An array of inclusive and pro-people policies and programs, as envisaged and put in place by the Awami League led government, have largely contributed to poverty reduction and lowering inequality, resulting in a commendable economic growth and lifting up lives for millions. Over the last decade, the country, under the able and prudent leadership of Honourable Prime Minister (HPM) Sheikh Hasina, has been credited with a never-seen-before rise in economy, higher foreign investment, decreasing poverty and significant strides in human development. more than 160 public policies formulated in the last one decade under formidable leadership of HPM Sheikh Hasina. Almost all of the policies formulated by the Awami League led government in the last one decade are complemented with one or multiple action plan and guidelines for timely and success implementation, resulting in to the happening of this miracle.
Bangladeshis will be richer than Indians by 2030 as the country’s per capita income will grow nearly four times throughout the 2020s, according to Standard Chartered -- in yet another endorsement of its tremendous growth momentum. The per capita income of Bangladesh will rise to $5,734.6 in 2030. India’s will edge up to $5,423.4 after growing less than three times, according to a research note from Madhur Jha, Standard Chartered India’s head of thematic research, and David Mann, the bank’s global chief economist. Last year, Bangladesh’s per capita income stood at $1,599.8 and India’s $1,913.2. Bangladesh has seen a growth acceleration since 2010, to an average of 6.4% , as a stable government, infrastructure investment and improved energy supply have boosted productivity gains. The country posted more than 7% GDP growth in the last three fiscal years and is estimated to go past the 8% mark this fiscal year.
Traffic police are going for centralised and remote monitoring of traffic rule violations in the capital from June, with around 100 specialised close-circuit cameras being installed on 28km stretch of roads between Abdullahpur of Uttara and Kajla of Jatrabari. After the system is in place, if any vehicle breaks traffic rules at any point under surveillance, traffic police personnel would not chase or stop it, but a case would be filed based on the CCTV footage evidence. Fine slips would reach the violators’ doorsteps by mail for flouting rules like crossing stop line, blocking left lane, illegal parking on the road, collecting and dropping passengers haphazardly or driving motorcycles without helmet, said officials of DMP’s traffic department.
Trade deficit fell 9.24% year-on-year to $11.92 billion in the first nine months of the current fiscal year, an indicative of a prudent economic management under the able leadership of Honourable Prime Minister (HPM) Sheikh Hasina. A steady growth of exports against a slowdown in imports narrowed the trade gap between July and March. Merchandise exports fetched $30.43 billion in the nine months, up 12.09% year-on-year. Imports rose 5.13% to $42.36 billion, according to data from the central bank. The narrowed trade gap also squeezed the current account deficit, which stood at $4.23 billion in the nine months, down 34.67 % year-on-year.
The country’s first-ever metro rail project is progressing fast after the work of all the packages started. Now, the work of the first phase, second phase and packages for collecting rolling stock and installing electrical equipment is going on in full swing. The first phase from Uttara to Agargaon is advancing to catch up with the December 2019 deadline, while the second phase from Agargaon to Motijheel is progressing to meet December 2020 deadline. So far, the whole project saw 23.71% overall progress with the first phase advancing 38.79% until mid of April, making 3.5km viaduct visible, according to DMTCL latest figures. Physical work of the second phase under construction packages VI and VII simultaneously started on 01 August last year.
The export earnings from handicrafts witnessed an uptrend during the July-April period of the current fiscal year totaling $17.16 million which is 21.88% higher than the same period of the previous fiscal year. The 10-month export earnings from handicrafts were also 16.5% higher than the strategic target of $14.73 million. Industry insiders said there are huge potentials of handicrafts in the country as skilled workforce is available here with low fund. For this, a huge quantity of handicraft products are being exported abroad every year after meeting the local demand and thus new entrepreneurs are being created in the country.
Chief Executive Officer (CEO)of Bangladesh Tourism Board Dr Bhubon Chandra Biswas was elected as vice-chairman of Government and Destination Committee of Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA). Dr Biswas is the first Bangladeshi elected in this position in the 68 years history of the PATA, the largest non-profit organisation promoting tourism worldwide. Nearly 100 governments and state city tourism boards of the PATA member states are active member in the Government & Destination Committee. Founded in 1951, the PATA, a strategic partner of United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) is internationally acclaimed for acting as a catalyst for the responsible development of travel and tourism to, from and within the Asia Pacific region.
Bangladesh is all set to introduce digital passport or e-passport from July in an effort to ease immigration formalities and check irregularities. The validity of the passport will be extended to 10 years from five years to simplify the visa issuing process for the Bangladeshi expatriates. The decision on introducing digital passport comes less than a decade after Bangladesh switched from manual passport to the machine-readable passport or MRP. The government took the initiative to introduce e-passports in the wake of more than one passport being illegally issued against one person in the absence of database of fingerprints of citizens.
