The Covid-19 pandemic came as a devastating blow for Khawja Waseem, who owns a medium-sized enterprise called SS Jute Shoe Thread and Accessories that produces and retails jute goods in Gazipur.

The entrepreneurs of local small-and-medium enterprises (SMEs), especially those who are women, are facing different problems and challenges in keeping their businesses alive in the post-Covid situation.

We intend to conduct every action through a digital platform in order to make financial inclusion more accessible. In this context, necessary steps have been taken to digitise CMSME loan distributions to remote locations as fast as possible. Our long-term ambition is to establish a digital bank.

When it comes to high achievement, it is almost always fuelled by high expectations. Going by that thinking, the much-awaited Padma bridge, whose inauguration takes place today, is gearing to be a high achiever when it comes to economic benefits.

Thanks to the opening of the Padma bridge today, the people and businesses in south-western regions of Bangladesh will finally have road access to the rest of the country.

TDS: What is your impression after completing the project?

Though the Padma Bridge project was supposed to end in four years, the contractors could not meet the deadline. It is also important to note that from engineering point of view, Padma Bridge is one of the most challenging projects in the world. We had to devise new construction techniques to cope with the unique geographical condition of the river.

Padma Bridge has conquered political, financial and construction challenges, according to Prof Dr M Shamim Z Bosunia, a specialist in structural and concrete design who has been involved with the Padma Multipurpose Bridge project since its early stage.

Padma Bridge Fact Box

The Daily Star (TDS): What possible changes could there be in our national transport system after the inauguration of the Padma Multipurpose Bridge?

Prefeasibility study (GoB funding)

Nagad has come up with 30 per cent cashback or discount for purchase through the mobile financial service under a special campaign called “Utshob-er Khushi, Nagad-a Beshi” for the Eid-ul-Azha.

The demand for motorcycle has remained between 4 lakhs to 5 lakhs units during the last few years due to the prolonged economic impact of Covid-19 in the last two years.

The demand for motorcycles with a higher engine capacity is growing among bike enthusiasts in Bangladesh as such models are becoming increasingly safer and cheaper.

Dhaka is a city unlike any other. It is a city whose heritage, culture and people are vastly diverse, and with each passing day, this diversity continues to grow.

The motorcycle market in Bangladesh is currently in the stage of growth. Just last year, the market experienced a growth of 12 percent. However, due to devaluation of our currency against the US dollar along with increasing freight costs, the next year for the market looks to be challenging.

The 2022 JRP has five strategic objectives to support the affected Bangladeshi and Rohingya populations.

Manufacturers and retailers are hopping to see a rise in demand of refrigerators since the country is rapidly recovering from the impacts of Covid-19 pandemic.

Chest freezers are a common appliance in most middle-and-higher-income households in Bangladesh, especially since the people here usually shop for groceries one month at a time.

Experts have forecast that Bangladesh will become a billion-dollar refrigerator market within the next two or three years. At present, 80 percent of the market share for refrigerators is occupied by local manufacturers.