The economic indicators such as GDP growth are important to assess the economic advancement of a nation. But economists and policymakers should come out of the obsession of using gross domestic product numbers and focus on the figures that people can see and relate to their lives, said two noted economists. "Economic development means an improvement in the standards of living and it is a matter of feeling. This is something that can be visible and

Thousands of Bangladeshi women migrants, most of whom were employed in Middle Eastern countries as domestic workers, have been hit hard by the impact of COVID-19. Many of them have lost their jobs and were forced to return home without wages. Several of them have also been abused during the pandemic. Over 17,000 women migrants have already returned to Bangladesh amid the pandemic and many of them complain of forced return, deportation and non-payment

MUNICIPAL solid waste or garbage generation is increasing with rapidly increasing urban population in developing countries. Sustainable waste management is a major challenge for mega cities like Dhaka with 20 million people and smaller cities. The availability of land for building waste management systems (landfills, composting, recycling, and/or waste to energy) can constrain the decision making. However, we need to pay special attention to availability

The government yesterday requested Saudi Arabia and other major labour-receiving countries to address the problems of Bangladeshi migrant workers desperately waiting to go back to their workplaces. The requests were made in a meeting between delegations of missions of Gulf countries and Malaysia and two Bangladeshi ministers at the state guesthouse Padma. "We have discussed [problems regarding] iqama and visa. We did not get any immediate result.