United News of Bangladesh

Police in a drive arrested three people for their alleged involvement in the ‘gang-rape’ of a woman at Bashantopur village in Sharsha upazila of Jashore district early Monday. The arrestees were Hasib Al Hasan, 19 of Chanduria ghop village, Abdur Rahman Emon, 20 of Choto Bashantapur village and Mehedi Hasan Tutul, 21. Tipped off, a team of police conducted separate drives in the upaizla and arrested them, said Maruf Hoddain, Officer-in-Charge of Sharsha Police Station. Police arrested them after getting written complaint from the victim. According to the complaint, a group of young men equipped with arms took the woman to an abandoned place on the night of June 13 when she went out to respond to natural call. Later, they violated the woman in turns and threatened to kill her if she disclosed it to others. Police are trying to arrest two other accused, said OC Maruf.

The Indian Border Security Force (BSF) on Monday took back 12 people, including women and children, from the Pragpur border in Daulatpur upazila of Kushtia three days after they were pushed into Bangladesh. The handover took place around 11:00am following a flag meeting between Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) and the BSF near border pillar 148/3-S at Pragpur, said Lt Col Rashed Kamal Rony, commanding officer of Kushtia 47 BGB. According to BGB sources, a delegation, led by Deputy Commanding Officer Nurul Huda, represented the BGB at the meeting, while the BSF team was led by Raninagar Company Commander AC Sunil Kumar Yadav. BGB officials said the BSF pushed the 12 people into Bangladesh through the Pragpur border around 5:30am on Friday. With assistance from local residents, BGB personnel identified the group and took them under their custody. Although a flag meeting was scheduled for that day, it did not take place. Another meeting was held on Saturday near border pillar 150/3-S at Bilgatua, but no final decision was reached. During that meeting, the BSF denied the allegation of any push-in through the Daulatpur border and initially refused to take the group back. Following a formal protest lodged by the BGB, the BSF sought time to investigate the matter. BGB sources said the 12 people remained on the zero line for three days and suffered from illness and hardship after staying under the open sky in extreme heat. Rashed Kamal said the BGB remains on the highest alert to safeguard the border and will take necessary steps to protect the country's interests.

The International Crimes Tribunal-1 on Monday fixed June 28 for delivering judgment in a case over the killing of two people and shooting youth hanging from cornice of a  building in Rampura area of the capital during July Uprising. A three-member ICT bench led by its chairman Justice Golam Mortuza Majumdar passed the order after completing the law-point argument in the case. Chief Prosecutor Aminul Islam sought the highest punishment for all five accused. Earlier, on June 10, Chanchal Chandra Sarkar, one of the five accused, gave additional testimony in his defence. He had previously testified in his defence on January 13 this year. The remaining four accused are absconding. They are former DMP Commissioner Habibur Rahman, former ADC of Khilgaon Zone Md Rashedul Islam, former Officer-in-Charge (OC) of Rampura Police Station Md Mashiur Rahman and former SI Tarikul Islam Bhuiyan. The tribunal earlier fixed March 4 for delivering the verdict. However, the prosecution later filed a petition seeking to submit new digital evidence, prompting a fresh testimony from Amir Hossain, the first prosecution witness in the case. On September 18 last year, the tribunal formally framed charges against the five accused and ordered the trial to begin. The prosecution submitted the formal charge sheet on August 7, 2025. Two people were killed in Rampura during on July 19, 2024  during the mass uprising while another young man was shot and injured by police while he was hanging from a building cornice.  

Finance Minister Amir Khosru Mahmud Chiwdhury on Monday directed officials to ensure that the Family Card programme is implemented in a transparent manner free from any political influence, so that benefits reach the intended recipients. The directive came during the fourth meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Family Card Distribution held at the conference room of the Ministry of Finance. The meeting reviewed and approved the administrative expenditure required for implementing the Family Card programme and finalised the revised 2026 guidelines for piloting the initiative. The committee also reviewed and gave policy approval to the draft Family Card Implementation Policy, 2026, which is expected to provide a structured framework for identifying eligible beneficiaries and distributing support under the programme. Officials said the policy and guidelines are aimed at ensuring transparency, accountability and efficiency in the implementation process while preventing irregularities and political interference in beneficiary selection. The Family Card programme is being introduced as part of the government’s broader social protection efforts to support low-income and vulnerable households across the country. Speaking at the meeting, the Finance Minister stressed the importance of establishing a fair and credible beneficiary selection process so that the programme serves those who are genuinely in need. Among others, Social Welfare Minister Prof Dr A.Z.M. Zahid Hossain, State Minister for Social Welfare Farzana Sharmin, and State Minister for Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives Mir Shahe Alam attended the meeting.

