Parliamentary Standing Committee on Ministry of Commerce has formed a three-member sub-committee to monitor activities of Multi-Level Marketing (MLM) companies currently operational.
The decisions were made at a meeting of the standing committee yesterday, presided over by the committee chairman Tajul Islam Chowdhury.
Md Motahar Hossain, MP has been made convener of the newly formed MLM sub-committee which also includes Enamul Haque MP and Waresat Hossain Belal MP as members.
Additional commerce secretary ATM Murtaza Reza Chowdhury and joint commerce secretary Abdul Mannan will assist the committee.
Senior commerce secretary Hedayetullah Al Mamoon were also present at the meeting which discussed issues on awarding licence to MLM companies and effectiveness of the MLM business in an open market economy.
Besides, the parliamentary standing committee recommended opening Export Promotion Bureau (EPB) offices in all districts with first office in Rangpur.
Discussions were also held on EPB’s works and the next month-long international trade fair in Dhaka which is set to begin on January 1.
In previous meeting of the committee, Tajul Islam Chowdhury, president of the body, alleged that MLM companies were taking away money from rural people by making “alluring offers of benefits” to them.
He also wanted to know why some MLM companies were given licence despite the government had stopped such business activities in the country.
The meeting urged the government to report on the companies if they are being run as per laws and what they are doing. On March 5, 2014, the government awarded licences to five MLM companies to operate their business in the country.
The companies are Sadhin Online Public Limited, World Mission 21 Limited, Rich Business Limited, MXN Modern Herbal Food Limited and Jar Electronics Pulse Massager Limited.
Of the companies, four are running their business while Jar Electronics Pulse Massager Limited, owned by a Malaysian, is closed.
Sources concerned said the owner left Bangladesh shutting down the business. The ministry already issued a show cause notice to the company asking why its licence would not be cancelled.
