion Group has started operating drug production activities on an area of 140,000 square feet. The factory, with 100 people, is now going to provide direct employment to 3,000 people at Albion Specialised Pharma Limited.

https://thefinancialexpress.com.bd/views/views/renewable-energy-development-and-sustainable-project-financing-1628869121 Renewable energy development and sustainable project financing Mushfiqur Rahman | Published: August 13, 2021 21:38:41 Contribution of renewable energy in the country's energy balance has been insignificant (approximately 2 per cent for grid connected power generation) so far. Sector experts have been analysing the reasons. The Renewable Energy Policy 2008 had set a target to generate 10 per cent electricity from renewable sources by 2020. The Sustainable and Renewable Energy Development Authority (SREDA) under the Ministry of Power Energy and Mineral Resources of the government has realised the necessity to revisit the policy and upgrade it. For the purpose, SREDA has initiated for engaging consultants to assist in revising and streamlining the policy on renewable energy development in the country. During the last one decade, a lot of technological developments have taken place in the renewable energy sector. There have been impressive and diverse experience in implementing projects on renewable energy development both regionally and globally. Major economic powers of the world have been trying to promote various initiatives to enhance the role of renewable energy in their energy balance. As an example, the government of USA has set targets to reduce Green House Gas (GHG) emission by 50-52 per cent (taking the base line of the year 2005) within 2030 and has been trying to stop GHG emission within 2035 due to fossil fuel use for power generation. The 17 global contributors to GHG emission (who account for approximately 80 per cent of GHG emission in the global atmosphere) and many other countries have been trying to attain net zero carbon status within 2050-2060. The visible impacts of global warming and its disastrous impacts on environment, economy, health and sustainable development have been the triggering factors to push the global leaders to reduce carbon and other GHG emission. Unfortunately, fossil fuel based power sector remains the major contributor to GHG emission. Renewable energy use can significantly reduce or eliminate the GHG emission and secure sustainable development. The diverse renewable energy technology available in the world can contribute to reduce high dependency on fossil fuel based power and industrial development in the world. The technology for sustainable and renewable energy is available and Bangladesh has its political commitment to attain sustainable development, secure affordable and reliable energy access to all of its citizens. Bangladesh aspires to attain a target for 40 per cent electricity generation from renewable energy sources within 2041. Already Bangladesh has reached 99 per cent of its target to ensure access to electricity of all of its citizens during this year. The installed capacity (grid connected) to generate power (mainly with fossil fuels) has reached nearly 22,300 MW. The major share of electricity generation is dependent on natural gas (52 per ent), liquid fuels 33 per cent (furnace oil and diesel) and coal (8 per cent). The Policy makers have been aware that there is no alternative to development but increasing power generation (and distribution) and securing fuel diversity. Development of renewable energy is one of the key strategies of fuel diversity programme of the government. In line with the government policies, various projects have been promoted both in public and private sectors to add off-grid and grid connected power based on renewable energy sources (mainly solar and wind). Bangladesh Bank, the Central Bank of the country has announced in December 2020 its sustainable finance policy for lenders and made it mandatory for 2 per cent all the loans by the banks and other financial institutions for devoting to renewable energy facilities and 'green projects'. The Central Bank further announced that the achievements of the banks and financial institutions in 'green banking and sustainable financing' would be taken into consideration in their rating. However, sector experts who participated in a seminar titled 'Access to Sustainable Finance for Green Energy' organized by the Bangladesh Solar and Renewable Energy Association (BSREA) held on 08 August 2021 in the capital said that the 'key to promoting green energy is the availability of low cost and easily available loans'. Entrepreneurs involved in renewable energy business and the representatives of the Banks, SREDA also echo the same feeling. They have identified a number of impediments in securing easy and low cost loans for developing the green and renewable energy projects in Bangladesh. These include-- lack of awareness and understanding among the field level bankers (and various government authorities) for assessing the importance of financing the green energy projects, absence of guidelines for the commercial banks to assess green and renewable projects (causing the ground level bankers to assess green and renewable