Dr Debapriya Bhattacharya, Distinguished Fellow at the Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD) and Convener of the Citizen's Platform on Monday said the budget's fiscal architecture remains "devoid of realism" despite its welfare-oriented rhetoric. The national budget, while thoughtfully designed in its policy framework, falls critically short in reaching the country's most disadvantaged citizens, he said while presenting a detailed analysis at a media briefing at BRAC Centre in Mohakhali. "The real budget question is not how much we are spending, but whose vulnerabilities we are choosing to protect," he said. Debapriya said FY26 economic growth of 4.14 percent became "exclusionary", failing to lower prices, raise real wages or create jobs where disadvantaged people actually work. He noted that headline CPI inflation reached 9.42 percent in May 2026 while wage growth stood at only 8.13 percent, leaving real wages negative and domestic savings also fell sharply from 25.76 percent of GDP in FY23 to 21.38 percent in FY26, weakening household resilience. Large-scale manufacturing growth collapsed to 1.76 percent in FY26, he said, while RMG export receipts fell 1.9 percent between July and April, threatening livelihoods across a sector employing millions of low-income workers, particularly women. The budget targets revenue mobilisation at 10.2 percent of GDP and public expenditure at 13.7 percent, while aiming to contain the deficit at around 3.5 percent of GDP. Debapriya described the macroeconomic framework as prepared "without proper professionalism," noting the budget requires a 52.9 percent revenue growth from a base that missed its FY26 target by 22.7 percent. He raised concern over the revenue mix, pointing out that 59 percent of incremental revenue relies on indirect taxes: VAT, customs duty and supplementary duty, which burden all consumers equally regardless of income. VAT alone accounts for 32.9 percent of the FY27 revenue target, with an incremental share of 41.2 percent. "This raises serious concerns about tax justice and equity," he said. On the positive side, Citizen's Platform acknowledged that 59.5 percent of the incremental budget has been directed toward education, health, and social security marking what it called a "decisive shift" in expenditure priorities. Social protection allocation has risen to 2.11 percent of GDP and 15.39 percent of the national budget, the highest share on record. The platform welcomed the consolidation of social security programmes from 95 to 90, the expansion of the Government-to-Person (G2P) digital payment system to over 3.26 crore beneficiaries across 29 programmes, and the introduction of the Family Card and Farmers Card as pro-poor flagship initiatives. However, it cautioned that civil service pension alone accounts for 24.51 percent of the social protection budget, an occupational entitlement for government employees rather than a universal right. Combined education, health and social protection spending amounts to only 4.82 percent of GDP, roughly 15 percent of the benchmark maintained in welfare states, the platform noted. The budget raises the tax-free income threshold from Tk 3.5 lakh to Tk 3.75 lakh and removes import duties on 60 essential food items including rice, wheat, fish, potatoes, and edible oil, steps the platform acknowledged may ease inflationary pressure on low-income households. Duty exemptions were also extended on 21 categories of assistive devices for persons with disabilities, 51 active pharmaceutical ingredient inputs and nine cancer drug raw materials. But Debapriya said persons with disabilities, the third gender, Dalit communities, indigenous peoples, climate-vulnerable households and urban slum dwellers, the most marginalised groups received the least targeted support. He also flagged that doubling of advance tax on savings certificates from 5 percent to 10 percent and reduction of the tax rebate on listed securities investments would hurt middle-income savers who depend on such instruments. The platform criticised the budget for leaving wealth tax and inheritance tax untapped as revenue sources while offering no unemployment insurance for workers who lose jobs, and no dedicated social protection architecture for urban or informal sector workers. "Bangladesh is deploying welfare state vocabulary without a welfare state fiscal architecture," Debapriya said. He called on the government to publish credible real-time data, require the Finance Minister to present quarterly statements to parliament under the Public Finance and Budget Management Act 2009, and ensure that Leave No One Behind remains a guiding principle across all fiscal decisions. The Citizen's Platform said it has set up a Reform Tracker to monitor progress not only in fiscal terms but against the reform measures and their outcomes.

