Cabinet
Cabinet orders prompt action against rice hoarders
The Cabinet on Monday directed the relevant authorities to find out why the rice price is so high during the peak harvest season.
The directive came from the Cabinet meeting held with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in the chair at her office.
The meeting decided to conduct drives against illegal rice hoarders like the recent drives carried out against the edible oil hoarders in the country, said Cabinet Secretary Khandker Anwarul Islam.
Also read: Strict action if anyone tries to destabilise rice market: Food Minister
“Today a directive was given to take quick action, if anyone is engaged in the unauthorized business and hoarding of rice,” he said, adding that prices of rice and oil were elaborately discussed at the meeting.
Anwarul said the Cabinet instructed to go on action after conducting a market survey to know why the prices of rice went up in the full season and whether the rice is being hoarded and whether anyone is engaged in rice business illegally.
He said there is information that some (businessmen or companies) might get engaged in rice business breaking the memorandum of association. So, the meeting asked to monitor and supervise the rice market strongly, he added.
Also read: PM urges fixing war-disrupted global supply chains to tame rising prices
An instruction was given to the commerce minister, the food minister, the commerce secretary, the food secretary and the agriculture secretary to sit in a meeting for conducting the market survey soon in order to find out the reason behind soaring rice price.
Cabinet asks for a realistic assessment of price situation of essentials and tasks ahead
The Cabinet on Thursday directed the authorities concerned to make within next three days a realistic assessment of the prices of the essentials and challenges ahead.
The directive to finance and commerce ministries and Bangladesh Bank came at the Cabinet meeting with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in the chair at the PMO.
The finance ministry, commerce ministry and Bangladesh Bank will give a “comprehensive picture within two or three days,” Cabinet Secretary Khandker Anwarul Islam said at a media briefing after the meeting.
The Cabinet directed that the report should include measures to be taken in overcoming the challenges in the wake of the Russia-Ukraine war and the Covid-19 pandemic.
The ministries and the central bank have been asked to submit the report especially to detail on “How to handle the matter, where to put restrictions and where to ease them,” Khandker Anwarul said.
Read: Lack of accurate data hampers consumers’ protection from market manipulation: DG DNCRP
He also mentioned that the issue of the price of US dollar will also be in that comprehensive report.
He said the Cabinet approved Haat and Bazar (establish and management) Act, 2022 in principle to replace an Ordinance of 1959 regarding the matter to make it time befitting.
He said that there are 26 articles in the proposed law. As per the law no one can set up any haat and bazar without permission from the government.
If any unauthorized haat or bazar is set up in any area the government will take over that as Khas land, he said.
The district administration and government will manage the lands of haat or bazar and no land can be transferred permanently.
As per the proposed law if anyone or a group of people illegally occupies Khas land of any haat and bazar and construct any establishment be fined not more than Tk five lakh or one years of imprisonment or both.
Khandker Anwarul said Land Development Tax Act, 2022 was also approved by the Cabinet which will replace Land Development Tax Ordinance 1976.
As per the law land development tax up to 25 bighas of agricultural land will be free, which was done by Bangabandhu. But If anyone ownes more than 25 bighas of land then that person has to pay tax for the whole land.
Cabinet clears draft laws on rural academies in Jamalpur and Rangpur
The cabinet on Thursday approved two draft laws to establish rural development academies in Jamalpur and Rangpur, one of them named after Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.
The draft laws are titled, 'Sheikh Hasina Palli Unnayan Academy, Jamalpur Act, 2022' and 'Palli Unnayan Academy, Rangpur Act, 2022'. The approval came at the Cabinet meeting held with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in the chair at her office here. “Both the laws are the same. These laws were introduced to fulfill the need of more academies like Bangladesh Academy for Rural Development (BARD) in Cumilla and Rural Development Academy (RDA) in Bagura to make the micro initiatives more effective for rural and overall development,” said Cabinet Secretary Khandkar Anwarul Islam at a press briefing at Bangladesh Secretariat.
