United News of Bangladesh

Stocks witnessed mixed performance on Tuesday as key indices fell on the Dhaka Stock Exchange (DSE) while the Chittagong Stock Exchange (CSE) closed marginally higher. At the DSE, the benchmark DSEX shed 10 points, while the Shariah-based DSES declined by 5 points. However, the blue-chip DS30 index advanced 6 points, indicating gains in selected large-cap stocks. Most issues ended lower on the premier bourse, as prices fell for 221 companies against 119 gainers, while 57 issues remained unchanged. Stocks gain in early trade at DSE, CSE The turnover at the DSE rose to Tk 824 crore, up from Tk 718 crore in the previous session. In the block market, shares worth Tk 29 crore from 26 companies were traded, with Grameenphone dominating the segment with transactions worth Tk 6 crore. Intech Limited topped the gainers’ chart at the DSE with nearly a 10 percent price surge, while LR Global Bangladesh Mutual Fund One was the worst loser, shedding around 6 percent. Meanwhile, the CSE ended in positive territory as its All Share Price Index (CASPI) gained 5 points. Gainers outnumbered losers at the port city bourse, with 83 issues advancing against 64 decliners, while 40 remained unchanged. The CSE recorded a turnover of Tk 19 crore, slightly higher than Tk 18 crore in the previous session. Prime Finance and Investment Limited emerged as the top gainer at the CSE, rising nearly 10 percent, while EXIM Bank 1st Mutual Fund was the worst performer, losing about 6 percent.  

Health Minister Sardar Md Sakhawat Husain  and Disaster Management and Relief Minister Asadul Habib Dulu visited the National Burn and Plastic Surgery Institute on Tuesday morning to see victims of Chattogram and Cumilla fire incidents. The ministers arrived at the institute in the morning where its Director Professor Dr Md Nasir Uddin briefed them on the condition of the patients and the ongoing treatment. After the briefing the Health Minister told reporters that the best possible treatment would be provided to all injured patients. Disaster Management and Relief Minister Asadul Habib Dulu said gas leak related accidents occur in different parts of the country every year. He said the Ministries of Industries, Health, and Disaster Management and Relief will work together to bring expired gas cylinders under proper regulation. The ministers will hold a joint meeting soon to decide on measures to reduce such accidents, he said. Professor Dr Md Nasir Uddin said the institute had been informed earlier about the Chattogram incident and preparations were taken accordingly including deploying additional medical staff. One woman died on the way from Chattogram while several patients are being treated in the ICU and HDU, he said. Eight patients are currently receiving treatment under different categories. Gas explosion in Chattogram claims third life Three people died and six others were injured in a blast from gas leak at a residential building in Halishahar area of Chattogram city early Monday. Besides, Four members a family including a woman and a child were burned in a gas cylinder explosion in Daudkandi of Cumilla early Tuesday. The injured victims of the two incidents were shifted to the Burn Institute.  

The Cabinet Division has directed all officials and employees of government, semi-government and autonomous institutions to strictly follow prescribed office hours in a move to strengthen good governance. In a letter sent to senior secretaries and secretaries of all ministries and divisions, as well as divisional commissioners and deputy commissioners, the division instructed authorities to ensure that staff attend and leave their workplaces in line with existing rules. The directive refers to the Government Employees (Regular Attendance) Rules, 2019 and the Secretariat Instructions, 2024, which require officials and employees to maintain punctual attendance and remain in office for the full duration of working hours. Authorities have also been asked to issue necessary instructions to their subordinate offices to ensure compliance. Field-level officials and employees must obtain prior approval from the appropriate authority before leaving their workplace on weekly or other holidays, the letter said. On Monday, the Ministry of Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs issued a separate office order declaring unauthorised absence, late arrival and early departure to be punishable offences. Under the order, officials and employees are required to be present at their respective offices by 9:00am on working days and may not leave before the end of official hours. Govt warns of disciplinary action over irregular office attendance During Ramadan, staff are prohibited from leaving before 3:30pm. After the fasting month, they will not be allowed to depart before 5:00pm. The directive further states that officials seeking to leave the office for official or urgent reasons must obtain prior permission from the head of the relevant sub-division, such as a Joint Secretary or Solicitor.  

