Dhaka, Bangladesh (BBN) - The BBN has prepared the morning business round up compiling reports, published by different newspapers and news portals in Bangladesh.
Casting in concrete to help extend life of highways
At least Tk 100 billion will be needed to transform the flexibly built road network into a durable one as per the desire of the prime minister, according to estimates done by experts. The concrete roads have better life-span and require lesser maintenance compared to those of the bituminous roads, engineers said. The roads and highways are usually cast in concrete since those take lots of wear and tear, particularly during rains and floods.
BASIC Bank still suffers from scam after-effects
Despite various efforts, including wholesale management changes and rescheduling, default loans at scam-hit BASIC Bank rose in every quarter of 2014. “The bank is still suffering from the after-effects of serious scams,” said a senior official of the finance ministry's banking division. The new board, which took over in July last year, has taken various initiatives to bring down the default loans. “But it won't come down overnight -- it will be a long and painful process.”
NBR seeks enactment of law to impose mobile use surcharge
The National Board of Revenue has sent a proposal to the finance ministry for enacting a law for imposing surcharge on mobile phone services including talk time. The board made the proposal in the past week as the law ministry in late January sent back a draft Statutory Regulatory Order imposing 1 per cent surcharge on mobile phone uses, said officials concerned. They said that the law ministry sent back the draft order sent by the board for vetting observing that imposition of any surcharge on mobile uses required enactment of a law.
Stop blockade, strike; HC to Bangladesh govt
Terming blockade and strike as unconstitutional, the High Court directed the government to take measures to stop such types of political programmes. The High Court came with the direction Sunday when Bangladesh has been witnessing unusual violence including arson attacks across the country during non-stop blockade of roads, rail and waterways alongside frequent general strike enforced since January 5. In reply to a writ petition, the High Court also asked the government to explain why the anarchic activities which were going on in the name of blockade and strike would not be declared illegal.
PwC projects BD to be 23rd largest economy in 2050
Bangladesh will become the world's 23rd largest economy in terms of purchasing power parity (PPP) by 2050, says the PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) in its latest report on global economy. The PwC projection showed that Bangladesh would outnumber developed countries like Australia and advanced developing countries like Malaysia within next 35 years. The report titled 'The World in 2050', revealed this month showed that Bangladesh's gross domestic product (GDP) was $536 billion (53,600 crore) in 2014 in PPP terms.
BB to ask state-run banks to trim certificate cases against farmers
Bangladesh Bank will ask six state-run banks to take initiatives to decrease the certificate cases against farmers by searching alternative window to recover the defaulted farm loans as the number of unsettled certificate cases has already crossed two lakh. The BB will organise a meeting with the managing directors and chief executive officers of the six state-run banks today at the central bank headquarters in the capital.
BBN/SSR/AD-16Feb15-9:50 am (BST)