Sukanta Halder

Rights violations have compounded sufferings of consumers in Bangladesh, with the number of complaints rising a staggering 61 per cent in the span of a year.

The Bangladesh Small and Cottage Industries Corporation (BSCIC) has sought a Tk 1,000 crore stimulus package from the government to disburse loans for the development and expansion of the cottage industry and SMEs.

Two decades past its establishment, the Jamdani industrial estate is plagued with multifaceted problems and is nowhere near living up to expectations.

In 2018, Bangladesh Fire Service and Civil Defense department initiated a three-year project to expand their “diving unit” to reduce the devastating number of deaths from drowning in the country.

Business of hotels and resorts in tourist destinations is rebounding slowly as the Delta Covid-19 variant and dengue have turned customers very cautious over whether they would go on holidays.

The National Zoo authorities have earned Tk 32.9 lakh by selling 47 deer this year, the same as the last five years’ total.

The father wanted to have a son, who would grow up and shoulder the responsibility of taking care of the penniless family. But fate did not allow such a desire, and so, a girl was born, to his disappointment.

Naturally it was expected for the BSCIC to create a framework for commercial planning and training, production and marketing for weavers.

Most look forward to the monsoon season every year, but that is not the case for residents of the Pagar Alerteg area adjacent to the Tongi Industrial Zone of the Bangladesh Small and Cottage Industries Corporation (BSCIC).

Shafiqul Islam Ratan has been running a sweet shop with his siblings near a residential area on Kalshi road in the capital’s Mirpur for the last six-seven years.

Repeated lockdowns in Bangladesh have pushed shops, particularly small and medium ones, to the verge of closure for good as their income crashed and debt mounted.

The lost muslin yarn technology used to churn out exceedingly delicate fabrics much coveted in the 17th and 18th centuries the world over has been recovered by an expert team of the government.

Prices of essential goods are on the rise as the supply of goods in the market is comparatively low during the lockdown.

After failing to get a desired government job, Jakaria Lenin, an English literature graduate in Tangail, set up a cattle farm about 11 months ago.

Malls and markets have been registering large gatherings of Eid shoppers since reopening on July 15, providing a much-needed respite to stores to make some sales in a season marked by a depressed business.

Customers  filed a staggering 13,317 complaints against top e-commerce,  ridesharing, food delivery platforms, and Facebook-based businesses in  Bangladesh in the last three fiscal years, official figures showed.

Jobike has been left crippled by the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic as the on-demand bicycle rental service provider had to shutter a majority of its operations in the country.

Government and semi-government agencies failed to disburse the entire Tk 570 crore earmarked for the pandemic-hit small traders, entrepreneurs and farmers for the last fiscal year under a stimulus package.

Debt-ridden micro-businesses and informal workers in Bangladesh are staring at new economic distress as incomes evaporated because of the ongoing strict lockdown, which could impose an additional financial burden on them and deepen their plights.

Dhaka Bank Ltd has embraced technologies to make its retail and SME banking vibrant instead of relying on the corporate segment as it looks to drive the next phase of growth.