projects in line with other commercial projects for financing), high rate of interests for loan (Bangladesh bank allocates at 5 per cent for refinancing and at the borrowers end the loan interest reaches about 6-7 per cent), absence of Bangladesh Bank's monitoring mechanism to confirm whether the commercial banks have been complying with the regulator's instructions/policy for securing the mandatory financing for green and renewable energy projects. Besides, there is no dedicated fund created by the banks so far for renewable energy project financing. The people engaged in renewable energy and green projects have appreciated the government's endeavours to enact the Renewable Energy Policy 2008 but soon started to realise that the said policy lacked the specific road map and action plan for attaining the targeted 10 per cent power generation from renewable energy sources sustainably. There are bottlenecks for obtaining licences and permissions (like any other commercial project development in the country) for renewable energy projects (as reported, there are requirements for at least 30 different permissions/approvals for green project development) which impede the project proponents to accelerate implementation of the renewable/green energy projects in the country. The increasing dependence on costly imported fossil fuels (with huge government subsidies) for power generation and the cost of environmental degradation as a consequence offer little concern to conventional power producers; since they have been getting many fold incentives and habitual support from various regulators. The environmental dividends of green projects implementation are not always understood by various regulators/authorities and the lending agencies in the country. Commercial Bank executives usually express their reservations for loan financing and investment risks as the green and renewable energy project proposals do not always look attractive in the assessment scale of conventional commercial projects. The commercial bank executives therefore ask for risk sharing instruments and ask the government to take the key responsibilities for financing green and renewable projects. Some senior bankers consider that the establishment of development banks will help finance renewable and green projects in the country in a faster pace. SREDA Chairman Mr. Alauddin considers that there are necessities for building awareness and importance for green energy project financing not only based on their financial parameters but also for their environmental and social benefits. While I asked the BSREA Chairman Mr. Dipal Barua on the above, he opined that the Bangladesh Bank's mandate for 2 per cent loans for the green projects was not enough to improve the situation in the near future. He feels that there is a need for action oriented concrete road map for implementation of green and renewable energy projects from the government. In addition, he considers that the Central Bank should create a special fund (for refinancing) so that commercial banks eagerly come forward for rendering supports for financing renewable energy projects at a reduced interest rate following less complicated disbursement process, arrange to train the mid-level bankers and regularly monitor their performance in disbursing mandated loan (maximum at 5 per cent interest at the borrower's end) to the entrepreneurs. He further suggests that the non-performing bank's green financing fund should be returned to Bangladesh bank within specific time limits. Mr. Dipal C. Barua further considers that the private sector investors should diversify their renewable energy project models and improve capacity for implementation of the projects. Mushfiqur Rahman is a mining engineer, and writes on energy and environment issues.

https://www.tbsnews.net/thoughts/what-bangladesh-needs-do-attract-foreign-investors-287065#.YRSiycejBvU.facebook Shahriaz Ahmmed 12 August, 2021, 10:10 am Last modified: 12 August, 2021, 11:55 am What Bangladesh needs to do to attract foreign investors Bangladesh must take necessary measures to make considerable improvements in global indexes that reflect a country’s business environment FDI (Foreign Direct Investment) plays an indispensable role in enhancing economic growth of a country. Its significance is much greater for growing economies like that of Bangladesh. Higher FDI inflow leads to greater employment generation, competition, higher output, better wages and improved working conditions. It also effectuates better exchange rate stability which is vital for the economy. Essentially, it is an important avenue for achieving economic development. Bangladesh has been struggling to increase the pace of its FDI inflow for some time. In addition, according to Bangladesh Bank data, there has been a 39.05% decline in FDI inflow in FY20-21 amid the Covid-19 pandemic. Although there was a growing trend in the FDI inflow before the pandemic, that increasing rate was not sustained. Since 2014, there has been a declining trend of FDI net inflows (as a percentage of GDP) in Bangladesh. This was reflected by the underperformance of one of the targets in the 7th five-year plan. Specifically, the government had a target of securing FDI worth $32 billion under the seventh five-year plan (FY16-FY20) but managed to attract less than $10 billion. It is very surprising that Bangladesh still does not have a pertinent FDI policy. It is mandatory to formulate a complete and comprehensive FDI policy that will attract more investment. There are several flaws in the current investment policy that discourage foreign investors from investing in Bangladesh. For instance, the lock-in period for a foreign investor in Bangladesh is three years which is much higher than most of its contending nations. Furthermore, the Foreign Exchange Regulation Act needs to be updated. The existing taxation and VAT policies need revitalisation and are not welcoming for foreign investment. For instance, in the economic zone of India or Vietnam, no VAT is required to set up industries. Yet, in Bangladesh, 15% VAT is required to do that. Again, Indonesia offers a 50% tax holiday on FDI worth $7 million for five years. Moreover, if investments above $7 million are made, the country offers a 100 percent tax holiday for five years. Such lucrative tax incentives have been one of the main reasons why the aforementioned countries have been able to sustainably entice foreign investors. It should be noted that just providing incentives is not enough. It is imperative to earn the confidence of the investors as well. There are certain globally recognised indicators like 'ease of doing businesses', 'efficiency of legal framework', etc. that reflect how conducive the environment of a country is for investment. Before investing in a foreign country when investors assess the business environment, such indicators carry substantial importance. In "ease of doing business" index, Bangladesh moved from 130th to 172nd position in 2014 and there had not been any significant improvements since then. As per the latest report of 2020, Bangladesh ranked 168th position among 190 economies which portray a negative image of the country's business environment to the investors. Therefore, Bangladesh must take necessary measures to make considerable improvements in each indicator of these global indexes. Since Bangladesh is going through a demographic dividend, there is no difficulty in terms of the supply of labour. However, foreign investors are more likely to invest somewhere with a supply of skilled labour. An unskilled labour force has been one of the major problems for Bangladesh in terms of tackling its unemployment for a long time. The country must pay more attention to skill development so that it will not only attract more FDI but also address the problem of youth unemployment. Despite the aforementioned setbacks, some positive steps have been taken in recent times including infrastructural development, power sector development, digitalisation in the registration process, regulatory reforms in foreign exchange transaction guidelines, etc. Furthermore, the Bangladesh Investment Development Authority (BIDA) has initiated some reform activities among which the 'one-stop service' is noteworthy. Finally, if the necessary measures are undertaken to address the country's existing challenges, it will have a great impact on improving the magnitude of the FDI inflow which will in turn foster sustainable economic growth.

https://www.thedailystar.net/health/disease/coronavirus/fallouts-fightback/vaccine/news/wonder-nasal-vaccine-knocking-the-door-2151686 Wonder nasal vaccine knocking on the door Swedish drug awaits human trial in Bangladesh; successful test may see it available for use at start of next year Mohammad Al-Masum Molla Sat Aug 14, 2021 12:00 AM One sniff, and you're vaccinated against Covid-19! Almost 100 percent protected against almost all variants. It could be just that simple. No hassle for registration, hospital visit, cold chain storage or inoculation by medical staff. Just vaccinate yourself, at your convenience. "The results of the Swedish vaccine's trial on mice are very promising as those show efficacy rate close to 100 percent, and there is no side effect of the vaccine." Prof Dr ABM Abdullah Renowned physician And that's the promise an under-trial powdered vaccine is showing in which Bangladesh can be a part. A potential game-changing vaccine, as dubbed by Swedish researchers, now awaits human trial -- the third and final phase of vaccine research and development before approval for use -- which can be conducted right here in Bangladesh from next month. If the government weighs in to ensure a smooth research and approval process, the nasal vaccine could be available for use by the start of next year. And, if the trials get a clean chit, Bangladesh is free to buy the vaccine at production cost or even produce it on its own for being a party to the development of the vaccine, planned to be named after the Father of the Nation -- Bangabandhu ISR. Swedish research organisation Holding AB (ISR) is closing in on conducting human trial of its invented vaccine in Bangladesh, thanks to intense engagement of some Bangladesh-born doctors and scientists living in Sweden, the USA and Canada. To conduct the human trial, the ISR signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Bangladesh Clinical Trials Ltd as its Contract Research Organisation (CRO) earlier