Joel Ahmed

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2GuiiSRLJi4

https://www.dhakatribune.com/bangladesh/2021/07/31/major-railway-expansion-projects-in-limbo Major railway expansion projects in limbo Shohel Mamun Published at 08:08 pm July 31st, 2021 China decides not to fund projects as proposed costs get revised Three “special priority” railway expansion initiatives have plunged into uncertainty as China has decided not to fund the projects following a downward re-evaluation of the proposed costs. According to sources, one of the main reasons behind China’s newfound reluctance is that once completed, these projects will boost Bangladesh’s trade with India. China has hinted that it is India which has influenced the local authorities to reevaluate the construction prices in order to make them “substandard.” The projects in question are Joydebpur-Ishwardi dual-gauge double-line project, Akhaura-Sylhet dual gauge project and Joydebpur-Jamalpur dual-gauge project. They were listed in a memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed during Chinese President Xi Jinping’s visit to Bangladesh in 2016 to the tune of $3.337 billion. According to the MoU, the Chinese government would pay for the construction of the projects, which amount to roughly 80% of the total cost. The rest of the expenses were to be borne by the Bangladesh government. Re-evaluation of costs The Joydebpur-Ishwardi dual-gauge double-line and Akhaura-Sylhet dual gauge rail expansion projects got the approval of the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (Ecnec) in 2018 and 2019 respectively. However, a committee, formed by the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO), after an investigation, found the estimated prices to be quite high and directed Bangladesh Railways (BR) to cut down the costs. As per the committee recommendations, the expected $1.045 billion costs for the Joydebpur-Ishwardi rail link development were to be shaved by 12.91%, and the $1.272 billion proposed budget for the Akhaura-Sylhet dual gauge project was to be brought down by 20.8% – leading to savings of nearly $572 million. Following these developments, the Chinese government, through its embassy in Dhaka, said it would not fund the Joydebpur-Ishwardi double-line project owing to a “lack of in-depth preliminary work and insufficient feasibility study.” Officials, seeking anonymity, said that the embassy had recently shared its decision with the railway authorities through the Economic Relations Division (ERD). Meanwhile, the Chinese contractors for the Joydebpur-Ishwardi double-line and Akhaura-Sylhet dual gauge rail projects informed the local authorities that they would also not work on the projects following the PMO’s downward revision of costs. Speaking to Dhaka Tribune, BR Director General Dhirendra Nath Mazumder said: “The future of these projects is now uncertain as the Chinese construction companies have already informed us that they don’t agree with the revised expenditures and they would like to opt out from the development works.” He said that the PMO would be informed in this regard immediately for further instructions. Mohammad Golam Mostafa, project director of the Joydebpur-Ishwardi double-line, told Dhaka Tribune that the authorities would send a letter to the construction firms again to have them “reconsider their decision.” “After getting their opinion we will send a letter to the PMO listing all concerns,” he added. China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation (CCECC) was selected for constructing the Joydebpur-Ishwardi double-line at a contract price of $1.158 billion and China Railway Construction Bridge Bureau Group Company (CRBG) was selected for Akhaura-Sylhet dual gauge project with $1.497 billion as contract price through direct procurement method without any competitive bidding. Contacted by Dhaka Tribune, CCECC officials said that they had already written to the local authorities justifying their “reasonable” proposed costs. The PMO also directed the relevant authorities to revise the cost of the $1.061 billion Joydebpur-Jamalpur dual-gauge conversion rail project. The project, which is yet to be approved, was also supposed to be funded by China under a G2G arrangement. Following the PMO orders, the revision committee suggested reducing the cost of the billion-dollar project by Tk1,851.28 crore. In G2G projects with China, conditions for appointing contractors, project cost evaluation processes, and funding are more or less the same, said BR officials. Thus the Joydebpur-Jamalpur dual gauge project may also lose funding from China if the proposed costs are revised and slashed by Bangladeshi authorities, they added.

https://www.dhakatribune.com/business/2021/07/31/lower-yield-on-bank-deposits-remittance-boost-savings-certificate-sales Lower yield on bank deposits, remittance boost savings certificate sales Meraj Mavis Published at 08:47 pm July 31st, 2021 The net sales of savings certificates in FY21 was Tk37,386 crore, almost three times more than the previous 2019-20 fiscal After a lukewarm performance in FY2019-20, savings certificates was the go-to option for all sorts of investors as Tk37,386 crore worth of certificates were sold in the first 11 months of FY2020-21, more than double from the same period of the previous fiscal. According to the Directorate of Nationals Savings (DNS), the primary net target for selling savings certificates was Tk20,000, but this was raised to Tk30,302 crore as the revised target. DNS figures also showed that the net sales of savings certificates was Tk37,386 crore, which is almost three times more than the net sales of Tk 14,424 crore in the previous 2019-20 fiscal year. The total sales of Tk99,557 crore, after being accumulated with the June figure of FY21, is slated to surpass the previous record of Tk90,342 crore in FY19. A total profit of Tk30,305 crore has been paid to the customers of the savings certificates from the state treasury in FY21. Data analysis shows that from July 2019, taxpayers' identification number (TIN) certificate was made mandatory for purchase over Tk1 lakh, while a 5% source tax on profits of the savings certificates was also introduced. If the investment was more than Tk10 lakh, the source tax became 10%. Having a bank account was also made mandatory. After that, the sales of savings certificates began to decrease. However, the minimum bar for purchase with a TIN certificate has been raised from Tk1 lakh to Tk2 lakh in the current FY22. AB Mirza Azizul Islam, economist and financial adviser to the former caretaker government, attributes this beyond-significant jump to the low interest rates offered by the banks, as well as increased remittance figures and the economic turnaround from the Covid-19 pandemic so far. Speaking to Dhaka Tribune, he said that amid the pandemic, savings certificates provide a better investment option than bank deposits. "Our banks implement an interest rate of 6% on savings accounts, which is actually a little over 5%. It is also logical that the record remittance figures spur people to put their money on something viable in the long run, as a significant part of the population invest their hard-earned money on savings certificates, as it still provides viable profits to run their families," he also said. However, there still remains a level of disparity as ordinary investors receive a certain interest on savings certificates, while ministers, MPs and other VIPs receive higher interest. The government should address this disparity to boost more sales, the economist added. According to Bangladesh Bank's latest data, Remittance inflows hit a record high of $24.77 billion in the fiscal year 2020-21. Expatriate Bangladeshis sent 36% more remittance in FY2020-21 compared to the same period in the previous fiscal, when it was $18.20 billion. In addition, at present, there are four types of savings certificates in circulation in the country. Among them, the profit rate of family savings certificates is 11.52%, the interest rate of five-year Bangladesh savings certificates is 11.28%, the profit rate of three-month profit-based savings certificates is 11.4% and the profit rate of pensioner savings certificates is 11.76%.

https://www.tbsnews.net/economy/tax-break-incentives-boost-agro-exports-billion-dollars-281386 Tax break, incentives boost agro exports to billion dollars The sector enjoys tax holidays and a flat 20% cash incentive on exports of agro products and processed food Agro products exports have registered strong growth in recent times, hitting the $1 billion mark in FY21, buoyed by an increased consumption of processed food as consumers holed up at homes globally during the pandemic. The sector is now striding towards gaining a strong foothold in the world of exports, riding on tax breaks and cash incentives and improved quality of products. The sector enjoys tax holidays and a flat 20% cash incentive on exports of agro products and processed food. Industry insiders say the attractive cash incentive has contributed significantly to a big boost in agro-product exports. The government is offering a tax break for the agriculture industry from the very beginning as per the Industrial Policy 2005 and 2010. Every year such a facility gets extended to facilitate diversification of products and bring new investment, an official at the National Board of Revenue (NBR) told The Business Standard, seeking anonymity. The industry has got another 10-year tax holiday from the current fiscal year, the NBR official added. Md Shafiqur Rahman Bhuiyan, president of the Bangladesh Auto Biscuits & Bread Manufacturers Association, told TBS that the government is also formulating a policy for the agro-processing industry. There will be significant investment in the sector when it comes into effect and the industry will also gain momentum. There will be a bunch of incentives to the industry shortly. According to the draft agro-food processing industry policy 2021, the government will provide capital assistance at nominal interest rates, interest subsidies, tax exemption on imports of capital machinery, research incentives, laboratory grants, waiver of income tax, and skilled workers to attract investments in the agro-food processing sector. The draft policy calls for ensuring $5 billion foreign investment over the next five years. It is expected to create new employment opportunities for one lakh people. Market leaders say Bangladeshi entrepreneurs are now sending agro products to about 144 countries despite disruptions in production and supply chain caused by the pandemic. The export of dry food such as biscuits, chanachur, cakes, noodles, potato crackers and nuts clocked almost a 10 time growth in as many years. In FY21, exports of this category bagged $283.38 million, while it was only $29.37 million ten years ago, according to the Export Promotion Bureau of Bangladesh (EPB) data. The major export destinations for Bangladeshi agro products are the European Union, the United States, the Middle East and Gulf countries. Bangladeshi and South Asian migrants are the main consumers of such products in those countries. Shafiqur of the manufacturers association said, "We have been working for a long time to improve our skills and are now able to produce quality products. As a result, both domestic and foreign markets are expanding." Exports of spices have also increased to $43.29 million in FY21, which was only $9 million 10 years ago. There is now no doubt about the quality of Bangladeshi spices, leading to a gradual expansion of the market globally. Besides, exports of various other products such as tea, juice, jam, jelly and fruits have seen growth. According to the Bangladesh Agro-processors Association (Bapa), processed food exports alone have reached $514 million this year from $400 million the previous year. Syed Mohammad Shoaib Hassan, vice-president of Bapa, told TBS, "Despite many developments in the agro-processing sector, few entrepreneurs from the SMEs group made any notable progress in the last five to seven years lacking easy access to loans. Those who invest in this sector should be given incentives," he added. According to Bapa sources, India is the largest export destination for processed food. There is a huge demand for Bangladeshi products in the neighbouring country. Although there are some problems in the supply chain due to the pandemic, exports have increased. Besides, exports to different countries of the Middle East, Europe and Africa are also on the rise. Pran Group alone exported products worth $341 million, out of $1 billion earnings from this sector in the previous fiscal year. Ahsan Khan Chowdhury, chairman and chief executive officer of Pran, said, "It is great to see that we are crossing the $1 billion mark in exports of agricultural and processed agro-products for the first time." "The sector-wise benefits we are getting will help us move forward gradually by further increasing the supply of our products in various markets across the globe. The government is offering various incentives on exports to encourage diversifying our products," he added. He also mentioned that Pran Group exports a lot of confectionery products. "We will export tomato based products such as tomato ketchup. We have sent products worth $2 lakh to Somalia, and we are trying to increase that to $2 million." Ahsan said, "There are opportunities for product diversification in the agro-processing sector. Earlier, we used to export only juice. At present, we are trying to export spices, blended spices, raw chillies, dried chillies, and turmeric. We are constantly trying to enter new markets with new products." Fresh vegetable export experienced a blip Meanwhile, exports of vegetables have come down from $164 million to $116 million in FY21. Industry insiders say the disruption in the global supply chain during Covid-19 has hurt exports of vegetables. However, the sector has recovered and a lot of vegetables are now being exported to different countries. Fruit export has also increased a lot this year. Mango is at the top of that list. Most fruits are being exported to the Middle East and Europe. Agriculturist Manjurul Islam, an adviser to the Bangladesh Fruits, Vegetables and Allied Products Exporters Association, said, "Exports went down due to supply chain disruption during the pandemic. Demand also declined. But it is recovering. That is why exports are also increasing." According to Bapa, the agricultural sector contributes 13.6% to the country's GDP, while 40.62% of the country's total workforce is employed in the sector. A large part of the sector is the agro-processing industry that is currently contributing 8% to the manufacturing sector. As per Bapa data, the contribution of the agro-food processing industry to Bangladesh's GDP is more than 1.7%. The size of the global food and agricultural industry in 2018 was about $8.7 trillion, according to Plunkett Research estimates, which is about 10% of the world's GDP. Global food exports totalled $1.47 trillion in 2017, according to the World Trade Organisation.