Also read: Cabinet purchase body approves import of diesel, Jet fuel, LNG and fertilizer
He said there are 23 sections in each of the draft laws and the two academies will be established following those according to the structures of BARD and RDA. “A 21 membered board chaired by the minister, state minister or deputy minister of Rural Development and Co-operatives Division ,secretary of the division as vice-chairman and academy's director general as member secretary to execute the laws, rules and government regulations in establishing the academies,” said the cabinet secretary. The academies will mainly work to increase the capacity of the government, conduct some pilot projects, research and will provide diploma courses, certificates by being affiliated with concerned educational institutes or boards if necessary, he said. According to the draft laws, the board will meet once every four months, said Anwarul. ”The DG will be appointed by the government from the Joint Secretary or any of the above officers on definite conditions. The employees will be recruited in accordance with the recruitment rules of the board and the academy will have funds in a scheduled bank” he added.
Also read: 5-yr jail for food related offense: Cabinet clears draft law
WHO to send 7.5 mln doses of Cholera vaccine The Cabinet secretary said Bangladesh will get 7.5 million doses of cholera vaccines from World Health Organization (WHO) to control the diarrhea situation in the country. He said, “The vaccines will reach Bangladesh within May 10 to 15 and receiving one dose of it will keep one immune for three years from cholera or diarrhea.” Anwarul Islam said such an outbreak has not been observed in Dhaka for the last 20 to 25 years. National volunteer policy to be made The cabinet secretary said the PM has given approval to the draft “ National volunteer policy 2022,” made by the Local Government on condition that the Ministry of Disaster Management and Relief will lead activities in this regard. He said “There are 68,000 volunteer registered organizations under the Department of Social Welfare. As a result of this policy, foreign volunteers will be able to come and work in our country if necessary and also our country's volunteers will also be able to go and work in different countries,”
Cabinet purchase body approves import of diesel, Jet fuel, LNG and fertilizer
The government will import 300,000 metric tons of diesel (gas oil), 75,000 MTs of Jet-A-1 fuel, 33.60 lakh MMBtu LNG and 60,000 MTs of fertilizer to meet the domestic requirements.
Cabinet Committee on Public Purchase (CCPP) in a virtual meeting on Wednesday approved different proposals in this regard.
Finance Minister AHM Mustafa Kamal presided over the meeting while its members attended it.
As per the proposals, the Bangladesh Petroleum Corporation (BPC) will import 300,000 MT of diesel from PT. Bumi Siak Pusaku Zapin, Indonesia, at a cost of Tk 3,274.32 crore and 75,000 MT of Jet-A-1 fuel from Unipec Singapore Pte Ltd at Tk 780.06 crore.
State-owned Petrobangla will import 33.60 lakh MMBtu of liquefied natural gas (LNG) from Vitol Asia Pte Ltd, Singapore, at a cost of Tk 991.76 crore as each MMBtu will cost US$29.25.
READ: Govt has no plan to increase diesel subsidy for farmers: Razzaque
The Bangladesh Agriculture Development Corporation (BADC) will import 30,000 MTs of TSP fertilizer from OCP, S.A Morocco, at Tk 259.39 crore while the Bangladesh Chemical Industries Corporation (BCIC) will import 30,000 MTs of Bulk granular urea fertilizer from Muntajat, Qatar, at Tk 240.42 crore.
The committee approved a proposal of the Department of Immigration and Passport to extend the cost of the e-passport project by Tk 39.93 crore to import 3 million e-passport booklets instead of conventional booklets from Veridos GmbH.
89pc Cabinet’s decisions implemented till March 2022
Some 89 per cent decisions taken by the Cabinet from January 2019 to March 2022, have been implemented, while the implementation of remaining 11 per cent is underway.
The Cabinet took a total of 748 decisions during the period. Of them, 666 have already been implemented and the implementation of 82 others is underway, according to a report placed at the Cabinet meeting on Monday.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina chaired the meeting held at her office here.
Also read: Cabinet approves draft of Ansar Battalion Act 2022 with provision of death penalty
“The implementation rate of the cabinet’s decisions since January 2019 is 89.04 per cent,” said Cabinet Secretary Khandker Anwarul Islam while briefing reporters at Bangladesh Secretariat after the meeting.
Some 252 decisions (97.67pc) out of 258 decisions taken by the Cabinet in 2019 were implemented, while 237 ones (94.42pc) out of 251 decisions taken in 2020 were executed, 141 ones (78.33pc) out of 180 decisions taken in 2021 were implemented and 36 ones (61.02pc) out of 59 decisions taken in 2022 (till March) were executed.
