Proposed DAP Amendments Raise Liveability Concerns

In July 2024, Brunei began recruiting Bangladeshi workers under a government-to-government (G2G) arrangement, hiring 25 workers for construction, services, and hospitality. The MOU for this agreement was signed in October 2022 during a visit by Brunei's Sultan to Bangladesh. Under the deal, Bangladesh Overseas Employment and Services Limited (BOESL) is responsible for worker recruitment, with private recruiters excluded. BOESL's contract with recruitment companies started in February, receiving 400 job requests from 100 employers.

The Cabinet Division has mandated all government offices to replace single-use plastic items with eco-friendly alternatives to combat environmental pollution. This includes using paper or other sustainable materials instead of plastic files and folders, cotton or jute bags instead of plastic ones, and glass bottles and glasses in place of plastic ones. Banners should be made from cotton, jute, or biodegradable materials, and plastic lamination on cards and leaflets should be avoided.

In August, Bangladesh witnessed a significant drop in labor exports, with only 50,426 workers sent abroad, marking a 29% decrease from July and a 63% year-on-year decline. This sharp reduction, the lowest in 35 months, is primarily attributed to political unrest following widespread student protests, which culminated in the fall of the Sheikh Hasina-led government on August 5.

Bangladesh has witnessed a sharp decline in labor exports due to recent political turmoil and the suspension of visa services at the Indian and Saudi embassies, as well as the closure of the Malaysian labor market earlier this year. In August, the country sent only 50,426 workers abroad, the lowest in the past 11 months—a 29% decrease from the previous month and a staggering 63% year-on-year drop, according to the Bureau of Manpower, Employment, and Training (BMET).

The Planning Commission is reassessing 13 projects, including four ongoing and nine new, to determine their necessity and cost-effectiveness. This review seeks to eliminate or modify projects that may be deemed non-essential or politically motivated. The budget for new projects is set at Tk21,441 crore, while the cost for ongoing projects, originally approved at Tk20,375 crore, has been proposed to rise to Tk31,207 crore.

Since August 5, diplomatic tensions have strained Bangladesh-India relations, impacting development projects funded under Indian Lines of Credit (LoC). Over the past 13 years, 40 projects were undertaken through three LoCs: $86 million in 2010, $200 million in 2016, and $450 million in 2017, totaling $7.36 billion. As of June, $175 million had been disbursed, with $561 million pending. Currently, 17 pipeline projects are stalled, and financial concessions for eight ongoing projects have ceased.