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https://www.dhakatribune.com/business/2021/07/31/vietnam-overtakes-bangladesh-becomes-2nd-largest-rmg-exporter Vietnam overtakes Bangladesh, becomes 2nd largest RMG exporter Tribune Desk Published at 06:25 pm July 31st, 2021 Bangladesh now stands in the third position, with China holding its first position Vietnam overtook Bangladesh in the global apparel market and became the second-largest global ready-made garment (RMG) exporter. Bangladesh now stands in the third position, with China holding its first position. According to the World Trade Statistical Review 2021 released by World Trade Organization (WTO) on Friday, Bangladesh’s share in the global apparel market dropped to 6.3% in 2020 from 6.8% a year earlier. The market value for Bangladesh was $28 billion in the year 2020. Meanwhile, the share of Vietnam in global RMG exports stood at 6.4% in 2020, up from 6.2% a year earlier. The market value stood at $29 billion at the end of 2020. To put it into perspective, the share of Vietnam in the global export market was 2,9% back in the year 2010 while Bangladesh’s share in the global apparel export market was 4.2%, which was 85.5% more than Vietnam’s.

A record amount of road slabs sat on the Padma Bridge https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9FCXB3tW_vE

https://thefinancialexpress.com.bd/trade/dhaka-requests-delhi-not-to-impose-anti-dumping-duty-on-cfg-1627698444 Dhaka requests Delhi not to impose anti-dumping duty on CFG REZAUL KARIM | Published: July 31, 2021 08:27:25 Bangladesh has requested India not to impose anti-dumping duty (ADD) on its clear float glass (CFG) as such Bangladeshi product was not being exported to the Indian market at dumped prices, officials said. Dhaka has recently made the request at a virtual meeting. "We have presented our arguments to the Indian authority concerned, saying that CFG production is not being hampered by exports of Bangladeshi CFG to the Indian market," Md Hafizur Rahman, additional commerce secretary and director general of WTO cell, told the FE on Wednesday. He, however, said Bangladeshi CFG was not being exported to the neighbouring country at dumped prices. "We will formally request the Indian authority concerned not to impose ADD on Bangladeshi CFG as early as possible," he added. Senior officials of foreign and industries ministries and Bangladesh Trade and Tariff Commission (BTTC) and Directorate General of Trade Remedies (DGTR) took part in the meeting. Earlier, a good number of Indian producers have requested the DGTR under the commerce ministry, and the industry ministry to launch an investigation into the allegation of dumping. Following the allegation, the Indian authority has already taken initiative for an anti-dumping investigation into export of clear float glass by Bangladeshi producers. The DGTR on June 17 last told the Bangladesh High Commission in New Delhi that local industries accused three Bangladeshi exporters of dumping CFG in Indian market. The names of the companies are PHP Float Glass Industries, Nasir Float Glass Industries Limited and Usmania Glass Sheet Factory Limited. The DGTR also asked the three Bangladeshi exporters to provide necessary information and explanation in this regard by 30 days from the date of receipt of the letter. The High Commission has thus requested the relevant ministry in Bangladesh to immediately take required steps in this regard. To this effect, the commerce ministry sat with stakeholders concerned. The stakeholders presented their arguments in this regard, a high official of the commerce ministry said. "We have noted necessary information and arguments from the exporters concerned," he added. Any Indian imposition of ADD on clear float glass will deal a serious blow to Bangladesh's overall export to India. Float glass has huge potential in the Indian market, he said. Currently, India imposes anti-dumping duty on Bangladeshi jute goods, hydrogen peroxide and fishing net. Glass shipments to India have been rising in recent years. Bangladesh exported glass sheets worth over $0.7 million to India in the fiscal year (FY) 2019-20.The volume of exports of such products has increased remarkably in FY 2020-21. Its exports to the market grew by 357 per cent to US$3.39 million in 11 months of the last fiscal year than that of the previous fiscal year. CFG is generally used in window, refrigeration, construction, automobiles, mirror and solar energy industries. An anti-dumping duty is a protectionist tariff that a domestic government imposes on foreign imports that it believes are priced below fair market value, according to investopedia.com. The duty is aimed at ensuring fair trading practices and creating a level-playing field between the domestic producers and foreign exporters/producers. Earlier, India slapped anti-dumping duty on Bangladesh's jute yarn, hessian and bags back in January 2017 ranging from $19 and $352 a tonne. A similar duty was imposed on the exports of hydrogen peroxide to India in the range between $27.81 and $91.47 per tonne in April 2017. One year later, India put anti-dumping duty at $2.69 per kilogram on the shipment of fishing net from Bangladesh. According to a senior commerce ministry official, this will be a clear violation of the SAFTA rules if India initiates investigation into the allegation of dumping without consulting Bangladesh. As per existing SAFTA rules, he said, before considering anti-dumping measures against least developed contracting states, they have to be given the scope for consultation in this regard. "The contracting states shall give special regard to the situation of the least developed contracting states when considering the application of anti-dumping and/or countervailing measures," according to Article 11(A) of the rules. "In this regard, the contracting states shall provide an opportunity to least developed contracting states for consultations. The contracting states shall, to the extent practical, favourably consider accepting price undertakings offered by exporters from least developed contracting states." In March, five memoranda of understanding were signed between Bangladesh and India in Dhaka to enhance cooperation, an official told the FE. One of them was inked on the establishment of a framework of cooperation in the area of trade remedial measures between the two countries. It has been mentioned not to make any move about measures/investigation on ADD without consultation with the respective country, the official added.

https://www.banglarunnoyon.net/ecomony-news/42737 ১২ জেলায় হাই-টেক পার্ক স্থাপনে অর্থায়ন করছে ভারত দেশের ১২ জেলায় হাই-টেক পার্ক স্থাপন প্রকল্পে অর্থায়ন করছে ভারত। এ তথ্য জানিয়েছেন তথ্য ও প্রযুক্তি প্রতিমন্ত্রী জুনাইদ আহমেদ পলক। আগামী দিনে দেশের আইসিটি সেক্টরে ভারতের সহযোগিতা আরও প্রসারিত হবে বলে আশা প্রকাশ করেন তিনি। মঙ্গলবার (২৭ জুলাই) ‘আইসিটিতে বাংলাদেশ-ভারত সহযোগিতা সম্প্রসারণ’ শীর্ষক এক ভার্চুয়াল সভায় প্রতিমন্ত্রী এ তথ্য জানান। বাংলাদেশ হাই-টেক পার্ক কর্তৃপক্ষ এ সভার আয়োজন করে। সভায় প্রধান অতিথির বক্তব্যে জুনাইদ আহমেদ পলক বাংলাদেশের মহান স্বাধীনতা যুদ্ধে ভারতের অসামান্য অবদান কৃতজ্ঞতার সঙ্গে স্মরণ করেন। তিনি বলেন, ‘নরেন্দ্র মোদির সরকার ক্ষমতায় আসার পরে নানা অমীমাংসিত সমস্যার দ্রুত নিষ্পত্তিসহ বিভিন্ন ক্ষেত্রে সহযোগিতা আরও প্রসারিত হয়েছে। বর্তমানে দুই দেশের বাণিজ্য ঘাটতি হ্রাস পেয়েছে। বিভিন্ন ক্ষেত্রে, বিশেষ করে আইসিটি সেক্টরে ভারতের বিনিয়োগ বৃদ্ধি পেয়েছে। বর্তমানে দেশের ১২ জেলায় হাই-টেক পার্ক স্থাপন প্রকল্পে ভারত অর্থায়ন করছে।’ পলক বলেন, ‌‘এ বছরের ২৭ মার্চ ভারতের প্রধানমন্ত্রী নরেন্দ্র মোদি ও বাংলাদেশের প্রধানমন্ত্রী শেখ হাসিনার উপস্থিতিতে বাংলাদেশ-ভারত ডিজিটাল সার্ভিস অ্যান্ড এমপ্লয়মেন্ট ট্রেনিং সেন্টার (বিডিসেট) নামক একটি প্রকল্প স্থাপনে ভারত অনুদান দেবে মর্মে একটি সমঝোতা স্মারক স্বাক্ষরিত হয়েছে।’ পলক আরও বলেন, ‘এ সমঝোতার আওতায় ডিজিটাল বাংলাদেশ বিনির্মাণ ও আইসিটি শিল্পের বিকাশে তথ্য ও যোগাযোগ প্রযুক্তি বিভাগের উদ্যোগে বাংলাদেশ হাই-টেক পার্ক কর্তৃপক্ষের তত্ত্বাবধানে ২৫ কোটি টাকা ভারতীয় অনুদান দেওয়া হবে। এই প্রকল্পে মোট ৬১.০২৫৯ কোটি টাকা ব্যয় করা হবে। যার বাকি অংশ (৩৬.০২৫৯ কোটি টাকা) সরকারের নিজস্ব তহবিল থেকে অর্থায়ন করা হবে।’ প্রতিমন্ত্রী বলেন, ‘এখান থেকে আগামী দুই বছরে প্রায় আড়াই হাজার প্রশিক্ষণার্থী প্রশিক্ষণ গ্রহণ করবে। ইন্টারনেট অব থিংস, মেশিন লার্নিং, রোবোটিক্স, আর্টিফিশিয়াল ইন্টেলিজেন্স, এক্সটেনডেড রিয়ালিটি ও অন্যান্য উচ্চতর বিষয়ে প্রশিক্ষণ দেওয়া হবে। এছাড়া ৩০ জনকে ছয় মাসের জন্য ভারতে আইসিটির ওপর উচ্চতর প্রশিক্ষণের জন্য পাঠানো হবে।’ অদূর ভবিষ্যতে ভারত তাদের সহযোগিতার ক্ষেত্র বাংলাদেশে আরও প্রসারিত করবে বলে পলক আশা প্রকাশ করেন। সভার সঞ্চালনায় ছিলেন- ইলেক্ট্রনিক্স অ্যান্ড কম্পিউটার সফটওয়্যার এক্সপোর্ট প্রোমোশন কাউন্সিলের এক্সিকিউটিভ ডাইরেক্টর গুরমিত সিং। স্বাগত বক্তব্য দেন প্রতিষ্ঠানটির চেয়ারম্যান স্বন্দীপ নারুলা ও বাংলাদেশ হাই-টেক পার্ক কর্তৃপক্ষের ব্যবস্থাপনা পরিচালক বিকর্ণ কুমার ঘোষ। সভায় মূল প্রবন্ধ উপস্থাপন করেন ভারতীয় হাইকমিশনার বিক্রম কুমার দোরাইস্বামী। সভাপতিত্ব করেন আইসিটি বিভাগের সিনিয়র সচিব এন এম জিয়াউল আলম। সভায় অন্যান্যের মধ্যে বক্তব্য রাখেন বেসিসের সভাপতি সৈয়দ আলমাস কবীর, বাক্কোর সভাপতি ওয়াহিদ শরিফ, বাংলাদেশ কম্পিউটার সমিতির সভাপতি শহীদ উল মুনির, উইয়ের সভাপতি নাসিমা আক্তার নিশাসহ প্রমুখ। অনুষ্ঠানের শেষ ধাপে বাংলাদেশ হাই-টেক পার্ক কর্তৃপক্ষের মার্কেটিং কনসালটেন্ট তামজিদ বিন আহমেদের সঞ্চালনায় বিটুবি নেটওয়ার্কিং সেশনে দুই দেশের আইটি ইন্ডাস্ট্রির কোম্পানিগুলোর মধ্যে পারস্পরিক ব্যবসায়িক স্বার্থ সংশ্লিষ্ট বিষয়ে উন্মুক্ত আলোচনা হয়।

