Cabinet gives nod to "The Jute Law, 2015"

The approval came at the regular cabinet meeting held at Bangladesh Secretariat with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in the chair.

Briefing reporters after the meeting, Cabinet Secretary Mohammad Shafiul Alam said the proposed law is just a modification of the existing Jute Ordinance promulgated in 1962.

A specific amount of maximum financial punishment of Taka one lakh has been incorporated in the draft law that was not specified in the original ordinance, he said.

The draft law was placed in Bangla as per earlier directive of the Supreme Court for translating all ordinances promulgated by the military governments into Bangla, Alam said.

About the salient features of the draft law, the cabinet secretary said, it has 32 sections empowering the government on various issues like production of jute and jute goods, encouraging and motivating in producing jute, carrying out research and issuing license for such purposes.

Besides, the proposed law has provisions for empowering the government to appoint agent and broker, fix up value, impose development fee and registration of contracts.

According to the section 21 of the draft law, Alam said, the government could impose punishment to any person or organization for giving false statement or violation of the rules of law.

He said the cabinet also endorsed the draft of "The Air Transport Agreement between the Government of the United States of America and the Government of the People's Republic of Bangladesh".

The cabinet secretary said that a Memorandum of Consultation was signed between the two countries on August 15, 2013, and the proposed agreement has been framed in light of that Memorandum of Consultation.

He said that for operating flights in the USA, such kind of bilateral deal is needed while the proposed agreement has been prepared in line with the US air traffic rules and regulations.

Under the agreement, Alam said, both the countries would be able to nominate as much as airlines operators to conduct flights between the two countries as their designated airlines.

He said that the flight operation between the airlines operators of Bangladesh and USA remained stopped for long and the initiative for resuming the flight operation began in 2013 through the signing of the Memorandum of Consultation.

The cabinet secretary said that following the approval by the cabinet, the agreement would be inked between authorities concerned of the two countries.

The cabinet secretary said the meeting was apprised of the participation of the commerce minister in the Bangladesh Day of the Expo Milano-2015 held in Milan, Italy on September 19-22 in 2015.

Besides, the participation of the commerce minister in the Asia Pacific Business Forum Conference and the Fourth Session of the Committee on Trade and Investment of the UNESCAP held in Thailand on November 2-4 and "The e-commerce Fair" held in London on November 13-14 last year was informed.

Alam said the participation of the shipping minister in the 29th Assembly of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) held in London on November 21-28 and the participation of a Bangladesh delegation led by the foreign minister in the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) held in Malta on November 27-29 in 2015 were apprised.

Ministers, state ministers concerned attended the meeting, while secretaries concerned were present.