Rejaul Karim Byron

Bangladesh’s recent easing of inflation may prove short-lived, with higher fuel prices, the new public-sector pay scale, energy shortages, and persistent supply-side problems threatening to keep price pressures elevated.

Unreliable energy supplies, logistics constraints and lengthy regulatory and approval procedures are further dampening investment demand

The implementation of the new pay scale’s basic salary in two phases will cost the government Tk 37,372 crore, covering civil, defence services and judicial personnel, alongside pensioners, according to a preliminary estimate of the finance division.

Housing allowance, the second-largest component of gross salary, has been reduced as a percentage of basic pay under the new public sector pay scale.

Tk 15,691cr spent, but Payra Port activities far below its commercial potential

The National Pension Authority (NPA) yesterday decided to extend the age limit for a spouse to receive a pension after the pensioner’s death to 80 years from 75 and introduce an Islamic version of the Universal Pension Scheme.

The government yesterday approved the construction of three metro rail lines for Dhaka at an estimated cost of nearly Tk 2.5 lakh crore.

The estimated cost of the direct dual-gauge railway line project connecting Bogura and Sirajganj has jumped nearly 89 percent to Tk 10,391 crore, with the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) set to fund 71 percent of the total project costs.