Parliament on Sunday constituted two separate standing committees on the finance and law ministries, with membership reflecting the share of seats in parliament, and chaired by MPs from the ruling alliance. The committee on the Law Ministry will be headed by Bangladesh Jatiya Party Chairman and Bhola-1 lawmaker Andaleeve Rahman Partho, while the committee on the Finance Ministry will be chaired by BNP lawmaker Mushfiqur Rahman (Brahmanbaria-4). The committees were formed during the day’s parliamentary sitting chaired by Deputy Speaker Barrister Kayser Kamal. Chief Whip Md. Nurul Islam Moni moved the proposal, which was subsequently adopted by voice vote. Both committees comprise 10 members each. Two lawmakers from Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami and one from the National Citizen Party have been included in each committee. The members of the Finance Ministry-related Standing Committee are Finance Minister Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury, Md. Nurul Islam (Barguna-2), Mir Shahe Alam (Bogura-2), Jalal Uddin (Chandpur-2), Moinul Islam Khan (Manikganj-1), Shahadat Hossain (Lakshmipur-1), Saiful Alam Khan Milon (Dhaka-12) and Syed Zainul Abdin (Dhaka-4) from Jamaat-e-Islami, and Hasnat Abdullah (Cumilla-4) from the NCP. Members of the Law Ministry-related Standing Committee are Law Minister Md Asaduzzaman, Mahbub Uddin Khokon (Noakhali-1), Nowshad Zamir (Panchagarh-1), Shakila Farzana (Reserved Women’s Seat), Manjurul Islam (Dinajpur-1), Hasan Rajib Pradhan (Lalmonirhat-1), Najibur Rahman Momen (Pabna-1) and Al Faruq Abdul Latif (Nilphamari-2) from Jamaat-e-Islami, and Akhter Hossen (Rangpur-4) from the NCP. Last Wednesday, the Standing Committee on the Planning Ministry was formed. With the formation of the two committees today, eight standing committees have so far been constituted.

Speakers at a national workshop on Sunday called for scaling up climate-resilient, market-oriented and inclusive agricultural models, stressing continued investment in smallholder farmers, stronger institutions, innovation and partnerships to accelerate Bangladesh's agricultural transformation. The messages came at the National Workshop of the Smallholder Agricultural Competitiveness Project (SACP), organised by the Ministry of Agriculture at the Bangladesh Agricultural Research Council (BARC) auditorium in Dhaka. APGG 2026 ends with focus on expanding agro exports The event brought together policymakers, development partners, researchers, private-sector representatives, agricultural entrepreneurs and farmer leaders to review the achievements of one of Bangladesh's major agricultural development initiatives and explore ways to replicate and scale its successful models nationwide. Implemented by the Ministry of Agriculture and co-financed by the Government of Bangladesh and the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), SACP has worked over the past nine years to improve the productivity, competitiveness, profitability and resilience of smallholder farmers in the country's vulnerable coastal regions. Speaking as chief guest, Secretary of the Ministry of Agriculture Dr Rafiqul Islam Mohamed emphasised building on the project's achievements and expanding successful approaches across the country. "SACP has demonstrated how innovation, collaboration, and farmer-centered solutions can create real impact. As we move forward, we must build on these lessons, learn from both successes and challenges, and scale effective approaches nationwide to ensure that every farmer benefits from research, technology, and improved market opportunities." IFAD Bangladesh Country Director Dr Valentine Achancho highlighted the strategic importance of empowering smallholder farmers to adapt and thrive in a rapidly changing agricultural landscape. "The future of Bangladesh's agriculture will depend not only on producing more, but on enabling smallholders to innovate, access markets, adapt to climate change and capture greater value from their efforts. The legacy of SACP is therefore not only the results achieved, but the proof that with the right investments, institutions and partnerships, smallholders can drive a more competitive, resilient and prosperous rural economy." FAO Representative in Bangladesh Dr Jiaoqun Shi underscored the need to sustain and scale up the project's successful interventions. "While SACP is reaching its conclusion, the lessons and achievements will continue to create value. I urge you to build on what has worked well, scale up successful approaches and ensure that smallholder farmers, women and youth remain at the center of agricultural transformation." More than 88 percent of participating households reported increases in production, sales and profitability, while over 83 percent saw significant income gains from high-value agricultural commodities, the workshop was told. The project also contributed to substantial reductions in poverty, improved household asset ownership and strengthened food and nutrition security. SACP Project Director Dr Muhammad Emdadul Haque said the project's achievements extend well beyond production gains. "The project promoted nutrition-sensitive agriculture, strengthened women's participation in agricultural decision-making and supported youth engagement in agribusiness development. Investments in irrigation infrastructure, farmer organizations and community-based institutions have also laid a strong foundation for sustainable agricultural growth in coastal Bangladesh." An agri-entrepreneur from Chattogram, who was supported by the project, shared his experience as a beneficiary farmer. "My experience demonstrates that when farmers have access to innovation, modern technologies, and trusted advisory support, they can increase productivity, reduce risk, and create jobs in their communities. Investing in these areas is one of the most effective ways to help smallholders build resilient and profitable agricultural businesses." The workshop featured presentations on project achievements, lessons learned, innovation models, market development initiatives and strategies for scaling up successful interventions. Participants discussed integrating SACP's experiences into future agricultural policies, programmes and investments to further strengthen Bangladesh's agricultural sector. SACP was launched in 2018 with joint financing from the Government of Bangladesh and IFAD, and implemented by the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE), Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute (BARI), Department of Agricultural Marketing (DAM) and Bangladesh Agricultural Development Corporation (BADC) under the Ministry of Agriculture, with technical support from the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). The project successfully completed its implementation period in June 2026. It was implemented in 250 unions across 30 upazilas in 11 districts of the Khulna, Barishal and Chattogram divisions, benefiting nearly 250,000 smallholder farming households in Bangladesh's climate-vulnerable coastal regions. Over its nine-year run, more than 88 percent of participating households reported increases in production, sales and profitability, while over 83 percent experienced income growth of at least 20 percent from high-value agricultural commodities. Poverty levels in project areas declined from 33.7 percent to 13.9 percent, while the proportion of women achieving Minimum Dietary Diversity for Women (MDD-W) rose from 34.6 percent to 85.7 percent. In Bangladesh's vulnerable coastal areas, SACP has emerged as an effective model for climate adaptation, nutrition-sensitive agriculture, food and nutrition security, women's empowerment, youth engagement and environmentally sustainable farming. The lessons, innovations and partnerships developed through the project are expected to guide future agricultural development programmes and support Bangladesh's transition toward a technology-driven, market-oriented and climate-resilient agricultural sector.

