Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has remarked that the BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia has failed in all issues including the movement.
“She has now limited herself issuing statement from home in the name of movement,” a minister told The Independent after Monday’s cabinet meeting quoting the premier.
The BNP chief is also suffering from indecision and that’s why they have not been able to succeed in their movement, the minister further quoted the PM.During the cabinet meeting, most of the cabinet ministers have joined unscheduled discussion on ongoing political activities of the BNP-led 20-party alliance.
The cabinet also took up the ensuing city corporation elections.
During the informal discussion, the premier asked the authorities concerned to give a detailed brief on import of rice from India.
The food minister informed the cabinet that the traders were importing rice from India indiscriminately and they should be levied taxes. The PM dismissed the food minister’s proposal with remark that more rice coming means the market stabilises locally.
Meanwhile, the cabinet on Monday approved a proposal of the Internal Resources Division (IRD) to impose one per cent surcharge on use of Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) and Removable User Identity Module (RUIM) of different mobile operators.
Sources in the IRD said, the one per cent surcharge on use of SIM and RUIM would be imposed from the next fiscal year by enacting a new law named ‘Development Surcharge and Levy (Imposition and Collection) Act-2015’.
After the meeting Cabinet Secretary M Musharraf Hossain Bhuiyan said the surcharge would be applicable on total amount of the mobile phone charge of the users.
“The government can create a fund of Tk 140 crore annually and the fund would be used for education and healthcare service,” he said.
The cabinet returned the draft of “Bangladesh Medical and Dental Council (Amendment) Act, 2015’ for further scrutiny and examination.
The cabinet approved two proposals for ratification of two accords- ‘Agreement on Security Cooperation between Bangladesh and UAE’, ‘Agreement on the Transfer of Sentenced Persons between Bangladesh and UAE’.
The cabinet secretary informed that the cabinet adopted an obituary resolution expressing profound shock at the death of the first Prime Minister and architect of modern Singapore Lee Kuan Yew.
At the beginning of the cabinet meeting, State Minister for Foreign Affairs M Shahriar Alam handed over the Women in Parliament (WIP) Global Forum Award to the Prime Minster. – Staff Reporter
