Facing prolonged protests and a complete shutdown by NBR employees after the decision to restructure the revenue board, the government has declared all categories of customs house, ICD, bond commissionerate, and customs station jobs under NBR as essential services in the national interest. In a statement, authorities said Bangladesh’s revenue collection falls significantly short of requirements due to systemic inefficiencies, irregularities, and corruption. The government condemned the protests as unjustified disruptions that have seriously hampered trade, imports, exports, and tax collection over the past two months, further noting that protesters have also blocked dialogue efforts.