Governance
All councillors of 323 municipalities removed
All councillors from general and reserved seats of 323 municipalities of the country, including the 12 city corporations, have been removed from their respective posts
Govt to import 60,000 tonnes of urea fertiliser from Saudi Arabia, Qatar
The government yesterday approved separate proposals for importing 60,000 tonnes of bulk granular urea fertiliser from Saudi Arabia and Qatar
Rab DG’s tenure extended by one year
Chiefs of both Rab and police are now appointed on contract basis
Implementing Sdg 7 / Powering progress through clean energy
Imagine a 187-feet tall tower with a 55-tonne steel dome on top. At first, it seems like a structure from a future base on the planet Mars. But the Wardenclyffe Tower is not an abstraction from the future.
Make Dhaka liveable again
Dhaka is one of the fastest growing megacities in the world. It is predicted to be one of the world’s largest metropolises by 2025, along with Tokyo, Mexico City, Shanghai, Beijing and New York City.
Unveiling the limits of anti-corruption drive
Media interest on the recently launched high-profile anti-corruption drive appears to be on the wane thanks to many competing issues.
Some solutions to Dhaka’s traffic problem
So much has been said about how the traffic situation in Dhaka could be improved, but little has been achieved in that regard. To have safe and jam free roads, you need to have a sound urban transport system and an integrated strategy. Those are things we don’t have.
Three cases of ‘policy paralysis’ in Bangladesh
“Policy paralysis” can be described as a situation where critically important laws and reforms are not undertaken or, even if undertaken, not implemented as a result of a lack
Revenue base has to be improved to overcome emerging issues
City corpora-tions and Paurashavas constitute the municipalities in Bangladesh. There are 331 municipalities comprising of 11 city corporations and 320 Paurashavas in the country.
Prioritising e-government procurement for vision 2021 and beyond
Transparency, fair competition and accountability are three defining features of an efficient public procurement system. Until 2011,
What lessons can Bangladesh learn from the Swiss model?
It is well known even the least successful example of democracy is better than no democracy. This is because at the core of democratic principles, is accountability of the government to the people. Although no one size fits all, and depending on historical experiences, cultural, social, political and developmental context, there can be many different ways of progression towards democracy, accountability or checks and balances are the key word in the process.
Are policy blind spots driving the urban mess?
Accelera-ting urbanisation is the defining story of contemporary Bangladesh. Projections show that by 2050 urban population will overtake rural population. As Bangladesh hurtles towards its urban future, what a storyline of contradictory hues is unfolding!
Development for whom?
A particular finding in the latest Household Income and Expenditure Survey (HIES) of Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS) blows the illusion of GDP growth being the “be all and end all” of development into smithereens.
Hiccups of 'Development Surprise'
Bangladesh's economic growth and development performance over the past two decades have been impressive.
Bangladesh in the next three decades
On March 22–24, a three-day conference on visualising Bangladesh in the next 30 years was organised at Yale University by Bangladesh Development Initiative (BDI), an organisation of academics of Bangladeshi origin in North America. It was an occasion to share and debate progress and challenges of development in Bangladesh.
Can we ever go beyond 'committees' and 'recommendations'?
Nowhere in the world has the issue of road safety led to the kinds of repercussions we have seen in Bangladesh. How often do you see students from all walks of life taking to the streets to bring discipline to the roads?
Government starts to nurture the fledgling RTI regime
In recent weeks, two important government ministers—Law Minister Mr Anisul Huq, and Information Minister Mr Hasan Mahmud—have given vocal support to a fuller implementation of our national Right to Information (RTI) Act.
A 'new normal'?
In its 48th year, Bangladesh faces a new existential question to ponder. What now passes as “normal”?