The newly appointed administrators of six city corporations assumed office on Tuesday after meeting Local Government Minister Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir at the Secretariat. The administrators are Abdus Salam for Dhaka South City Corporation, Shafiqul Islam Khan for Dhaka North City Corporation, Nazrul Islam Monju for Khulna City Corporation, Abdul Qayyum Chowdhury for Sylhet City Corporation, Sakhawat Hossain Khan for Narayanganj City Corporation and Shawkat Hossain Sarkar for Gazipur City Corporation. After the meeting, the minister said political leaders were appointed as administrators as the government believes this would help improve public services. “As government officials were previously in charge of these posts, we think that if political persons serve as administrators, people will receive better and more services. That is our belief. For this reason, we have appointed political persons as administrators,” Fakhrul said. “The gap between the authorities and the people will also be reduced, through this move,” he observed. Jamaat accuses govt of appointing BNP-backed individuals as city administrators On Monday, the government issued a gazette notification appointing six BNP leaders as administrators of Dhaka North, Dhaka South, Khulna, Sylhet, Narayanganj and Gazipur city corporations. According to the notification, the six leaders have been appointed under Section 25A(1) of the Local Government (City Corporation) (Amendment) Ordinance, 2024. They will serve as full-time administrators of the respective city corporations until elected representatives assume office or until further orders are issued.

President Mohammed Shahabuddin will pay tribute to martyred BDR (Now BGB) members at Banani military graveyard on Wednesday. The President will place a wreath at 10:00 am, marking the National Martyred Army Day, said a notification issued by the Protocol Wing of the President’s Office on Monday. The programme will be held to honour the sacrifices of the BDR members who lost their lives at the BDR (now BGB) headquarters with due dignity and respect. President Sahabuddin to administer oath to new cabinet members: Cabinet Secretary The Prime Minister’s Office, the Armed Forces Division and the other concerned were requested to take necessary measures to ensure the smooth conduct of the programme. On February 23, 2025, the government decided to observe February 25 as National Martyred Army Day, honouring the sacrifices of army officers who lost their lives in the Pilkhana incident.

The National Board of Revenue has(NBR) introduced a new system allowing Bangladeshi taxpayers living abroad to receive One-Time Passwords (OTPs) through email instead of mobile phones. The initiative is aimed at helping expatriate taxpayers who earlier registered for the e-return system using biometric-verified Bangladeshi mobile numbers but are now unable to access those numbers while staying overseas, said a press release on Tuesday. The NBR said the new arrangement will allow such taxpayers to complete special registration and reset their passwords using OTPs sent to their verified email addresses. This will remove a major obstacle to accessing the online tax platform from abroad. To verify their email addresses, expatriate taxpayers must apply to the NBR by email, attaching copies of their passport, national identity card and visa page. They also need to provide their overseas address, foreign mobile or telephone number, and the date of their last departure from Bangladesh. The NBR said it will review and verify the submitted information upon receiving the application. Once the email address is verified, taxpayers will be able to use OTPs sent to that email to reset passwords, complete registration and carry out other activities related to filing income tax returns through the e-return system. The revenue authority noted that the online filing system has become increasingly popular due to its convenience and efficiency. In the 2025–26 tax year, nearly 3.9 million income tax returns have already been submitted electronically.

The Bangladesh Army on Monday conducted a successful operation against an armed group of the Parbatya Chattagram Jana Samhati Samiti (PCJSS, or JSS) in Bandarban’s Roangchhari upazila, seizing a cache of weapons and ammunition, according to the Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR). The operation was carried out around 5:00pm at Murang Bazar area based on specific intelligence, the ISPR said. Army patrols identified members of the armed group while they were allegedly collecting illegal extortion money. Sensing the army presence, the JSS members attempted to flee and opened fire on the patrol team. The troops returned fire and chased them. During the pursuit, the assailants tried to take shelter in a school building before escaping the area. During a subsequent search, army personnel recovered a uniformed armed JSS member, identified as Hlamangnu Marma, with gunshot injuries along with weapons and ammunition. With police assistance, he was rushed to Bandarban Sadar Hospital for treatment. The army recovered one submachine gun (SMG), 143 rounds of SMG ammunition, 14 rounds of pistol ammunition, five rounds of blank ammunition, two weapon magazines and other equipment from the scene. The ISPR said the Bangladesh Army remains committed to ensuring the safety and security of people of all ethnic communities in the Chittagong Hill Tracts and will continue strict operations against armed groups in the future.

