How consultancy firms undermine governments

Greater government reliance on consulting companies has greatly enriched them while also undermining state capacities, capabilities, national economies, progress, governance and legitimacy. The Big Con Over recent decades, policy consultancy has gradually gained more public attention. With the COVID-19 pandemic, consultancies were paid billions, with meagre results, leaving even less for millions

TCB to start selling 4 essentials in Dhaka from Tuesday

The government will sell essential items like potatoes, onions, lentil and soybean oil at subsidized prices in the capital through open trucks. The low-income group people of the capital who do not have the TCB family cards would be able to buy these commodities. These commodities will be sold from tomorrow

Colombia, guerillas postpone ceasefire and peace talks

The Colombian government and a dissident faction of the FARC guerrilla group said Sunday they were postponing a scheduled ceasefire and peace talks for over a week amid escalating tensions. The formal talks, which were set to begin Sunday in the eastern border town of Tibu, will instead start October 16,

BGMEA calls for government policy support of RMG sector

A delegation from the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA), led by President Faruque Hassan, held a meeting with Dr. Md. Khairuzzaman Mozumder, Secretary of the Finance Division at the Ministry of Finance, on October 3 at the secretariat. The delegation was comprised of BGMEA Senior Vice President SM Mannan

Govt to procure 3.80cr litres soybean oil from Malaysia

The government Wednesday approved separate proposals for procuring some 3.80 crore liters of soybean oil, 3 lakh metric tons of wheat, 1.70 lakh metric tons of fertilizer to meet the growing demand of the country. The approvals came from the 30th meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Government Purchase (CCGP) in

Govt fixes power tariff for 3 power plants

The government Wednesday approved separate proposals for fixing power tariff for procuring power from two solar power plants and one wind-based power plant for a long 20-year period with an overall estimated cost of around Taka 19,476 crore. The approvals came from the 30th meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Government

Germany to provide €191m for country’s sustainable dev

Germany will provide 191 million euro to Bangladesh in the form of technical cooperation and financial cooperation for the sustainable development of the country. In this regard, two bilateral agreements on Development Cooperation were signed today between the Governments of Bangladesh and Germany following up on the commitments of the last

ADB to provide $300m for skill dev in Bangladesh

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the government of Bangladesh Monday signed a $300 million loan agreement to strengthen the skills base and training programs for Bangladesh's workforce. Sharifa Khan, Secretary, Economic Relations Division, and Jiangbo Ning, ADB Deputy Country Director for Bangladesh signed the agreement on behalf of their respective

WB to provide $300m rural youth employment

The government of Bangladesh and the World Bank on Sunday signed a $300 million financing agreement to equip about 900,000 economically disengaged rural youth, especially women, with skills and alternative education needed for employment and entrepreneurship. Economic Relations Division secretary Sharifa Khan and World Bank Country Director for Bangladesh and Bhutan