The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs today approved three proposals in principle including one for reducing the timeframe to 10 days from 42 days for submitting the tender bids from the date of publishing advertisement in the newspapers for importing 5.50 lakh metric tons of rice under international open tender method for emergency state purpose.
The approval came from the 7th meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs held this year virtually with Finance Minister AHM Mustafa Kamal in the chair.
Briefing reporters after the meeting virtually, Kamal said that the government is going with such decision for rice import as the production of food grains was hampered last year due to floods and excessive rains.
He said had there been no such flood and excessive rain last there, then there would not have been any such need for importing rice.
Joining the briefing, Cabinet Division Additional Secretary Dr Sahida Akhter said that the proposal for reducing the timeframe for rice import was given approval in line with the Public Procurement Rules, 2008.
Sahida informed that the meeting gave approval to a proposal from the Prime Minister’s Office for signing an agreement between Bangladesh Economic Zones Authority (BEZA) and Bangladesh Export Processing Zones Authority (BEPZA) for establishing “BEPZA Economic Zone” at the Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Shilpa Nagar at Mirsharai in Chattogram.
Under the proposed agreement, she said that BEZA would provide land to BEPZA where it would develop the BEPZA Economic Zone.
She informed that the meeting gave approval to another proposal in principle for undertaking “Equip, Operate and Maintenance of Patenga Container Terminal on PPP Model” for appointing an international standard private operator after the completion of works of Patenga Container Terminal by the Chattogram Port Authority (CPA).
(BSS)
