Due to the simultaneous headwinds of the covid pandemic and the energy crisis brought on by the Russia-Ukraine war, the world economy is currently in a debilitating period.
Additionally, experts have predicted undesirable consequences. Bangladesh is also in grave danger because all governmental and supporting organizations have been urged to safeguard deposits.
In Bangladesh, the dollar issue has gotten worse because of high import costs, low remittances, and low export revenues. Price increases for basic necessities hindered middle-class and working-class individuals from leading respectable lives.
In light of this, the proposed modification to the Tobacco Control Act would be detrimental to small retailers and dealers, as the draft floated a requirement for a license for all tobacco-related firms.
Marjina Begum, a mother of two, strives hard to earn daily bread by selling tea and cigarettes in a small stall just by Dhaka's Police Plaza mall. Since her husband left her after his second marriage, she has been surviving on her own.
The proposed license requirements troubled her deeply. “I am already in great misery. If I get fined for not issuing a license, then I have nobody by my side,” Marjina said.
Vendor Akil Hossain from Rampura similarly fears that small vendors like him can survive if the irritated amendments are incorporated into law. “The news of probable famine is now in the air while we're struggling to cope with the ever-increasing prices of commodities. In that case, if I lose this small business too, my life and livelihood will be under threat,” he said.
Amid the current conditions of the economy, Akil and Marjina practically represent the distress and disconcertment of around 1.5 million small businessmen in the country who rely entirely on tobacco selling businesses for livelihood.
Mirza Nurul Gani Shovon, president of the National Association of Small and Cottage Industries of Bangladesh (NASCIB) believes the proposed amendments if enacted, will destroy the way of income for small sellers like Akil and Marjina.
"The proposal contains such annexes which will jeopardize the livelihood of small distributors. The underprivileged workers don't have a day-to-day capital to pay fines," Shoving said.
The NASCIB president expressed deep concerns about the implications of the new proposed law, which he says will "backfire".
"Any abrupt decision without proper consultation would surely disrupt how this massive nosedive community of small vendors earn a living. This will backfire and the government's revenue income will also take a nosedive," he said.