The government is placing special emphasis on cottage industries and handicrafts as a means of improving the socio-economic condition of poor and destitute women across the country, Social Welfare Minister Abu Zafar Md. Zahid Hossain told Parliament on Sunday. Responding to a written question from treasury bench lawmaker Nilufar Chowdhury Moni (reserved women’s seat-10), the minister said the Ministry of Social Welfare has been implementing a range of training and income-generating programmes aimed at helping disadvantaged women become self-reliant. He informed the House that the Department of Social Services operates two socio-economic training centres at Mirpur in Dhaka and Shalbon in Rangpur, where women receive vocational training in leather goods production, block-batik printing, flower making, wool knitting, doll making, tailoring, embroidery, beauty parlour services, garment production, and bamboo and cane crafts. According to the minister, women from lower and middle-income families are being equipped with practical skills that can help them secure employment opportunities or establish small businesses. Highlighting government initiatives to bring disadvantaged women into mainstream economic activities, Zahid Hossain said women aged between 18 and 50 are being provided training in sewing, cutting, block printing, batik and handicrafts under various programmes designed to improve the living standards of marginalised communities. “Through these programmes, their skills are enhanced and they are engaged in income-generating activities, enabling them to become self-reliant,” he said. The minister added that beneficiaries also receive post-training support to help them utilise their newly acquired skills effectively and establish sustainable sources of income. He said the project titled Improvement of Living Standards of Marginal Occupational Communities (Second Phase) is currently being implemented to further strengthen the economic condition of disadvantaged groups. Another project, Improving the Living Standards of Marginal Farmers, Persons with Disabilities, Underprivileged People, Widows and Deserted Women of Joypurhat District through Income-Generating Activities in the Context of the Global Pandemic, is also contributing to women’s economic empowerment, he added. Replying to another question from the same lawmaker regarding old-age allowances, the minister said the programme is being implemented in line with the Old Age Allowance Implementation Policy 2013. He said the allowance programme was introduced to ensure social security for elderly citizens who are poor, have limited earning capacity, or are unable to earn a livelihood. Regarding beneficiary selection, Zahid Hossain said preparing new beneficiary lists and updating existing records is a regular activity of the Department of Social Services and remains an ongoing process. He said the government is committed to bringing all eligible elderly citizens under the social protection framework through the continuous updating of beneficiary databases. The minister also noted that both the number of beneficiaries and the amount of monthly allowances under social security programmes are reviewed and increased periodically. Under the social security system, decisions on increasing allowance rates and beneficiary coverage are taken by the Cabinet Committee on Social Security Programmes, he said. “As this is a continuing government programme, efforts will be made to gradually increase both the number of beneficiaries and the amount of allowances in the coming fiscal years,” the minister added.

