Fahmida Khatun

Following a rather relatively quiet national elections in December 2018, the year 2019 began with the hope of doing better in economic fronts.

Every time I travel to a developed country, I observe new ways of doing things. I find that human interaction has become unnecessary in getting services.

While Bangladesh is feted for being one of the fastest growing economies in the world with a growth rate of 8.13 percent in fiscal year 2018-19, its banking sector is in the grip of despair.

Creating employment for its large young population is one of the major policy challenges in Bangladesh at this moment. According to the Labour Force Survey 2016-17 of the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics, the national unemployment rate is 4.2 per cent. However,

Budget for fiscal year (FY) 2020 has not surprised us much. It maintains the status quo. One may, of course, argue that there is limited scope to demonstrate innovation through a budget since it is designed only for a year.

Bangladesh’s national budget for FY2020 will be the first budget of the newly elected government that came to power following the election in December 2018. Hence many would like to see how the budget is going to implement the promises made in the election manifesto of the ruling party. If taken seriously, election manifesto is a document which can act as the reference point of a political party to deliver on its commitments. The election manifesto of the ruling party is quite a comprehensive document that outlines the achievements of the last 10 years and elaborates the pledges to be delivered during the next five years. Some of the important deliverables will have to be achieved through budgetary allocations.

Our obsession with Gross Domestic Product (GDP) seems to growing every day while economists keep questioning its source, method, authenticity, etc.

It has been almost 21 months since the influx of about 750,000 Rohingyas to Bangladesh began in August 2017. Gradually, it is becoming clear to us that the Rohingyas are here to stay for a protracted period of time.

Interest rate is a much-talked-about issue as far as savings and investment are concerned.

In 2018, Bangladesh began its graduation process from least developed country to developing country status. Bangladesh has now

The leaders of 193 countries adopted the Sustainable Development Goals on September 25, 2015 following a long spell of extensive discussions and debates.

If one asks owners or chief executives of companies and organisations to single out one difficulty that they face, a chorus of voices will respond in unison: lack of skilled human resources.

The national budget is a means to manage the economy of a country through collection of revenue from various sources and making expenditures for development programmes.

Bangladesh will cross a number of milestones during its implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

On March 16, 2018, for the second time in the history of independent Bangladesh, the country was adorned with a crown for its

Women's participation in the labour force has increased manifolds over time in Bangladesh. Compared to 4 percent

For Bangladesh 2017 has been a mixed year of achievements and challenges. Though some macro indicators reflect the positive trends, the overall strength of the economy is weakening due to a number of developments toward the second half of the year.

It has been a highly debated issue and the business community was unhappy from the beginning. They felt that it would be a pressure on them and reduce their profitability. Consumers were confused and apprehensive. They felt that any additional tax would be passed on to them as always and raise their cost of living.

Bangladesh's national budget for FY2018 comes at a challenging time. Despite being powered by high growth and cushioned by low international prices, the Bangladesh economy has been facing a number of disquieting features.

The banking sector has been passing through a turbulent period for some time. Given that a sound financial sector is key to sustained