https://www.ict-mission.nl/BD_index.php

https://www.dhakatribune.com/bangladesh/nation/2021/07/30/govt-fails-to-take-power-from-payra-plant-counts-huge-loss-in-capacity-payment Govt fails to take power from Payra plant, counts huge loss in capacity payment UNB Published at 05:50 pm July 30th, 2021 The project has hit some hurdles in crossing the mighty Padma river The government is counting a monthly loss of Tk130 crore due to the delay in laying a high-priority transmission line that would take electricity from the Payra power plant to Dhaka across the Padma River. According to official sources, the amount is being paid as “capacity payment” to the 1,320MW Payra power plant, a Bangladesh-China joint venture project, which is now ready to supply electricity to the national grid for distribution in Dhaka adjoining areas. In this case, the capacity payment means the government’s commitment to purchase power generated at the plant at an agreed-upon rate. The government still has to pay the plant for its generation (capacity) even if it is unable to buy electricity from it. The government is not ready to purchase electricity from the plant as it has failed to complete work on the 164.6 km 400 kV double-circuit transmission line that would supply power from Mongla to Dhaka’s Aminbazar via Mawa connected by the national grid. The project has hit some hurdles in crossing the mighty river, where a multipurpose bridge is being built to connect Dhaka with the country’s southwestern region. The official document of the Power Grid Company of Bangladesh (PGCB), the implementing agency, shows the project was scheduled to be implemented by December 2020. After repeated extensions, the schedule has now been set for December 2021. Officials, however, apprehend the project might not be completed even by the latest deadline due to a major constraint in the work on crossing the Padma River. Nasrul Hamid, state minister for power, energy and mineral resources, acknowledged the loss government is incurring and the hurdles the project is facing. “We are trying to resolve the issue,” he told UNB adding “We have nothing else to do but to wait.” Power Division officials blamed the excessive delay on the Padma Bridge construction authority which was tasked to lay foundations for the construction of towers within the river area. The government took up the Tk 2505.37 crore Aminbazar-Maowa-Mongla project in 2016 targeting power evacuation from two large power plant projects —1320 MW Rampal and 1320 MW Payra coal-fired power plants—for Dhaka and adjoining areas. As per the design, the 164.6 km transmission line will directly bring electricity from the Rampal plant, while power from the Payra plant will come to Dhaka through this line using facilities in the Gopalganj power transmission hub. To make this happen, officials said, a separate transmission line between Payra and Gopalganj has already been built and it is now in operation. “But the Mongla-Maowa- Aminbazar project remained stuck up at the 9.4 km Padma River crossing portion”, said the PGCB official adding that a total of 11 towers will be built in this portion of the line of which 7 towers will be installed within the river area. “The responsibility of towers’ foundation work in the deep of the river was given to the Padma Bridge Authority”, said PGCB Managing Director Golam Kibria adding that they have been trying to do the job. He said the Padma Bridge Authority has recently informed that they will now complete the foundation work of the first tower in August this year. Work on the remaining foundations will be done by April next year before handing the sites over to the PGCB. He noted that PGCB plans to start the tower installation and other works as soon as it receives the sites from Padma Bridge Authority. “The tower installation and other works may take up to December next year”, he said adding that the PGCB will try its best to do the job as early as possible. Official sources said the government has to continue the capacity payment of Tk130 crore per month until start of full swing evacuation of power from the Payra plant as an obligation of the power purchase agreement (PPA). Half the output from the 660MW plant is being supplied to the national grid’s South and Eastern region for the non-completion of the Aminbazar-Mawa-Mongla transmission project. “So, the delay in transmission project’s execution means the cost escalation in the guise of capacity payment”, said a PGCB official. They said the capacity payment would be even double if the first unit of the Rampal power plant comes into commercial operation as scheduled in December this year. Officials said the Rampal power plant is being constructed in a joint venture with India while the Payra power plant was built under a joint venture with China. Both the plants started construction works in December 2017. But Payra successfully completed construction of its two units as per schedule, but Rampal failed to install the first unit as yet, they noted. Payra plant’s officials said they have been operating the two units in alternative months to keep the plant’s equipment operational.

https://www.tbsnews.net/bangladesh/world-bank-lauds-bangladeshs-economic-growth-despite-downturn-281083 World Bank lauds Bangladesh's economic growth despite downturn UNB 30 July, 2021, 10:50 am Last modified: 30 July, 2021, 10:55 am The World Bank has acknowledged Bangladesh's remarkable economic development and growth, and reassured the global lender's continued support for this country's prosperity. Private Industry and Investment Adviser to the Prime Minister, Salman Fazlur Rahman, met with World Bank's Managing Director (Operations) Axel van Trotsenburg and other high-ranking officials at its global headquarters in Washington DC recently. Salman led the Bangladeshi delegation, which included Abdur Rouf Talukder, Senior Secretary, Finance Division, Ministry of Finance, Executive Chairman of Bangladesh Investment Development Authority (BIDA), Secretary, Ministry of Commerce, Secretary, Economic Relations Division, Ministry of Finance, and Chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission. In addition to Trotsenburg, the World Bank Group was also represented by John F Gandolfo, Vice President (South Asia Region), International Finance Corporation (IFC), and Mohammad Shafiul Alam, Bangladesh's Alternate Executive Director to the global financial institution. In the meeting with the World Bank's MD, Adviser Salman highlighted Bangladesh's unprecedented economic development under the leadership of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina reiterating that the country's economy was on a solid footing. In particular, he underscored Bangladesh's economic performance and the GDP growth of 5.24% despite the pandemic-induced economic downturn. Salman recalled the continued financial assistance provided by the World Bank to Bangladesh and thanked the global lending body for its contribution. He also highlighted the need to reduce procedural delay -- through bilateral discussions and close engagement -- in the disbursement of the loans sanctioned by the World Bank for Bangladesh to purchase Covid-19 vaccines on an emergency basis. At a separate meeting, the Bangladesh delegation led by Adviser Rahman met with IFC's South Asia Vice President and the World Bank's acting South Asia Vice President. Both sides agreed to accelerate cooperation in crucial areas, including Bangladesh's reform efforts regarding ease of doing business, BIDA's institutional capacity enhancement, and skills and human resources development.

