The government placed a legislative proposal on Monday to create a high-powered authority to ensure safe food for people and try the food adulteration offences under a Safe Food Court that will dispose of the charges as summary trials.
Food Minister Abdur Razzaq tabled the Safe Food Bill, 2013 in parliament in absence of the main opposition and the proposal went to the parliamentary standing committee on food ministry for further scrutiny.
According to the bill, the government will form a 30-member National Safe Food Management Advisory Council, headed by the food minister, comprised of 14 secretaries, 11 heads of different government entities and representation from other stakeholders.
This will be the highest policy making body for food safety activities.
A Central Safe Food Management Coordination Committee, headed by the chairman of the Safe Food Authority, will coordinate activities of the agencies involved in food production and distribution.
Abdur Razzaq also initiated the Bangladesh Council of Science and Industrial Bill, 2013 mainly to rescind the exiting Bangladesh Council of Scientific and Industrial Research Ordinance, 1978 promulgated by Ziaur Rahman.
The bill went to the parliamentary standing committee on the science and technology ministry for further scrutiny. The watchdog will have to finalise its recommendations in seven days.
Civil Aviation and Tourism Minister Faruk Khan, in absence of Commerce Minister Ghulam Muhammad Quader, tabled the Multi-Level Marketing (regulation) Bill, 2013 to replace the existing MLM Ordinance, 2013.
The parliamentary standing committee on commerce ministry must prepare its report in the next two days and refer back to the House before the bill’s enactment.