Also read: Cabinet approves amendment to legalize digital evidences
Four ministers sworn into Sri Lanka's new cabinet
Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa on Monday swore in four ministers into the new cabinet, hours after cabinet ministers tendered their resignations amidst a severe economic and political crisis in the nation.
Officials from the President's Office said that former Justice Minister Ali Sabry was sworn in as the new finance minister while G.L. Peiris was sworn in as the foreign minister, Dinesh Gunawardena as the education minister and Johnston Fernando as the highways minister.
Also Read: Sri Lankan president invites all political parties to form new gov't
More ministers will be sworn into the cabinet in the coming days if the opposition parties agree to form a united government, government officials said.
Sri Lanka has for days been facing public protests calling for immediate measures to be taken by the government to solve the economic crisis, hours-long power cuts and shortages in fuel and other essential supplies.
Sri Lanka's cabinet ministers offered to resign from their positions on Sunday night in response to calls from increasing protests amid economic instability and a severe fuel shortage in the South Asian country.
On Monday, President Rajapaksa extended an invitation to all political parties to join the government to find solutions to the ongoing crisis.
Also Read: Sri Lanka's sports minister quits, Cabinet offers to resign
Sri Lanka's sports minister quits, Cabinet offers to resign
Sri Lanka's sports minister and the president's nephew, Namal Rajapaksa, has resigned from his position amid growing public outrage over the country's economic crisis and shortages of food, fuel and medicines.
The entire Sri Lankan Cabinet also has handed over letters to Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa offering to resign from their positions due to the economic crisis in the country, Education Minister Dinesh Gunawardena told reporters late Sunday.
“I have informed the secretary to the president of my resignation from all portfolios with immediate effect...,” Namal Rajapaksa tweeted, saying he hopes his decision helps President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa, who is his father, in establishing stability for the people and the government.
Read:Sri Lanka's cabinet ministers resign en masse as crisis protesters defy curfew
Namal also held the portfolio of youth affairs.
Gunawardena said the president and the prime minister will take appropriate action on the Cabinet's offer to resign.
Government coalition parties are demanding that a caretaker Cabinet be appointed to pull the country out of the crisis.
The actions appear to be efforts to pacify the people, who are protesting countrywide to hold the president and the entire Rajapaksa family responsible.
Sri Lanka's political power is concentrated in the Rajapaksa family. In addition to brothers being president and prime minister, two other brothers are ministers of finance and irrigation. Namal was also a Cabinet minister until he resigned.
On Sunday, Sri Lankan professionals, students and even mothers with small children defied an emergency decree and curfew to demand the president's resignation.
Police fired tear gas and water canons at hundreds of university students who were trying to break through barricades near the town of Kandy in the tea growing region. Near Colombo, students demonstrated and dispersed while armed soldiers and police stopped opposition lawmakers from marching to the iconic Independence Square.
“This is unconstitutional,” opposition leader Sajith Premadasa told the troops who blocked their path. “You are violating the law. Please think of the people who are suffering. Why are you protecting a government like this?”
For several months, Sri Lankans have endured long lines to buy fuel, foods and medicines, most of which comes from abroad and is paid for in hard currency. The first to disappear from shops was milk powder and cooking gas, followed by a fuel shortage disrupting transport and causing rolling power cuts lasting several hours a day at the end of February.
The extent of the crisis became clear when Sri Lanka couldn’t pay for imports of basic supplies because of its huge debts and dwindling foreign reserves. The country's usable foreign reserves are said to be less that $400 million, according to experts, and it has nearly $7 billion in foreign debt obligations for this year alone.
Rajapaksa last month said his government was in talks with the International Monetary Fund and turned to China and India for loans while he appealed to people to limit the use of fuel and electricity and “extend their support to the country.”
As protests grew and calls increased for him to step down, Rajapaksa doubled down and at midnight Friday assumed emergency powers by decree. The government also declared a countrywide curfew until Monday morning.
It did little to quell the anger of thousands, many first-time protesters, who felt fed up and exhausted by the crisis.