https://bonikbarta.net/home/news_description/270098/বিদেশে-কোম্পানি-খোলার-অনুমতি-পাচ্ছে-ছয়-প্রতিষ্ঠান বিদেশে কোম্পানি খোলার অনুমতি পাচ্ছে ছয় প্রতিষ্ঠান মেসবাহুল হক জুলাই ২৮, ২০২১ দেশের বাইরে ব্যবসা সম্প্রসারণ করতে চায় ছয় উদ্যোক্তা প্রতিষ্ঠান। এজন্য বিদেশে বিনিয়োগের অনুমোদন চেয়ে সরকারের কাছে আবেদন করেছিল প্রতিষ্ঠানগুলো। চূড়ান্তভাবে না মিললেও এরই মধ্যে এ বিষয়ে নীতিগত সিদ্ধান্ত হয়ে গিয়েছে। অনুমোদন পেলে প্রতিষ্ঠানগুলো প্রাথমিক পর্যায়ে বিদেশে প্রায় ৬৬ কোটি টাকার সমপরিমাণ অর্থ (সর্বশেষ বিনিময় হার অনুযায়ী) বিনিয়োগ করবে। বিদেশে বিনিয়োগের অনুমোদন পেতে যাওয়া ছয় প্রতিষ্ঠান হলো নাসা গ্রুপের এজে সুপার গার্মেন্টস, প্রাণ-আরএফএল গ্রুপের প্রাণ ফুডস লিমিটেড, বিএসআরএম লিমিটেড, এমবিএম গার্মেন্টস, ইনসেপ্টা ফার্মাসিউটিক্যালস লিমিটেড ও রেনাটা লিমিটেড। সম্প্রতি দেশী উদ্যোক্তাদের বিদেশে বিনিয়োগের আবেদন পর্যালোচনায় গঠিত প্রস্তাব মূল্যায়ন কমিটির এক সভা অনুষ্ঠিত হয়। সেখানেই প্রতিষ্ঠানগুলোকে বিদেশে বিনিয়োগের অনুমতি দেয়ার বিষয়ে নীতিগত সিদ্ধান্তের অনুমোদন দেয়া হয়। অর্থ মন্ত্রণালয় ও বাংলাদেশ ব্যাংকের একাধিক সূত্রে এ তথ্য নিশ্চিত হওয়া গিয়েছে। কমিটির চেয়ারম্যান ও বাংলাদেশ ব্যাংকের নির্বাহী পরিচালক ড. আবুল কালাম আজাদের সভাপতিত্বে অনুষ্ঠিত সভায় অর্থ মন্ত্রণালয়, পররাষ্ট্র মন্ত্রণালয়, বাণিজ্য মন্ত্রণালয় ও জাতীয় রাজস্ব বোর্ডের (এনবিআর) প্রতিনিধিরা উপস্থিত ছিলেন। এ বিষয়ে জানতে চাইলে প্রস্তাব মূল্যায়ন কমিটির চেয়ারম্যান ও বাংলাদেশ ব্যাংকের নির্বাহী পরিচালক ড. আবুল কালাম আজাদ বণিক বার্তাকে বলেন, ব্যবসা সম্প্রসারণের জন্য এসব প্রতিষ্ঠানকে দেশের বাইরে বিনিয়োগ করতে দেয়ার বিষয়টি সরকার ও বাংলাদেশ ব্যাংক ইতিবাচকভাবে দেখছে। এরই মধ্যে এ বিষয়ে সরকারের বিভিন্ন মন্ত্রণালয় ও সংস্থার সঙ্গে বৈঠকও হয়েছে। বেশকিছু দিক বিচার-বিশ্লেষণ করে বিদেশে বিনিয়োগের অনুমতি দেয়ার বিষয়টি চূড়ান্ত হয়। বর্তমানে সংশ্লিষ্ট বিষয়াদি নিয়ে কাজ চলছে। যারা বিদেশে বিনিয়োগের অনুমতি পাবে, তাদের শিগগিরই চিঠি দিয়ে জানিয়ে দেয়া হবে। বৈঠকের কার্যপত্র সূত্রে জানা গিয়েছে, নাসা গ্রুপভুক্ত স্থানীয় প্রতিষ্ঠান এজে সুপার গার্মেন্টস লিমিটেডের আন্তর্জাতিক বাণিজ্যে পূর্বাভিজ্ঞতা রয়েছে। এ অভিজ্ঞতা কাজে লাগিয়ে সৌদি আরবে শতভাগ রফতানিমুখী একটি খেজুর প্রক্রিয়াকরণ কারখানা স্থাপনের আগ্রহ প্রকাশ করেছে প্রতিষ্ঠানটি। এজন্য সরকারের কাছে করা এক আবেদনে প্রস্তাবিত প্রতিষ্ঠানের নাম উল্লেখ করা হয়েছে সিটি অব ড্রিমস ফর ডেটস কোম্পানি। নিজস্ব রফতানি প্রত্যাবাসন কোটার (ইআরকিউ) হিসাব থেকে ৫০ লাখ ডলার মূলধন বিনিয়োগের মাধ্যমে সাবসিডিয়ারি হিসেবে প্রতিষ্ঠানটি স্থাপন করতে চায় এজে সুপার গার্মেন্টস লিমিটেড। বাংলাদেশী মুদ্রায় এ বিনিয়োগের পরিমাণ দাঁড়ায় ৪২ কোটি ৪০ লাখ টাকা। এ বিষয়ে জানতে চাইলে নাসা গ্রুপ অব ইন্ডাস্ট্রিজের কর্ণধার নজরুল ইসলাম মজুমদার বণিক বার্তাকে বলেন, বাংলাদেশের বেশকিছু কোম্পানি অনুমতি নিয়ে দেশের বাইরে বিনিয়োগ করেছে। আমরাও সৌদি আরবে বিনিয়োগে আগ্রহী। এতদিনে অনুমোদন হয়ে যাওয়ার কথা। অনুমোদন প্রক্রিয়ার সঙ্গে অনেক পক্ষ সম্পৃক্ত রয়েছে। অনুমোদন পেতে কিছুটা সময় লাগে। আমাদেরটিসহ আরো কিছু কোম্পানি অনুমোদনের অপেক্ষায় রয়েছে। আমাদের অনুমোদন না পাওয়ার কোনো কারণ নেই। অনুমোদিত বিনিয়োগের মাধ্যমে সৌদি আরবে স্থাপিত কোম্পানি থেকে বাংলাদেশসহ বিশ্বের বিভিন্ন দেশে খেজুর রফতানি হবে। প্রাণ-আরএফএল গ্রুপ এরই মধ্যে পৃথিবীর বিভিন্ন দেশে রফতানি কার্যক্রম পরিচালনা করছে। ভারতের সেভেন সিস্টার্স অঞ্চলে গ্রুপটির রফতানির একটি বড় বাজার রয়েছে। এ বাজার আরো সম্প্রসারণের সুযোগ রয়েছে। ভারতের কাস্টমস ও বিভিন্ন নিয়ন্ত্রণ কর্তৃপক্ষের আরোপকৃত বিভিন্ন নন-ট্যারিফ ব্যারিয়ারের কারণে বাংলাদেশ থেকে ভারতে পণ্য রফতানি কার্যক্রম বিভিন্নভাবে ব্যাহত হচ্ছে। এছাড়া ভারতের সীমান্তবর্তী এলাকায় রফতানীকৃত খাদ্যপণ্যের ল্যাবরেটরি টেস্ট ও পণ্য পরিবহনের জন্য আনলোড-রিলোডিংয়ের কাজেও অনেক সময় ব্যয় হয়। এজন্য প্রাণ ফুডস লিমিটেড তাদের স্বল্পায়ু পণ্য যেমন রুটি, কেক ইত্যাদি ভারতে রফতানি করতে পারছে না। এ প্রেক্ষাপটে প্রতিষ্ঠানটি এখন ভারতে একটি সাবসিডিয়ারি কোম্পানি স্থাপনের মাধ্যমে স্বল্পায়ু পণ্য উৎপাদনের উদ্যোগ নিয়েছে। এজন্য পণ্যগুলোর আংশিক প্রস্তুতকৃত কাঁচামাল ভারতে রফতানি করা হবে। এরপর সেখানে ওই কাঁচামাল প্রক্রিয়াজাত করে খাদ্যপণ্য তৈরি করা হবে। এসব পণ্য ভারতের বাজারেই ‘মেড ইন ইন্ডিয়া’ স্লোগানসহ বাজারজাত করা যাবে। প্রতিষ্ঠানটি মনে করছে, প্রস্তাবিত সাবসিডিয়ারি প্রতিষ্ঠা করা গেলে এর মাধ্যমে অশুল্ক বাধার সমস্যা থেকে পরিত্রাণের পাশাপাশি ভারতে বাংলাদেশীদের কর্মসংস্থানের সুযোগ সৃষ্টি হবে। এজন্য কোম্পানিটির রফতানি প্রত্যাবাসন কোটার (ইআরকিউ) হিসাব থেকে ২০ লাখ ৬২ হাজার ৬৬৫ ডলার মূলধন হিসেবে বিনিয়োগের মাধ্যমে ভারতে পিনাকেল ফোরএস কোম্পানি লিমিটেড নামে একটি সাবসিডিয়ারি কোম্পানি স্থাপনের অনুমতি চাওয়া হয়েছে। বাংলাদেশী মুদ্রায় এ বিনিয়োগের পরিমাণ দাঁড়ায় ১৭ কোটি ৪৯ লাখ ১৩ হাজার ৯৯২ টাকা। এ বিষয়ে জানতে চাইলে প্রাণ-আরএফএল গ্রুপের মার্কেটিং ডিরেক্টর কামরুজ্জামান কামাল বণিক বার্তাকে বলেন, কৃষিজাত খাদ্যপণ্যের একটি কারখানা ভারতে স্থাপনের পরিকল্পনা ছিল প্রাণ ফুডসের। গত ফেব্রুয়ারির দিকে এ-সংক্রান্ত একটি আবেদন দেয়া হয়েছিল। এখন পর্যন্ত কোনো সাড়া পাইনি। বাংলাদেশ স্টিল রি-রোলিং মিলস লিমিটেড (বিএসআরএম) হংকংয়ে ২০১৮ সালে বিএসআরএম (হংকং) লিমিটেড নামে একটি সাবসিডিয়ারি কোম্পানি স্থাপন করেছে। চীন ও আশপাশের এলাকা থেকে কাঁচামাল, পণ্য এবং খুচরা যন্ত্রাংশ আমদানি, আমদানীকৃত পণ্যের তাত্ক্ষণিক পরিদর্শন, ইস্পাত ও নির্মাণসামগ্রী রফতানি কার্যক্রমের মাধ্যমে প্রতিষ্ঠানটি এখন হংকংয়েই আরো ব্যবসা সম্প্রসারণ করতে ইচ্ছুক হয়ে উঠেছে। এজন্য কোম্পানিটি ইআরকিউ হিসাব থেকে ৫ লাখ ডলার মূলধন বিনিয়োগের মাধ্যমে ব্যবসা সম্প্রসারণের অনুমতি চেয়েছে। বাংলাদেশী মুদ্রায় বিনিয়োগের পরিমাণ ৪ কোটি ২৪ লাখ টাকা। এ বিষয়ে জানতে চাইলে বিএসআরএম গ্রুপের ব্যবস্থাপনা পরিচালক আমীর আলীহুসাইন বণিক বার্তাকে বলেন, বিদেশে বিনিয়োগের লক্ষ্যে একটি আবেদন করা হয়েছিল। আমরা অনুমতির অপেক্ষায় আছি। ইআরকিউ হিসাব থেকে ১ লাখ ডলার বা বাংলাদেশী মুদ্রায় ৮৪ লাখ ৮০ হাজার টাকা সিঙ্গাপুরে বিনিয়োগের জন্য আবেদন করেছে এমবিএম গ্রুপের প্রতিষ্ঠান এমবিএম গার্মেন্টস লিমিটেড। স্থানীয় তিনটি ম্যানুফ্যাকচারিং ইউনিটের জন্য সুলভ মূল্যে ফ্যাব্রিক ও অ্যাকসেসরিজ ক্রয়ের পাশাপাশি বিভিন্ন দেশের পোশাক কারখানায় কাঁচামাল সরবরাহের ব্যবসা সম্প্রসারণের জন্য এ বিনিয়োগ করতে চায় প্রতিষ্ঠানটি। এছাড়া প্রতিষ্ঠানটির দেশে স্থাপিত তিনটি ইউনিটে উৎপাদিত পণ্যের বিপণন ও বিদেশী ক্রেতা সংগ্রহের কাজেও সিঙ্গাপুরে স্থাপিত সাবসিডিয়ারিটিকে কাজে লাগাতে চায় প্রতিষ্ঠানটি। প্রস্তাবিত কোম্পানির নাম এমবিএম সিঙ্গাপুর লিমিটেড। ইনসেপ্টা ফার্মাসিউটিক্যালস লিমিটেড বর্তমানে ৭১টি দেশে পণ্য রফতানি করছে। মার্কিন বাজারে রফতানির জন্য এক বছরের মধ্যেই দেশটির ওষুধ নিয়ন্ত্রক প্রতিষ্ঠান ইউএস ফুড অ্যান্ড ড্রাগ অ্যাডমিনিস্ট্রেশন (এফডিএ) থেকে প্রয়োজনীয় অনুমোদন পাবে বলে আশাবাদী প্রতিষ্ঠানটি। তবে যুক্তরাষ্ট্রে শুধু সেখানে নিবন্ধিত কোম্পানিগুলোরই মেডিকেল পণ্য বাজারজাত করতে পারবে বলে বাধ্যবাধকতা রয়েছে। এজন্য নিজস্ব ইআরকিউ হিসাব থেকে ১ লাখ ডলার (৮৪ লাখ ৮০ হাজার টাকা) মূলধন বিনিয়োগের জন্য অনুমোদন চেয়ে আবেদন করেছে। প্রস্তাবিত সাবসিডিয়ারি কোম্পানির নাম ইনসেপ্টা ফার্মা ইউএসএ লিমিটেড। ব্যবসায়ে উচ্চপ্রবৃদ্ধির ধারা অব্যাহত রাখতে শুধু স্থানীয় বাজারের ওপর নির্ভরশীল থাকতে চাইছে না দেশের ওষুধ খাতের অন্যতম বৃহৎ প্রতিষ্ঠান রেনাটা লিমিটেড। এজন্য দেশের বাইরেও বাজার সম্প্রসারণের কৌশল হাতে নিয়েছে প্রতিষ্ঠানটি। এরই মধ্যে যুক্তরাজ্যে রেনাটার একটি প্রতিষ্ঠানও নিবন্ধিত হয়েছে। বর্তমানে ইউরোপীয় ইউনিয়নভুক্ত (ইইউ) দেশগুলোতেও বড় সম্ভাবনার সুযোগ দেখতে পাচ্ছে রেনাটা। এরই ধারাবাহিকতায় কোম্পানিটি আয়ারল্যান্ডে রেনাটা ফার্মাসিউটিক্যালস (আয়ারল্যান্ড) লিমিটেড নামে একটি সাবসিডিয়ারি গঠনের অনুমতি চেয়েছে। এতে মূলধন হিসেবে বিনিয়োগ করা হবে ৭ হাজার ১০০ ইউরো। বাংলাদেশী মুদ্রায় এর পরিমাণ দাঁড়ায় ৭ লাখ ৮ হাজার ৭২২ টাকা। এ বিনিয়োগের মাধ্যমে আয়ারল্যান্ডে রেনাটা ফার্মাসিউটিক্যালস (আয়ারল্যান্ড) লিমিটেড নামে একটি সাবসিডিয়ারি কোম্পানি গঠনের অনুমতি চেয়েছে প্রতিষ্ঠানটি। প্রতিষ্ঠান সংশ্লিষ্টরা জানিয়েছেন, আয়ারল্যান্ডে ওষুধ বিক্রি করতে হলে ইইউর নিয়ম-নীতি অনুসরণ করতে হয়। এ আনুষ্ঠানিকতার অনুষঙ্গ হিসেবেই রেনাটা ফার্মাসিউটিক্যালস (আয়ারল্যান্ড) লিমিটেডের নিবন্ধন নিতে হয়েছে বলে জানিয়েছে রেনাটা লিমিটেড। ওই কোম্পানির মাধ্যমে ইউরোপীয় ইউনিয়নভুক্ত দেশগুলোতে পণ্য বাজারজাত করবে প্রতিষ্ঠানটি। এ প্রসঙ্গে রেনাটার ব্যবস্থাপনা পরিচালক সৈয়দ এস কায়সার কবির বণিক বার্তাকে বলেন, ওষুধ বিক্রিতে ইউরোপীয় ইউনিয়নের বিধি অনুসরণ করতে রেনাটা ফার্মাসিউটিক্যালস (আয়ারল্যান্ড) লিমিটেডের নিবন্ধন নিতে হয়েছিল। একইভাবে যুক্তরাজ্যের বিধি অনুসরণ করতে স্থাপিত হয় রেনাটা ইউকে। বাংলাদেশ ব্যাংক জানিয়েছে, গত বছর বিদেশে বাংলাদেশী উদ্যোক্তাদের বিনিয়োগের স্থিতি ছিল ৩২ কোটি ৭১ লাখ ৪০ হাজার ডলার। বাংলাদেশী মুদ্রায় এর পরিমাণ দাঁড়ায় ২ হাজার ৭৭৪ কোটি ১৪ লাখ ৭২ হাজার টাকার সমান (প্রতি ডলারে ৮৪ দশমিক ৮০ টাকা ধরে)। সর্বশেষ গত বছর বাংলাদেশের উদ্যোক্তারা বিদেশে নিট বিনিয়োগ করেছেন ১ কোটি ১৬ লাখ ডলার। জানা গিয়েছে, এরই মধ্যে তৈরি পোশাক খাতের ডিবিএল গ্রুপকে ইথিওপিয়ায় পোশাক কারখানা স্থাপনে বিনিয়োগের অনুমোদন দেয়া হয়েছে এসিআই হেলথকেয়ার, স্কয়ার ফার্মা ও ইনসেপ্টা ফার্মাসিউটিক্যালস আগেই বিদেশে বিনিয়োগের অনুমোদন পেয়েছে। কেনিয়ায় ইস্পাত কারখানা খোলার অনুমতি পেয়েছে বিএসআরএম স্টিল।স্পেকট্রাম ইঞ্জিনিয়ারিং পেয়েছে সিঙ্গাপুরে বিনিয়োগের অনুমতি। আকিজ গ্রুপ মালয়েশিয়ার রবিন রিসোর্সেস কেনার অনুমোদন পেয়েছে। সামিট গ্রুপের বিনিয়োগ রয়েছে সিঙ্গাপুরে। এছাড়া আরো কয়েকটি কোম্পানির বিদেশে বিনিয়োগ রয়েছে। সাম্প্রতিক বছরগুলোয় উন্নয়নশীল দেশের উদ্যোক্তাদের মধ্যে নিজ নিজ দেশের বাইরে ব্যবসার সুযোগ নেয়ার আগ্রহ বেড়েছে। বাংলাদেশের উদ্যোক্তারাও অনেকদিন ধরে দেশের বাইরে বিনিয়োগের সুযোগ দাবি করে আসছিলেন। তবে বাংলাদেশ বিদেশে বিনিয়োগের ক্ষেত্রে খুব সতর্কভাবে এগোচ্ছে। ২০১৫ সালের সেপ্টেম্বরে বৈদেশিক মুদ্রা নিয়ন্ত্রণ আইন-১৯৪৭ সংশোধন করে শর্তসাপেক্ষে বিদেশে বিনিয়োগ নেয়ার সিদ্ধান্ত নেয় সরকার। রফতানিমুখী প্রতিষ্ঠানগুলোকে কেস টু কেস ভিত্তিতে এ সুযোগ দেয়া হচ্ছে। এছাড়া বাংলাদেশের ব্যাংকগুলোর বিদেশে অবস্থিত শাখা ও এক্সচেঞ্জ হাউজ পরিচালনার জন্যও পুঁজি নেয়ার অনুমোদন দেয়া হচ্ছে। বর্তমানে বিশ্বের ২০টির বেশি দেশে বাংলাদেশী বিভিন্ন কোম্পানির বিনিয়োগ রয়েছে।

