The Jatiya Sangsad yesterday passed the Nuclear Power Plant Bill 2015 aimed at forming a company to operate the first nuclear power plant in the country in Pabna.
Science and Technology Minister Yeafes Osman placed the bill in parliament which was passed in voice vote.
According to the bill, Bangladesh Atomic Energy Commission (BAEC) will be the owner of the plant and a company, the Nuclear Power Plant Company Bangladesh Limited, will be formed for the operation.
The bill stipulates that the company’s board of directors will have the secretary to the Science and Technology Ministry as its chairman and the project director as managing director.
The Minister said: “A major portion of the primary works for setting up the nuclear power plant has already been completed. The work for the main project will begin soon. For successful implementation of the project, the implementing organisation needs to have all the required capacities.”
Coinage act
Finane Minister AMA Muhith yesterday placed an amendment proposal to the Bangladesh Coinage Act that, if passed, will give government to the responsibility to take over Tk5 notes and metal coins as government currency.
The proposed Bangladesh Coinage (Amendment) Act 2015 was sent to the parliamentary standing committee on Financial Affairs for scrutiny.
Currently, the government issues Tk1 and Tk2 coins while Bangladesh Bank issues notes and coins of Tk5 and above.
Muhith said: “The purchasing power of Tk2 notes and coins have declined significantly. So, the act needs to be amended. A decision has been made to make Tk5 notes government currency. If this decision is implemented, there will be no effect of inflation.”
Trademark act
Yesterday, another proposal named The Trademark (amendment) Bill 2015 was placed in parliament which aims to extend the time to resolve disputes relating to trademarks of products or services.
Currently, the parties get 120 working days for resolving the disputes; the proposed amendment wishes to change it to 360 working days.
Industries Minister Amir Hossain Amu placed the bill which was sent to the parliamentary standing committee on industrial affairs for scrutiny. The bill also suggests changing the Trademark Registry Wing to the Trademark Registry Unit.
Minister Amu said: “In order to make sure that the existing trademark law from 2009 is properly used, it needs to be amended to remove the inconsistencies and extending dispute resolution time limit.”