“In this country it is so difficult,” said Inoma Fazil, a fashion designer who brought her 18-month-old daughter to a protest in Rajagiriya, a Colombo suburb. "We don’t want to leave the country and go, and we want to give our child a good future, but everyone is stealing our money. So we came here for her and the rest of the children.”
A couple joined the same rally straight from the hospital with their newborn, and were greeted with cheers by the protesters who sang Sri Lanka’s national anthem, waved flags and placards.
While public resentment is mostly on the Rajapaksa family, anger was also directed at politicians in general and a decades-long system that many feel has betrayed them.
At the Colombo rally, protesters turned back an opposition lawmaker, calling out “no politicians!”
“The main purpose of the curfew is to quell dissent against the government,” said Christopher Stephen, a construction businessman who held placards in the main road near his home.
Stephen said he and his circle of friends and acquaintances had protested every day since early March, and he was excited that more people were joining in.
“What the Rajapaksas have been doing all these years was to divide the people along ethnic and religious lines. But this has united all Sri Lankans — Sinhalese, Tamils, Muslims, Burghers — all want them out," Stephen said, referring to the president and his powerful family.
Read:Sri Lanka blocks social media amid calls for more protests
Aman Ashraff, an advertising professional who was protesting in his neighborhood, said Sri Lanka has squandered the opportunity to optimize its potential after ending a decades-long civil war in 2009 because of misgovernance.
“This is the turn for the people to rise up and show that they are not going to tolerate the sort of corruption, the sort of greed and the sort of self-centered governance any further,” he said.
On Sunday, authorities blocked access for nearly 15 hours to Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, WhatsApp and other social media platforms that were used to organize protests.
The emergency declaration by Rajapaksa gives him wide powers to preserve public order, suppress mutiny, riot or civil disturbances or for the maintenance of essential supplies. Under the decree, the president can authorize detentions, seizure of property and search of premises. He can also change or suspend any law except the constitution.
The European Union urged Sri Lanka’s government to safeguard the “democratic rights of all concerns, including right to free assembly and dissent, which has to be peaceful.”
U.S. Ambassador Julie Chung said “Sri Lankans have a right to protest peacefully — essential for democratic expression.”
“I am watching the situation closely and hope the coming days bring restraint from all sides, as well as much needed economic stability and relief for those suffering,” she said in a tweet on Saturday.
Cabinet approves draft of Ansar Battalion Act 2022 with provision of death penalty
The Cabinet on Monday approved the draft of ‘Ansar Battalion Act, 2022’ keeping death penalty as the maximum punishment for serious offenses like attempt to revolt, participation or provocation in such conspiracy.
The approval came from the Cabinet meeting held with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in the chair at her office here.
“If anyone tries to revolt, instigates or participates in conspiracy, the member would face death penalty or life sentence or minimum five-year jail,” said Cabinet Secretary Khandkar Anwarul Islam at a press briefing at Bangladesh Secretariat.
Also read: Cabinet approves amendment to legalize digital evidences
As per the draft law, there will be two separate courts – Summary Ansar Battalion Court and Special Ansar Battalion Court--- to try two types of offenses commited by any member, he said.
The summary court will try general crimes and misconduct, while the special court will try serious crimes, he said, adding that there will also be an Ansar Battalion Appeal Tribunal under the proposed law.
The cabinet secretary said the maximum punishment for general crimes would be three-year jail term.
According to the draft, a member of the Ansar Battalion can’t be a member of any political or non-political organisation.
The Public Security Division designed a fresh law instead of amending the existing law of 1995 as massive changes are required here, he said.
Besides, the meeting in principle approved the draft of ‘Mujibnagar University, Meherpur Act, 2022’ in a bid to establish another public university in the country.
The special features of the proposed university are that the institution will have business incubator and professional course, said Anwarul.
Also read: Consider maximum cut in import VAT on edible oil: Cabinet directs NBR
The Cabinet also cleared the draft of ‘Agency to Innovate (A2I) Act, 2022’ placed by the ICT Division to set up an authority for promotion of ICT-based innovation.
As per the draft law, there will be a 16-member governing body headed by minister or state minister or deputy minister, to run the agency.
The meeting cleared the proposal for ratification of 18 Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) adopted under Stockholm Convention on POPs from COP-4 (Conference of the Parties-4) in 2009 to COP-9 in 2019.
The Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants, a global treaty, was adopted in 2001 to safeguard human health and the environment from highly harmful chemicals that persist in the environment and affect the well-being of humans as well as wildlife.
Ramadan office timing from 9:00am to 3:30pm
The government has rearranged the office timing for the upcoming holy month of Ramadan from 9 am to 3:30 pm for all government, semi-government, autonomous and semi-autonomous institutions.
The decision was taken on Monday at the weekly cabinet meeting held with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in the chair at the Prime Minister's Office.
“During the Ramadan, 9:00am to 3:30pm has been fixed as the office time from Sunday to Thursday,” said cabinet secretary Khandker Anwarul Islam told reporters at the Secretariat.
Also read: Govt primary schools to remain open till 20th Ramadan: Minister
He said there’ll be a 15-minute break from 1:15 to 1:30pm for Zahr prayer.
However, the governor of Bangladesh Bank informed that the office time for banks would be from 9:30am to 4:00pm during the Ramadan, said Anwarul.
The Supreme Court reschedules their own office timing for the Ramadan following their rules and considering the public interest.
Also read: Slashing VAT, taxes on essential commodities during Ramadan under consideration: Home Minister
This year, the holy Ramadan in Bangladesh is expected to begin on 02 April.
5 rental power plants with 457 MW get 2-year extension
Cabinet Committee on Public Purchase (CCPP) on Wednesday approved 5 proposals for extension of 5 rental power plants, having a capacity of 457 MW, for next two years.
As per the proposals, the government will pay a total of Tk 5,205.9 crore to purchase electricity from the plants during the contract period.
Finance Minister AHM Mustafa Kamal, however, said these plants were given approval on a “No electricity, No payment” basis.
The proposal was approved while the country has a huge surplus capacity in the electricity generation.
As per the BPDB statistics, the current total installation capacity now stands at 25,514 MW while the supply is about 13,000 MW.
Of the approved plants, three belong to Summit Group, one belongs to Dutch-Bangla Group and one to Orion Group.
READ: Cabinet body okays extension of deals with 4 rental power plants
As per the approval the Bangladesh Power Development Board (BPDB) will pay Tk 459.98 crore to Summit Group for purchase of electricity from its 40 MW furnace oil–based plant of the Khulna Power Plant, Tk 1295.42 crore to its Khulna Power Company Unit-II Ltd’s 115 MW Goalpara plant, Tk 1157.52 crore to Summit Group’s Summit Narayanganj Power Limited’s 102 MW Madanganj plant.
The BPDB will pay Tk 1146.51 crore to Dutch Bangla Power & Associates Ltd’s 100 MW furnace oil-based Shiddhirgaj plant, Tk 1146.51 crore to Orion Power Meghnaghat Ltd’s Meghnaghat 100 MW plant as per the approval.
Additional secretary of the Cabinet Division, Zillur Rahman Chowdhury while briefing reporters on the issue, said the government is purchasing electricity from the plants at Tk 16.40 per unit (each kilowatt hour) while under the new contract, it will purchase each unit of electricity at a reduced rate of Tk 17.529.
The committee approved two more proposals of the Power Division under which the BPDB will purchase service at Tk 92.42 crore from General Electric Global Services GmbH, Switzerland for installation of Gas turbine, gas turbine generator at 4th repowered combined cycle unit at Ghorasal Power Station.
Similarly, the BPDB will purchase service and scheduled maintenance at Tk 419.99 crore from Marubeni Power & Infrastructure Systems Corporation, Japan for installation of turbine, gas turbine generators at the 400 MW Bibiyana-III power plant.
The Cabinet Committee approved a proposal of the Petrobangla to import 33.60 lakh units (MMBtu) of liquefied natural gas (LNG) from Vitol Asia Pte Ltd, Singapore at a total cost of Tk 1241.48 crore while each unit will cost US$36.70.
A proposal of Bangladesh Chemical Industries Corporation received the approval of the committee to import 30,000 metric tons of bagged granular urea fertilizer from Karnaphuli Fertiliser Company (Kafco), while the Disaster Management and Relief Ministry’s proposal received the nod for purchasing of civil works of Community Workfare and Services Support under the emerging multi-sector Rohingya Crisis Response project.