https://www.tbsnews.net/economy/facebook-pays-tk244-crore-vat-bangladesh-280768#.YQKR6-JviE4.facebook TBS Report 29 July, 2021, 05:25 pm Last modified: 29 July, 2021, 08:25 pm Facebook pays Tk2.44 crore VAT to Bangladesh This is the first time that the VAT department has received a VAT return from a registered non-resident organisation doing business in Bangladesh Multinational conglomerate Facebook filed Value Added Tax (VAT) returns of around Tk2.44 crore to Bangladesh in June this year. The PricewaterhouseCoopers (PWC) Bangladesh filed the VAT returns on behalf of Facebook, Promila Sarkar, additional commissioner at Dhaka South Custom, Excise and Vat Commissionerate, told The Business Standard on Thursday. Facebook Ireland Limited paid Tk2,43,27,599, Facebook Payments International Limited Tk24,070 and Facebook Technologies Ireland Limited paid Tk25,006 in VAT. All the returns were submitted to the Dhaka South Customs, Excise and VAT Commissionerate on 15 July. This is the first time that the VAT department has received a VAT return from a registered non-resident organisation doing business in Bangladesh. Facebook received its VAT registration from the National Board of Revenue (NBR) last month, without having to open physical offices in the country. Facebook Technologies Ireland Ltd, Facebook Ireland Ltd and Facebook Payments International Ltd also received their Business Identification Number (BIN) certificates. Last year, Facebook Inc appointed an agent to do business in Bangladesh after facing pressure from the NBR. The company's agent Httpool was paying VAT to the board. Earlier in May, Google and Amazon obtained their BIN from the NBR – a mandatory requirement for any business operating in Bangladesh.

https://thefinancialexpress.com.bd/bn/বসিলা-সেতু-ভাঙার-ভাবনা-1627471156 Published: July 28, 2021 17:19:16 বসিলা সেতু ভাঙার ভাবনা রাজধানীর কেরানীগঞ্জের বসিলা সেতু ভেঙ্গে উচ্চতা বাড়িয়ে নতুন করে তৈরির কথা ভাবছে সরকার। বিষয়টি বুধবার জাতীয় অর্থনৈতিক পরিষদের নির্বাহী কমিটির (একনেক) বৈঠকেও আলোচনা হয়েছে। খবর বিডিনিউজ টোয়েন্টিফোর ডটকম-এর। প্রধানমন্ত্রী শেখ হাসিনার সভাপতিত্বে একনেক বৈঠকের পর ভার্চুয়াল সংবাদ সম্মেলনে এসে এ কথা জানিয়েছেন নবনিযুক্ত পরিকল্পনা প্রতিমন্ত্রী ড. শামসুল আলম। এনইসি সম্মেলন কক্ষে অনুষ্ঠিত একনেক বৈঠকে প্রধানমন্ত্রী গণভবন থেকে ভিডিও কনফারেন্সের মাধ্যমে যুক্ত হন। সংবাদ সম্মেলনে প্রতিমন্ত্রী বলেন, বৈঠকে ‘দেশের দক্ষিণাঞ্চলে আয়রন ব্রিজ পুনঃনির্মাণ-পুনর্বাসন (১ম সংশোধিত)’ শীর্ষক একটি প্রকল্প নিয়ে আলোচনার সময় এসব কথার অবতারণা হয়। প্রধানমন্ত্রী এটি আগেও বহুবার বলেছেন, (আজ) আবারও জোর দিয়ে বলেছেন, যে আমরা কালভার্ট, সেতু তৈরি করতে গিয়ে নৌপথ অচল করে ফেলেছি।” তিনি বলেন, “আপনারা জানেন বসিলা সেতুটি একটি গুরুত্বপূর্ণ নদীর ওপর হয়েছে। এত গুরুত্বপূর্ণ নদী কিন্তু এখানে এখন বর্ষাকালে কার্গোগুলো আসতে পারে না। ২০০৮ সালে উদ্বোধন করা এই সেতুটি এখন আবার ভাঙার কথা চিন্তা করা হচ্ছে, এটা যথাযথ উঁচু করার জন্য। এটা তো জাতীয় অপচয়।” প্রতিমন্ত্রী বলেন, “বৈঠকে এই প্রসঙ্গ টেনে প্রধানমন্ত্রী বলেছেন পণ্যবাহী নৌকাসহ বিভিন্ন নৌকা যেন চলাচল করতে পারে এমন উঁচু করে সেতু তৈরি করতে হবে। আমাদের জোয়ারভাটার দেশ, পানি বাড়ে কমে। তাই প্রয়োজনে বিআইডব্লিউটিএর অনুমতি নিয়ে এটা সতর্ক হয়ে করতে হবে।“ বৈঠকে প্রধানমন্ত্রীর আরও কয়েকটি নির্দেশনা সংবাদ সম্মেলনে তুলে ধরেন পরিকল্পনামন্ত্রী এম এ মান্নান। তিনি বলেন, “বৈঠকে প্রধানমন্ত্রী সংশ্লিষ্ট একটি প্রকল্প অনুমোদন দেওয়ার সময় সড়ক ও জনপথ অধিদপ্তরের উদ্দেশে বলেছেন, এখন থেকে নতুন রাস্তাঘাট বা রাস্তার ওপর ইউলুপ এবং আন্ডারপাস-ওভারপাস এমনভাবে বানাবেন যাতে যানবাহন এবং সাধারণ মানুষ খুব সহজে চলাচল করতে পারে। মানুষ যেন সহজে রাস্তা পার হতে পারে। “প্রধানমন্ত্রী বলেছেন, সম্প্রতি বিদেশ থেকে প্রায় ৫ লাখ প্রবাসী দেশে ফিরে এসেছেন। তাদের অনানুষ্ঠানিক খাতে কর্মসংস্থান সৃজনে সহায়ক একটি প্রকল্প গ্রহণ করা হয়েছে। তাদের জন্য যেন শোভন কর্মসংস্থান নিশ্চিত করা হয়। তারা আমাদের অনেক দিয়েছেন। এবার আমরা তাদের কিছু ফিরিয়ে দিতে চাই। প্রয়োজেন যারা আবারও বিদেশ যেতে চায় তার ব্যবস্থা করার ওপরও গুরুত্বারোপ করেন তিনি।” মন্ত্রী বলেন, “বৈঠকে মহিলাদের জেলা পর্যায়ে কম্পিউটার প্রশিক্ষণের একটি প্রকল্প অনুমোদনের সময় এ ধরনের প্রকল্প আরও করার নির্দেশ দিয়েছেন। প্রধানমন্ত্রী প্রয়োজনে আরও বড় পরিসরে এ ধরনের প্রশিক্ষণের উদ্যোগ নিতে মহিলা ও শিশু বিষয়ক মন্ত্রণালয়কে প্রকল্প না নিয়ে এটি রাজস্ব খাতে দিয়ে দেওয়ার উদ্যোগ নিতে নির্দেশ দেন। যাতে প্রতিবছর বাজেটে এই খাতের জন্য বরাদ্দ রাখে। আর একবছর বা দুই বছর পর পর যেন তারা না আসে।” “এ জন্য কার্যকর মহিলা সংস্থা হওয়া উচিত বলে মনে করেন প্রধানমন্ত্রী,” বলেন মন্ত্রী। এমন এ মান্নান বলেন, “বৈঠকে ঠাকুরগাঁওয়ের বিসিক খাদ্য প্রক্রিয়াজাতকরণ শিল্পনগরী শীর্ষক প্রকল্পে খাদ্য প্রক্রিয়াকরণের কথা বলা হলেও দুগ্ধ প্রক্রিয়াকরণ অন্তর্ভুক্ত করা হয়নি। এই প্রকল্পে দুগ্ধ প্রক্রিয়াকরণ যোগ করার নির্দেশ দিয়েছেন তিনি। “প্রধানমন্ত্রী আরও বলেছেন মুন্সিগঞ্জে অনেক বালু মহাল গড়ে উঠেছে। এই বালু পরিকল্পিতভাবে স্থানান্তরের নির্দেশ দিয়ে প্রধানমন্ত্রী বলেছেন, যে যেভাবে পারে বালুর ব্যবসা শুরু করে দেবে, এটা ঠিক নয়।”