this month. Renowned physicians Prof ABM Abdullah and Prof Ahmedul Kabir are the principal investigators of the CRO, which plans to conduct the trial at Mugda Medical College Hospital in the capital. They are planning to carry out the Phase-I trial on 180 healthy persons. Contacted, Prof Abdullah said that after taking the first sniff, one has to get the second one within three to four weeks like any other double-dose Covid-19 vaccine. "The biggest benefit of the trial is that Bangladesh will be able to purchase the vaccine at production cost. Even the government can produce it under its own arrangement if it wants to." Prof Dr Ahmedul Kabir Secretary general, Bangladesh Society of Medicine "The results of the Swedish vaccine's trial on mice are very promising as those show efficacy rate close to 100 percent, and there is no side effect of the vaccine. "The prime minister knows everything about the vaccine. We have proposed naming it Bangabandhu ISR," he said. Talking to this newspaper, Prof Kabir said they have already prepared the protocol and are likely to submit it to Bangladesh Medical Research Council (BMRC) in the last week of this month for ethical permission to hold trial in the country. Prof Kabir, secretary general of Bangladesh Society of Medicine, said that if phase-I trial is successful, phase-II and III trial will also take place here. "The biggest benefit of the trial is that Bangladesh will be able to purchase the vaccine at production cost. Even the government can produce it under its own arrangement if it wants," he observed. According to ISR scientists, the dry-powder vaccine uses manufactured Covid-19 virus proteins and can withstand temperature of up to 40 degrees Celsius. They also said a major advantage of the vaccine in development is the conditions needed to store it compared to the currently available Covid vaccines approved by the World Health Organization. "The game-changer is that you could distribute the [powder] vaccine extremely easily without the cold chain, and it can be administered without the need for healthcare providers," said a BBC report on July 26 quoting ISR founder, Ola Winquist, a professor of immunology at the Karolinska Institute, one of Sweden's leading medical universities. In a press release on the ISR website, Ola Winqvist, the CEO of ISR, said, "We are very pleased to be working with experts from Bangladesh to conduct a Phase I clinical study with our vaccine formulations designed for optimal immune response at the entry point of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, the respiratory tract." Prof Kabir told this newspaper that if they get permission for clinical trial, a local drug-maker which struck a deal with the ISR will supply the vaccine. The ISR signed a MoU with UniMed UniHealth Pharmaceuticals Ltd on July 6 for manufacture and distribution of its Covid-19 vaccine in Bangladesh. "The purpose of MoU is to agree on a long-term cooperation agreement with a licensing agreement that gives UniMed an exclusive right to manufacture and distribute ISR's vaccine against the SARS-CoV-2 virus in Bangladesh," said an ISR statement on its website. UniMed will manufacture 100 million units per year with an aim to produce 300 million units or more annually within five years, it mentioned. Prof Kabir said if everything goes smoothly and the BMRC gives quick approval, the phase-I trial will be completed by November. And analysing the data, the third phase trial can be started by December. "We hope to produce vaccine here from January next year," said an optimistic Kabir. INITIATION OF THE PROCESS It all started when Bangladesh-born Swedish economist Shahjahan Sayeed, who is acquainted with Ola Winqvist, came to know about the invention of the dry-powder vaccine. Shahjahan then communicated the matter to Arifur Rahman, a Bangladesh-born doctor living in Canada, to explore the possibility of a human trial of the vaccine in Bangladesh. Arifur then asked four Bangladesh-born US citizens -- cardiologists Prof Choudhury Hafiz Ahsan and Prof Masudul Hassan, nephrologist Prof Ziauddin Ahmed Sadek and former senior UN official Mahmud Ush Sams Choudhury to contact doctors in Bangladesh for initiating trial here. Prof Abdullah and Prof Kabir then prepared a protocol for the trial with Arifur playing the lead role and coordinating the whole thing from Sweden. Talking to this newspaper, Arifur said they came forward as Bangladesh is suffering badly due to Covid. "Now everything is almost ready and we are expecting to get within 15 days a toxicology report on whether the vaccine has any adverse effects. Once we get the report from a German organisation, we will send it to the CRO so that it can apply to the Bangladesh authorities for ethical permission for the trial. "We hope the trial will be a success and Bangladesh will get the chance to become a leader in Covid vaccine production…" Prof Masudul said, "If everything goes as planned, we will consider it a great service to the nation." "Patriotism is the lone driving force behind our efforts. There is nothing else. We wanted to do something for the country in this moment of crisis. Earlier, we had managed ventilators and vaccines from the USA and sent those to Bangladesh."