Climate activists and experts on Sunday expressed concern that the proposed national budget for FY2026-27 does not allocate sufficient resources to implement long-term climate adaptation plans, urging the government to raise climate spending to at least 3 percent of GDP. Climate expenditure in the proposed budget stands at only 0.76 percent of GDP, far below the level required to address growing climate vulnerabilities, they said at a seminar titled “National Budget 2026–27 and Climate Allocation” at the CIRDAP Auditorium in the capital. The seminar was jointly organised by COAST Foundation, BDCSO Process and EquityBD and moderated by COAST Foundation Executive Director M Rezaul Karim Chowdhury. Speakers called for a separate adaptation plan for coastal water management, with priority given to strengthening embankments, sluice gates, drainage systems and other coastal protection infrastructure, alongside the renovation of old polders and development of climate-resilient structures. They also stressed the need to improve safe water supply and irrigation systems through rainwater harvesting, restoration of water bodies and canals, expansion of water-saving irrigation technologies and promotion of salinity-tolerant agriculture. M Rezaul Karim said climate justice for coastal communities must be reflected in the national budget, highlighting salinity intrusion, river erosion, water scarcity and climate-induced displacement as major challenges. He called for transparent climate financing focused on vulnerable groups and urged wider adoption of rainwater harvesting, pond-based storage, pond-sand filters, salinity-resilient water supply systems and small-scale desalination technologies. Md Ziaul Haque, Additional Director General of the Department of Environment, identified protection from water-related disasters and diseases, and ensuring adequate safe water for drinking and agriculture, as key priorities. He emphasised seawater desalination, pond excavation and rainwater harvesting as important measures to address the drinking water crisis in coastal areas. Microfinance Policy and Advocacy Specialist Md Mosharraf Hossain said improved governance and institutional reforms could help reduce the budget deficit, while strengthening accountability and financial management. RDRS Bangladesh Director Tarek Sayeed Harun said microfinance institutions contribute around 22 percent to GDP but lack adequate recognition and support. Syed Aminul Haque, Director of COAST Foundation, called for a dedicated financing system for MFIs and stronger governance, transparency and issue-based budgeting in climate finance.  

State Minister for Youth and Sports Md Aminul Haque has highlighted the critical role of youth in driving economic growth and the need to further strengthen their contribution. “We are committed to transforming the youth sector, ensuring that training leads to real self-reliance and strengthening skills development to create meaningful employment opportunities,” he said while speaking at a function in the city on Sunday. Above all, the State Minister said their core priority is job creation and supporting the innovative potential of young people, especially young women. The government with support from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and Plan International Bangladesh, inaugurated the National Action Plan (NAP) to operationalise the Youth Entrepreneurship Development Policy 2025. Youth and Sports Secretary Md Mahbub Ul Alam said the government can create only 70 lakh jobs. He said this leaves many educated young people struggling with unemployment, which may contribute to social unrest. “This Action Plan must take a holistic approach. We need to adopt a bottom-up approach and organise workshops in other divisions as well to make the process inclusive,” said the Sports Secretary. Acting Resident Representative, UNDP Bangladesh Sonali Dayaratne said the Youth Entrepreneurship Development Policy 2025 and its National Action Plan provide a timely opportunity to strengthen the ecosystem that enables young entrepreneurs to transform ideas into thriving enterprises. “By expanding access to finance, skills, mentorship, and markets, while ensuring inclusion for young women, rural youth, and other underserved groups, we can unlock the full potential of youth entrepreneurship and contribute to a more resilient and prosperous Bangladesh." Country Director, Plan International Bangladesh Kabita Bose emphasised the importance of inclusivity and equitable access for youth. “We want young people not only to participate, but also to lead these initiatives. We hope this plan will not be city-centric, and ensure the leadership of women, members of ethnic minorities and marginalised communities,” she said. The workshop included technical sessions on the strategic overview of the Youth Entrepreneurship Development Policy 2025, the NAP formulation process, and stakeholder consultations to gather input from diverse actors, ensuring the plan is inclusive and actionable, according to UNDP.