Bangladeshi edtech startup Shikho raises $1.3M global capital This is the largest round raised by a Bangladeshi edtech startup yet Shikho, a Bangladesh-based edtech startup aiming to make high-quality education accessible and affordable, has announced the completion of a US$1.3 million seed round of financing to democratise quality education in Bangladesh. This is the largest round raised by a Bangladeshi edtech startup yet, said a press release on Wednesday. The round was led by Anchorless Bangladesh, a New York-based early-stage venture capital firm dedicated to Bangladesh, and LearnStart, the seed fund of Silicon Valley-based edtech investment specialists Learn Capital. It also had participation from Southeast Asia-focused venture capital firm Wavemaker Partners and Ankur Nagpal, founder and CEO of a leading American edtech called Teachable. This will be the first time Wavemaker Partners have invested in a Bangladeshi venture and the sixth deal for Anchorless Bangladesh since 2020, who have been very active in the local ecosystem; other investments include funding to Maya, AliceLabs, Loop Freight and Gaze. Founded in April 2019, Shikho is an education technology (edtech) company building a digital learning ecosystem centered on modernising the delivery of the Bangladeshi National Curriculum and making it fit for the 21st century. Combining expertise across content, instruction, media, and technology, Shikho utilizes multi-layered gamification and modern learning methods to make online learning enjoyable, engaging, and effective for students of classes 9-12. The company adapts material from the national curriculum, helping students using the app to transition more easily to online learning environments by engaging them with the material they are already accustomed to in traditional classrooms. The technology platform addresses each part of the Bangladeshi student journey—covering daily lessons, homework, exam prep, tutoring, and skill development—in an affordable, convenient, and cohesive way. It provides students with academic courses that include resources and tools to help students succeed in national board exams. Shikho's app includes access to animated video lessons, a library of in-app questions and solutions, along with interactive features for collaboration among peers. Through Shikho's online platforms, students will soon be able to attend both live and pre-recorded classes taught by subject experts and professional instructors, allowing them to gain access to high-quality instruction that may otherwise be outside of their reach in physical classroom settings. Students can learn at their own pace with content accessible from anywhere and anytime at a fraction of the cost of traditional online learning and tutoring services. The outbreak of the pandemic has presented the education sector with significant challenges and opportunities. Widespread school closures across the world to reduce the spread of the virus brought about a revolution in remote learning, yet those who are already marginalized with limited or no online access were left even further behind. This poses a pressing threat to achieving the fourth of the UN's Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), "To ensure inclusive and equitable education and promoting lifelong learning opportunities for all" – by the deadline of 2030, which Shikho seeks to achieve in Bangladesh with close engagement with key stakeholders, which this new round of investment will help advance. Shikho is led by a team of experienced educational and technical talent. The team includes co-founders Shahir Chowdhury (CEO), a seasoned financial and business professional; and Zeeshan Zakaria (COO), an experienced educator with a decade of hands-on educational leadership. With years of overseas business and education experience, paired with an intimate understanding of the Bangladeshi education sector, the Shikho founding team brings together global best practices with on-the-ground know-how, addressing the unique educational needs of Bangladeshi students. Students do well when they are engaged and able to understand the material clearly; this applies to all modalities of learning, whether online or in schools and tutoring centers. Shikho differentiates itself by focusing on quality of instruction whilst making learning fun. They have created a system with multiple layers of quality checking with education experts and creatives reviewing each stage of the content creation process. Additionally, Shikho also aspires to improve educational outcomes for students by 'gamifying' the learning experience. Students are rewarded with achievement points, can compete with friends, and have the chance to earn a variety of digital badges for completing course material. The technology goes one step further to allow access to personalized real-time performance and progress tracking which students and their parents can use to better understand strengths and reinforce weaknesses. These are some of the advanced features that will be further developed with this round of financing. Shikho also plans to continue build advanced features for its learning app, including personalization, granular data analysis, live quizzes, and introduce a new web portal and parent app.In the future, the company plans to expand its offerings to cover the entire educational journey of Bangladeshi students across primary, secondary, tertiary, and continuous professional learning. "Although half of the 165 million people in Bangladesh are below the age of 25, there is a clear lack of quality online educational resources for students and young professionals. By building a digital learning ecosystem that caters to the modern Bangladeshi student and democratizes access to a world-class and enjoyable learning experience, we believe Shikho will have a powerful and lasting impact for generations to come," said Shahir Chowdhury, co-founder and CEO of Shikho. "As an experienced teacher, I understand the importance of personalised instruction and differentiated learning. This combined with regular feedback are the most powerful tools a teacher has at their disposal. With this round of investment, we look forward to furthering the technology that brings these features into an automated personalisation engine and the platform as a whole," said Zeeshan Zakaria, co-founder and COO of Shikho. "Improving access to the highest quality, most compelling digital learning experiences are essential for the future. We have witnessed the potential for technology to transform education all around the world and are excited to see Shikho do the same for Bangladesh. We continue to be committed to supporting the very capable team at Shikho as it progresses the company's vision of democratizing quality online education in Bangladesh," said Don Burton, managing partner of LearnStart, an early investor in Shikho. "Bangladesh has one of the largest allocations of private education expenditure as a percentage of disposable income in the world but lags behind countries like India and Indonesia when it comes to edtech funding. The market is primed for growth, and we believe the team at Shikho is well-fit to lead the charge and take education to the next level," said Rahat Ahmed, founding partner and CEO at Anchorless Bangladesh. Prior to this round of financing, Shikho raised US$275,000 in a pre-seed financing from LearnStart and strategic angel investors. Shikho is available on the Play Store. To find out more please visit Shikho.tech.

https://www.tbsnews.net/economy/lockdown-leaves-food-processing-industries-limping-280021 Shawkat Ali 28 July, 2021, 12:00 pm Last modified: 28 July, 2021, 12:16 pm Lockdown leaves food processing industries limping The food processing industry is continuing production amid the strictest lockdown over the pandemic now in place, but it is facing obstacles in marketing products at home and abroad, people involved in the sector have said. Transportation cost and production cost have increased, but sales of products in the local market have declined. As a result, some companies are reducing their production, which is having an impact on local raw material suppliers. According to a number of companies in this industry, the food processing factories are operating amid the lockdown, but transporting their products to shops by small vehicles has become very difficult. Sometimes the law enforcers bar small vans, carrying goods, for a long time, which makes them unable to enter the designated areas. This is hampering the marketing of processed food. Jasim Uddin, chief operating officer (Brand and Marketing) of Bashundhara, told The Business Standard, "Those responsible for delivering goods to shops are being harassed." He said the law enforcers sometimes do not allow goods-laden vans to move and the company's main office has to make phone calls to clear the halted vehicles. As a result, delivery of goods on time is not possible. "If there is any problem in the mills, local and foreign technicians are needed, but it is not possible to solve the problems quickly amid the lockdown. All in all, production is not going to be as usual," he added. The processed food exporters are facing even more severe problems as they cannot export goods on time due to ship and container congestions. Those who are able to ship the goods have to pay rents several times higher compared to normal times. Industry insiders said the cost of transporting goods inside the country has doubled. On the other hand, containers are not available for export despite several times higher rent being paid. Normally, shipping a 20-foot container to Dubai would cost $300-350, which has currently increased to $1,100, said sources. Besides, the price of raw materials has increased by 20-25% on average. This has resulted in increased production cost, but product prices have not increased accordingly, people involved in the sector have said. They also said demand for their products has declined due to restrictions on people's movement and the limited time during which shops are kept open. The food processing companies have reduced production due to the difficulties in marketing goods at the local and international levels. Production of a number of products, like milk and dairy products, has dropped by almost half compared to normal times. Md Mosleh Uddin, chief operating officer, Dairy, Akij Food and Beverage Ltd, told TBS, "Grocery shops have reduced the milk and dairy products they keep because they do not know how long they can keep the stores open. People's movement is also limited. So, we are producing goods, but we cannot sell them much. As a result, we have to reduce production by half." "If we reduce production, it will have a direct impact on farmers, because they cannot stop producing milk," he said. Pran RFL Group Director (Marketing) Kamruzzaman Kamal told TBS the company has been facing more difficulties in exporting goods abroad than in marketing at home. The firm has to spend at least four times more than the usual cost for exporting products. Despite the hike in cost, containers are not available and they cannot ship their goods. Opening packaging industry essential for food processing Keeping the packaging industry closed amid the lockdown has posed another problem for the food processing industry. These factories make different types of packets, cartoons and labels. Some big companies have a large volume of these in stock, but small and medium enterprises do not have that. If these backward linkage factories are not opened soon, the food processing companies will have to stop marketing goods for lack of packaging. Syed Mohammad Shoaib Hassan, vice-president of the Bangladesh Agro-Processors Association, told TBS, "If the packaging industry remains closed during the lockdown, there will be severe problems because most companies have very little stock of packaging material." "We are already facing difficulties in providing good quality cartons for export products. If the packaging is not good, there will be problems in the quality of the product, which will create further problems for us in the future. For all these reasons, it is necessary to reopen the packaging industry." Meanwhile, there is no obstacle in transporting vegetables, fish, meat and eggs. However, due to the increase in transport cost, consumers have to buy these products at higher prices. Mostafa Kamal, a vegetable seller in Karwan Bazar, said the goods have to be brought to Dhaka at a cost which is almost double than the normal. This definitely will have an effect on the prices of products.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BFlI9ncrZI4&t=10s

