To ease import and export, seven out of 19 organizations will be digitized that handle certificates, licenses, and permits (CLP) by January 31, while the Bangladesh Single Window effective from March later this year, said Prof Lutfey Siddiqi, special envoy on international affairs to the chief adviser, on Saturday.
He was speaking at a symposium titled “White Paper and Thereafter Economic Management, Reforms and National Budget” organized by the White Paper Committee 2024, in collaboration with Citizen’s Platform for SDGs, Bangladesh.
Siddiqi also said: “Manual submissions will no longer be accepted for seven government agencies after January 31. For the remaining 12 agencies, we have given them time till February to digitize. By March I want everyone on it. By April, we will focus on increasing the number of certificates.”
The seven relevant organizations are the Directorate General of Drug Administration (DGDA), the Export Promotion Bureau (EPB), the Department of Explosives (DoEX), the Bangladesh National Authority for Chemical Weapons Convention (BNACWC), the Bangladesh Economic Zones Authority (BEZA), the Bangladesh Export Processing Zones Authority (BEPZA), and the Department of Environment (DoE).
At the same event, Prof Rehman Sobhan, chairman of the CPD, said that the interim government’s top priority should be to restore macroeconomic discipline.
"The interim government should make an attempt to bring about more disciplined macroeconomic management. But even then, I do not see them being able to effectively take care of the inflation problem within the tenure available to them," he stated.
He further suggested that the government could try to bring some discipline into the banking sector, but structural reforms are needed for the sector to be effective and that needs a significant amount of time.
Dr Debapriya Bhattacharya, chair of the White Paper Committee 2024, also distinguished fellow, Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD), and convener, Citizen's Platform for SDGs, Bangladesh, moderated the session.
He said: “The significant role of the bureaucracy and their influence may be understood when amid such a deficit situation of the government, the fact that the special allowance was passed.”
“This is an unthinkable matter. Especially when the common people are being crushed by the price of goods and VAT is being increased,” he added.
Prof Rounaq Jahan, distinguished fellow, CPD, said: “Institutional failure is not just a problem of the last 15 years; it is an older problem. But when it comes to talking about it, they say that it will only happen if there is political will. We see that even though it is said in the election manifesto, they cannot implement it in the future.”
Power plants awarded via speed money
M Tamim, vice-chancellor, IUB, in his keynote presentation, said: “Awarding power plants under the Special Power Act was transactional—either a financial transaction or a political one. A lot of money went under the table. These are not documented, obviously. Our estimates show that $3 billion changed hands.”
“In the capacity market, a large number of oil-based power plants were awarded capacity payments through this power purchase agreement. The capacity payments were given to the interested business people who are connected with the power,” he also explained.
Prof Mustafizur Rahan, distinguished fellow, CPD, said: “While working on 7 mega projects, I saw that a project worth Tk1,800 crore was implemented here for Tk18,000 crore. This means that there has been a big waste here. The money has been smuggled abroad through multi-layered hundi, hawala, and other formal channels such as remittances in various countries, including Dubai, Singapore, and London. As a result, it is difficult to trace it.”
Regarding his involvement and working experiences for the white paper, he said: “Debapriya Bhattacharya told me that a review should be done on money laundering from mega projects. We should also give an idea about money laundering. Then I thought that maybe two chapters should be done. After analyzing, I saw Illicit money outflow is closely related to megaprojects.”
Anu Muhammad, member secretary, National Committee to Protect Oil, Gas, Mineral Resource, Power, and Ports, said: “What the white paper published is not surprising, at least not for us who have been following it for the last 15 years. It is not just the government that is behind this, but also those who are giving support to them.”
“There were bureaucrats, businessmen, and various international organizations; they used the phrase 'Development Miracle.’ Those who used it in the previous government, or the terms ‘outstanding growth’ and ‘outstanding achievement,’ now have to take responsibility. Their support has given the government the strength to do such things,” he added.
Prof Tasnim Siddiqui of Dhaka University said: “The hard-earned money of migrant workers keeps the wheels of the country running. Seven times more money than foreign direct investment comes through remittances. Compared to foreign aid, 4.5 times more money comes through remittances.”
“Since July this year, the country's balance of payments has gotten stronger because of this remittance flow. About 27 billion, 22 times more than last year, has come in remittances,” she added.