The president has accepted the resignations of two judges of the High Court Division of the Supreme Court, according to separate notifications issued by the Ministry of Law on Monday. The notifications said that Justice Mamnoon Rahman and Justice Naima Haider submitted their signed resignation letters to the president under Article 96(8) of the Constitution of Bangladesh, and the president has approved them. Justice Mamnoon Rahman, who had been on leave for about a year, tendered his resignation on February 2 citing personal reasons. He sent his resignation from Canada via email to the Supreme Court registrar general and the Ministry of Law. Justice Naima Haider submitted her resignation on February 5, which was also accepted by the president.

The National Board of Revenue (NBR) recorded a 12.90 percent growth in overall tax collection during the first seven months of the current fiscal year (FY2025–26), driven by strong performances in VAT and income tax, according to provisional data. The National Board of Revenue collected Tk 2,23,638 crore in revenue during the July–January period of FY26, up from Tk 1,98,090.13 crore collected during the same period in the previous fiscal year. The target was Tk 2,83,750 crore for the first seven months of the running fiscal. NBR invites applications for C&F agent licences Among the major sources, Value Added Tax (VAT) posted the highest growth rate. VAT collection rose by 16.45 percent to Tk 85,769.45 crore crore during the period, compared to Tk 73,653.66 crore in the corresponding period of FY25 while the target for the running fiscal was Tk 1,01,274.57 crore. Income tax collection also registered a significant increase, rising 13.29 percent to Tk 75,055.06 crore from Tk 66,252.42 crore a year earlier. The target was Tk 1,03,980.09 crore. Customs revenue, another major component of government income, grew by 7.86 percent to Tk 62,813.52 crore during the July–January period, up from Tk 58,184.85 crore in the same period of the previous fiscal year. The target was Tk 78,496.27 crore. Despite the overall positive trend, customs revenue showed a slight decline in January alone. Customs collection in January 2026 stood at Tk 8,581 crore, marking a 1.31 percent decrease from Tk 8,694.87 crore collected in January 2025. But the target was Tk 13,495.43 crore. NBR extends online VAT returns submission deadline  However, VAT and income tax continued to perform strongly during the month. VAT collection in January rose by 2.57 percent to Tk 15,277 crore, compared to Tk 14,894.31 crore in the same month last year. The target was Tk 20,475.57 crore. Income tax collection recorded even stronger growth in January, increasing by 7.18 percent to Tk 13,175 crore, up from Tk 12,292.63 crore in January 2025. The target was Tk 18,574.57 crore. Overall, total revenue collection in January 2026 stood at Tk 37,033 crore, registering a 3.21 percent increase from Tk 35,881.81 crore collected in January last year while the target for the running fiscal was Tk 52,545.57 crore. However, the total revenue collection during the July–January period remained below the target set for the fiscal year. The revenue target for the period was Tk 2,83,750.94 crore, indicating a shortfall despite the positive growth. Officials said the steady growth in VAT and income tax reflects improved compliance and administrative measures, although customs revenue remains vulnerable to import trends, exchange rate fluctuations and overall economic activity. The government relies heavily on NBR revenue to finance its budget, making sustained growth in tax collection crucial for maintaining fiscal stability and supporting development expenditure.

Inqilab Moncho has announced that it will organise mass iftar programmes at key locations associated with the July Uprising starting from Tuesday (February 24). The platform shared the information in a Facebook post on Monday evening. However, it did not disclose detailed schedules or specific venues for the iftar programmes. Describing itself as a consciousness-driven progressive organisation that speaks out against injustice, oppression and discrimination, Inqilab Moncho has also been demanding justice for its spokesperson Sharif Osman Bin Hadi.