https://futurestartup.com/2021/07/27/sarjeena-maodud-on-sheraspace/?utm_content=buffer2ff6d&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook.com&utm_campaign=buffer On Building a Tech-first Home Improvement Platform in Bangladesh, Interior Design Market, and Lessons in Entrepreneurship with Sarjeena Maodud, Co-founder and CEO, Sheraspace By Future Startup | Jul 27, 2021 Sarjeena Maodud is the co-founder and CEO of Sheraspace, a tech-first home improvement services company based in Dhaka. Founded in 2019, Sheraspace offers a number of services related to interior design, including online interior design consultation, complete end-to-end interior design solutions, and custom furniture design for full interior design projects. In this fascinating interview with Future Startup, Ms. Sarjeena walks us through her early life in Moscow, growing up in Dhaka, education in UCL, moving back to Dhaka, founding and building a tech-first interior design company in Bangladesh, talks about the state of Sheraspace, services Sheraspace provides, and its ambition going forward, discusses her experience of building a team, growing the business, shares her take on company culture, dealing with challenges of being a female founder and much more. Future Startup: Could you please tell us about your background and your path to entrepreneurship and what you are doing today? Sarjeena Maodud: I was born in Moscow and my parents decided to move to Dhaka shortly after. I was raised in Dhaka and completed my O and A levels here, before moving to London to pursue higher education. I completed a Bachelors in Computer Science and a Masters in Technology Management from University College London, finishing in 2017. After my Masters I was on track to pursue a career in IT Consultancy and was comparing offers from different companies in London, when one enthusing phone conversation with my father one day, inspired me to move back to Dhaka – the capital of the land of opportunities – Bangladesh. I started my career with a remote job in Business Development with a health-tech start-up based out of Los Angeles, and at the same time was exploring opportunities for innovation in various industries in Bangladesh. I knew at that point that I wanted my work to contribute to the growing economy of Bangladesh and entrepreneurship would be the ideal path in doing so. My involvement with a start-up at that point and exposure into the inner workings of a company growing from scratch, further fed into this aspiration. Future Startup: When and how did you come up with the idea of Sheraspace and get started? Sarjeena Maodud: A personal experience led me into the world of interior design. After moving back to Dhaka in 2017, I experienced the process of interior design first hand, during a home renovation project for my new house. Of course, what I wanted was great interiors, but instead what I got was a rather unpleasant experience characterized by delays, lack of cost transparency, design expectation, and design delivery mismatch, and overall, a service that lacked accountability, transparency, and quality. My conclusion was that as a consumer, it was almost impossible for me to be sure of the end result of this interior design process, despite investing huge amounts of time, money, and effort into it. My curiosity about the industry led me to research further into its inner workings. At the time, I shared the idea with my then co-worker Nizam Farid Ahmed, who joined along in this quest to collect data, conduct focus groups and eventually conceptualize a tech-first home improvement platform – Sheraspace. Future Startup: What went into building the initial operation of Sheraspace i.e., how did you put together initial investment and other resources to get started? Please walk us through what the first few months to one year of Sheraspace and your journey were like. Sarjeena Maodud: We registered Sheraspace as a limited company and launched operations in February 2019. We started with a team of 4: My co-founder, 2 recruits, and myself. We funded the company with personal funds in the initial months, until securing angel investment on our 6th month of operation. With a round of funding and a decent understanding of the market, the team grew in size to around 10 people and picked up some pace after crossing the 6-month mark. We received a modest response for our end-to-end interior solution offerings in the first year. I must say the business model Sheraspace operates on today is much more evolved from what we were following at that point in time. The service lines have been transformed greatly too, to fit the elicited needs of the market. Future Startup: What were some major challenges you faced in the early days and how did you deal with them? Sarjeena Maodud: In an industry typically dominated by male contractors, a young and female lead for a company in that industry came as a shock to many. I’ve lost count of how many emails I used to receive that addressed me as “Mr. Sarjeena” or “Dear Sir” in the early days! Must say, we’ve come a long way from there. Deciding to start a novel initiative in the interior sector was frowned upon by many industry professionals. Some were of the opinion that I shouldn’t be running a business in the interior sector as I wasn’t an Architect or an Interior Designer myself. However, I have always seen this as an advantage because not belonging to the industry is what has enabled me to see it through a different lens that is free of status-quos and allowed me to identify areas of innovation in the sector. I do, however, thoroughly value the input of my Design team members in our journey. The aim was not to teach Designers how to do their job, but rather to make their expertise more accessible, efficiently delivered, and appreciated by the mass Bangladeshi audience. I have also learned so much from the many interesting encounters and discussions with talented Designers and Architects in Bangladesh. Apart from the above, it also came as a shock to friends and family around me, that with a degree in Engineering and another in Management from a world-class institution, I had deliberately decided to leave behind the option of a career in IT Consulting in London to pursue an entrepreneurial endeavor in Dhaka. The whispers and disapproving opinions of people weren’t the most encouraging back then for sure, but the very same people have come to appreciate Sheraspace now. Let’s just say, I prefer to let my work speak for me. Design mood board | Sheraspace Future Startup: What were some of the things that worked, strategically, in the early days that helped you to grow the business and become sustainable? Sarjeena Maodud: Dynamism and agility have played crucial roles in allowing us to navigate the rocky roads of the early days. Business is always uncertain; however, the uncertainty of the early days is of a different level, altogether. Our test and learn approach to operating came as a huge benefit, as we never shied away from tweaking what wasn’t working. It was important however to have the team be aligned with our ultimate vision and understand the changes that were necessary to keep moving towards that direction. Future Startup: Could you please give us an overview of Sheraspace today, i.e., an overview of your products and services, business model, how your operation works, size of business, etc? Sarjeena Maodud: This question calls for a little bit of context. So, there’s a pre-existing notion in Bangladesh that interior design is for the affluent only and an interior project requires an extensive investment of time, effort, and money. This is exactly what Sheraspace challenges today. We are working to democratize interior design by making it accessible to everyone through an affordable, short-term, and hassle-free solution that consumers can avail from the comfort of their home. We do this through our Online Interior Design Consultation service. This service is aimed at individuals who need professional interior design guidance, but do not necessarily wish to invest in a lengthy interior project. They would avail the Online Interior Design Consultation and implement the design plan on their own and at their preferred pace. For those who are looking for logistics and execution support for their interiors, we also offer full end-to-end interior design solutions that include installation services. The Online Interior Design Consultation service certainly has a much higher sales frequency, as its flat-fee pricing and ease of obtainability are highly appealing and practical for consumers. The full interior solution service has a relatively lower sale frequency, but a much larger ticket size, of course. These are our main sources of revenue generation. As for the business size, we are a team of 25 at the moment across 6 departments. To serve surging consumer demands though, we are currently going through a team resizing and looking to grow the Sheraspace family to around 35 team members by the end of August. Design sketch | Sheraspace Future Startup: From a product perspective, how does Sheraspace work? How do you work with your partners and customers? How does the tech part work? Sarjeena Maodud: As I mentioned earlier, Sheraspace offers 2 services: Online Interior Design Consultations for individuals who are in need of professional design guidance Full Interior Design Solutions for those who require end-to-end installation, sourcing, and project management support We maintain a database of items from various partners and vendors, which our designers utilize when creating mood-board design visualizations for our clients. To further diversify the product range offered on the design mood-boards, we are now looking to build a full department around partner acquisition. I’m glad you asked me about the tech bit. As we navigate this era of digital transformation, the use of technology, of course, is not an option anymore. We see it very much as a necessity and it sits at the core of our internal operations. At Sheraspace, we have our native CRM and project management tool through which every touchpoint of the consumer journey is facilitated, monitored, and controlled. Starting from receiving a lead to nurturing and converting them, sending invoices and receiving payments, flagging project issues, and logging client requests – everything is handled centrally through our project management, product sourcing, and customer helpdesk software. This has been integral in ensuring that we are able to keep up with the soaring demands for our services and continue to provide an efficient and seamless experience to clients. As for the consumer-facing end, we are working on an Augmented Reality feature, solely to facilitate the efficient delivery of our services. We shall reveal more about it in due time. The aim going forward is also to make the Project Management tool available to consumers, so they are able to track real-time project progress updates. Digital twin simulation is also a super fascinating concept we look to explore to enable instantaneous visual project updates for clients. Future Startup: How have you attracted users and grown Sheraspace? Could you tell us about strategies and activities that you carried out to achieve the growth? Sarjeena Maodud: I am thoroughly inspired by Steve Jobs’ take on an “epiphany experience”. An epiphany experience occurs when a need that the customer never knew existed, becomes fulfilled by a service or a product. Seeking out a gap in the interior industry led us to creating an epiphany experience for consumers through our Online Interior Design Consultation. Of course, being the first to market is a great advantage. Furthermore, utilization of the right distribution channels is what has helped us in spreading the word about Sheraspace. Upon communicating the service to the right masses, it wasn’t then too difficult for the consumer to realize that this was a need she/he has always had, yet was never consciously aware of! Our focus is always on providing unparalleled service – not only in terms of the design plans we offer but also customer service, efficiency, and professionalism. The nuanced details, like addressing clients with appropriate mannerism, to the bigger aspects, like providing them with the right design plan to match their needs – every touchpoint in the consumer journey is thoroughly researched, planned, and constantly improved as we collect feedback from our deliveries. A major portion of our consultation client base is generated via word of mouth. I believe that goes to show that our obsession with sound customer service seems to be working well for us! Future Startup: How much has Sheraspace evolved over the past months i.e., how would you compare Sheraspace today with the Sheraspace from early days? Sarjeena Maodud: We’ve gone through a couple of pivots and I am always very transparent about them. In 2019, we started with the concept of building an aggregator platform to connect clients with interior designers. We then progressed to become an end-to-end interior solution provider. We eventually evolved to become the first Bangladeshi company to offer a revolutionary virtual design service to customers in an affordable, short-term, and hassle-free involvement. One has to start somewhere. Every business will take on its own journey towards success, but what’s important is that we take that first step to start. The challenges, the roadblocks, and the learnings are what have molded Sheraspace to become what it is today, but what I’m most glad about is the fact that we decided to start when we did in February of 2019. One thing has remained the same throughout the journey though – every space we design, we always aim to deliver the best, hence creating a ‘shera’ space for every individual who does business with us. It is a core value of our company. Future Startup: The pandemic lingers on: what kind of impact is the pandemic having on your business and how are you dealing with it? Sarjeena Maodud: The first wave of the pandemic-driven movement restrictions of early 2020 did come as a shock for our business, as it did for several others. Our offline interior operations had to be put on halt until further notice, meaning all means of revenue generation had to be plugged off. It was an extremely stressful time, perhaps the most difficult I have faced in my career so far. But I strongly believe every dip brings with it an opportunity to rise higher than ever before and this was no different. The pandemic turned out to be a blessing in disguise for us, in that respect, as our Online Interior Design Consultation service was born as a disruptive answer to the pandemic’s disruption. Meaning, our service is pandemic proof, and the subsequent movement restrictions have not hampered the revenue wheels so much. In fact, we are seeing a steady rise in sales figures over the past quarter. As for the internal operations, we maintain a flexible, tech-savvy, and employee-first work culture at Sheraspace. Hence, remote work has never been much of an issue for us. Everyone is trusted to get work done and do so with the help of KPI-driven assignments and Kanban sprint plans. So, lockdown or not, the show keeps running! Yes, my team members do miss coming to office though – the coffee break chit-chats, the lively work atmosphere, and the overall spirit of the team in physical presence is surely unmatchable in the Zoom world. Team celebrations at Sheraspace office | Sheraspace Future Startup: What are some mistakes you’ve made if any, that you want other entrepreneurs to avoid? Sarjeena Maodud: Oh, so many! I’ll share a couple of the notable ones. One of my biggest learnings has been the correct execution of task delegation. It is important to know what needs to be perfect and which aspects could do without painstaking perfectionism, so that team members have some space to make errors and learn from them. For the founder to hold on to everything and do it all by themselves not only paves way for them to become overloaded and overly stressed but also takes away skill-building opportunities from team members. Another misstep was not crediting marketing with the level of attention it required in the early days. Taking an analogical example here – if the business is a vehicle, then marketing is the headlights that light up the path ahead for the vehicle to keep moving. It was a mistake to not invest appropriately in marketing early enough, as it is one of the most important functions of the business. We did however make appropriate amends, later on. Future Startup: Have you found anything particularly helpful or advantageous in the process of building Sheraspace? Sarjeena Maodud: Like I mentioned before, being the first mover in a market has its advantages. We have introduced the concept of an Online Interior Design Consultation in Bangladesh for the first time. Now, I personally believe in leading vs following – I would much rather create a new, disruptive solution to an old problem than get into price wars over an existing solution. As we were not battling it out on a price point, we had the space to learn and experiment and work with a focus to cater to the needs of the consumer. This in turn enabled us to establish a strong brand presence and garner customer loyalty. Future Startup: Could you please tell us about the interior design market in Bangladesh? How big is the market? What are the major trends? What are the challenges and opportunities in the sector? Sarjeena Maodud: The interior design market is massive. Based on real estate market data from the past years, we could easily be looking at a billion-dollar market for interiors. However, it is a highly fragmented sector with several small players and no established industry standards to follow when serving a client. This allows many to get away with substandard quality of services without any accountability. However, if I speak of the possibilities, I see a very bright picture. There is so much creative talent in Bangladesh and there is a lot of market demand. It creates a fantastic place for one to innovate in. It is important to build that bridge between demand and creative solutions with a service that is of quality and reliability. And I’d say I see Sheraspace being well capable of leading the way here. I also believe more innovative endeavors will contribute to establishing a standard in the industry, which will shape consumer expectations. This will automatically eliminate substandard services, thereby developing the market, overall. With positive economic growth prospects and rising consumer buying power, the backbone of the Bangladesh economy is set to grow stronger, which consequently creates more opportunities for us to serve these people. Future Startup: How do you deal with the challenges and stress that come with being a founder? Sarjeena Maodud: I have a simple approach to dealing with challenges and stress – I keep an open mindset. I am always open to failure and this outlook has helped me greatly in navigating unpleasant situations. I am unafraid of experimenting, as I have gathered much greater learnings and wisdom from my failures than I ever have from any of my successes. This enables me to avoid impulsive decision-making, especially in stressful situations. I always try to look at errors with curiosity and decode insights and learnings from them to apply in the future. So, stress and challenges aren’t so bad after all – they are opportunities for growth! I also try to maintain a habit of reading, learning, and taking courses – the knowledge from which often helps me traverse stressful situations. Future Startup: How do you stay productive and positive as a founder? Sarjeena Maodud: I optimize my calendar and plan my day every morning – so I am always committing time and energy to what needs to be done. There is a stark difference between keeping busy vs. being productive. Delegating tasks to the right team members and trusting them to get it done not only allows me to be productive and focus on the bigger vision but also instills a sense of empowerment within my team. I stay away from micro-management, at all costs! It is surely never a smooth sail and we do run into roadblocks from time to time. But on the difficult days, I take solace in knowing that I am working towards my vision. It is encouraging to have the support of my co-founder, Nizam Farid Ahmed, and team members whose diligence and perseverance always serve as a reminder of their love for and faith in Sheraspace. My family is also my biggest source of encouragement. Although it took them some time, initially, to understand what I was trying to do with Sheraspace, they have always empowered me to chase my dreams, and that for me is a great blessing. Their unwavering support and belief in me are invaluable and I am always grateful for that. Gratitude, in general, has played an instrumental role in keeping me going through this journey, every day. Future Startup: 3 books you would like to recommend to our readers. Sarjeena Maodud: Whether one is an entrepreneur, aspiring to be one, or looking to garner more meaning and clarity in their life, the following three are some of my all-time favorite reads: Zero to One by Peter Thiel The Code of the Extraordinary Mind by Vishen Lakhiani Start with Why by Simon Sinek

FTA negotiation takes longer than we expected in Bangladesh's case. Let us wait and see what happens after exiting LDC.

https://www.dhakatribune.com/business/2021/07/26/with-eye-on-3-sezs-japan-wants-to-boost-its-investment-in-bangladesh With eye on 3 SEZs, Japan wants to boost its investment in Bangladesh Published at 04:31 pm July 26th, 2021 Ambassador Ito said he has been advocating that Araihazar should be the best possible economic zone in Asia Japan eyes three special economic zones (SEZs), including the one at Araihazar, Narayanjanj, to give a big boost to Japanese investment in Bangladesh but things depend on the success of the first one, says Japanese Ambassador to Bangladesh Naoki Ito. “This (Araihazar EZ) should provide the best possible environment and the best possible incentives for the investors,” he said, adding that a special economic zone is a very important key to invite an increasing number of Japanese companies to invest in Bangladesh. Ambassador Ito said he has been advocating that Araihazar should be the best possible economic zone in Asia, beating its rivals in countries like Vietnam, Myanmar and the Philippines. The envoy said they will look into opportunities at Mirsarai under Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Shilpa Nagar, being developed on a contiguous land of 30,000 acres, and a possible economic zone in Maheshkhali-Matarbari area if Araihazar becomes successful. He shared the plans on the three potential economic zones for the Japanese investors in Bangladesh while responding to questions at a virtual dialogue titled “Bangladesh-Japan Relations: Prognosis for the Future” where he delivered the keynote speech. Cosmos Foundation, the philanthropic arm of the Cosmos Group, hosted the dialogue, premiered on Sunday night, as part of its ongoing Ambassador’s Lecture Series. The opening remarks were delivered by the Cosmos Foundation Chairman Enayetullah Khan. The session was chaired by Iftekhar Ahmed Chowdhury, renowned scholar-diplomat and former advisor on Foreign Affairs of Bangladesh Caretaker Government. Md Abul Kalam Azad, special envoy, Climate Vulnerable Forum; Hayakawa Yuho, chief representative, JICA Bangladesh Office; Salehuddin Ahmed, former governor, Bangladesh Bank; Prof Masaaki Ohashi, professor, University of the Sacred Heart, Tokyo; Manzurul Huq, columnist, writer and academic; Prof Takahara Akio, dean, Graduate School of Public Policy, the University of Tokyo and Ambassador (Retd) Tariq A Karim, honorary advisor emeritus, Cosmos Foundation comprised the panel of discussants. Ito said the Economic Zone at Araihazar will be ready for its operation by the end of the next year. Due to the Covid-19 situation, he said, he cannot exactly say how many companies are coming to make investments but it is really crucial to see successful and continuous business partnership between Bangladesh and Japan. “I’m sure down the line it’ll attract more investments from Japan,” he said, adding that they might be able to see 100 companies making investments. The Japanese envoy said Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) is now doing feasibility study on Mirsarai economic zone and then will explore the third possible economic zone at Matarbari-Maheshkhali area which is being developed as energy hub and industrial zone. “I’m sure we’ll have the opportunity to develop Japanese economic zone in Matarbari-Maheshkhali area as well,” he said. Hayakawa Yuho said huge projects in BIG-B such as the three MRT lines in Dhaka, the integrated development of the Matabari-Moheshkhali area and the deep-sea port there, Dhaka airport terminal-3, the Bangabandhu Jamuna railway bridge, EZ in Araihazar are under construction. Abul Kalam Azad said work on Arihajar economic zone started very vigorously and basic works have been done, and hoped that respective companies will be able to start their construction there very soon. Responding to a question from Dr Iftekhar, Azad said the Mirsarai economic zone is a big area of 30,000 acres and this land has been naturally reclaimed from the sea mostly. “A huge work is going on by different stakeholders from home and abroad,” he said, adding that they will have an independent power plant there and also an opportunity for the port facility. Azad said the Mirsarai economic zone is basically one part of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Shilpa Nagar and it is a great opportunity for investors to work there. Also Read - Dhaka receives 245,000 AstraZeneca Covid vaccine doses from Tokyo Salehuddin said Arihajar is a very good place while Mirsarai may be too crowded. He suggested concentrating on Araihazar and it can become very successful. “Matarbari may be there but I’m little bit skeptical about Mirsarai.” Talking about Public Private Economic Dialogue (PPED), Ambassador Ito said this has been a major vehicle of economic partnership and the two countries have resolved many issues related to business climate through this mechanism. “Unless and until you resolve those issues and challenges, the existing Japanese companies will not come as fast as you might be hoping for,” he said, adding that there are still some issues that need to be addressed. The envoy said there are three main challenges in the eyes of Japanese companies. Most of the Japanese companies are not happy about issues like customs clearance, which takes time and requires them to go through cumbersome procedures. Next comes trade financing, in particular the slow processing of letter of credit, and restrictions on telegraphic transfer, he said. In only two countries of Asia, a telegraphic transfer is not used as the primary method of settling import transactions, Ambassador Ito said, adding that Bangladesh and Pakistan maintain similar restrictions. As for the investment climate, he said, there have been a lot of improvements despite Covid-19 pandemic. “I fully appreciate efforts made by the government of Bangladesh.” Wrapping up the roundtable discussion, Iftekhar Chowdhury remarked that Bangladeshis remain “deeply beholden” to Japan for having always stood by them: “As one of the fastest growing developing economies, Bangladesh also provides for Japan an excellent trading partner, and a very useful investment destination.”