The Cabinet on Monday approved in principle, drafts of the Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman University (BSMRU) Act, 2019, the Sunamganj Science and Technology University (SSTU) Act, 2019, and the Bangladesh Energy Regulatory Commission (Amendment) Act, 2019.
The Cabinet also approved the draft of “The Marine Fisheries Act, 2019,” keeping a three year jail term and Tk5 crore as the highest penalty for foreign vessels for fishing in Bangladeshi territory, reports BSS.
The approval was given in the weekly Cabinet meeting, with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in the chair.
Cabinet Secretary Khandker Anwarul Islam briefed the press at the Secretariat in Dhaka last afternoon.
“Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman University in Kishoreganj and Sunamganj Science and Technology University would be like any other university,” Anwarul said, adding that when the two universities open, the number of public universities in the country will be 50.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina at the last cabinet meeting of the year held at the PMO on Monday, December 30, 2019 | Focus Bangla He said the meeting also gave final approval to the draft of the “Bangladesh Energy Regulatory Commission (Amendment) Act, 2019,″ saying that necessary changes can be made in the fixed tariff set by the commission one or more times in a fiscal year.
As per the existing law, changes can be made in the fixed tariff once in a fiscal year, he said.
“The Cabinet gave its final approval to The Marine Fisheries Act, 2019, keeping many penal provisions of punishment for violation of the law in fishing in Bangladesh territory, both by local and foreign vessels,” Anwarul said.
He added that the proposed law provides for a three year jail term and Tk5 crore as the highest penalty for foreign vessels for fishing in Bangladesh territory, which is a three year jail term and Tk1 lakh fine in the existing law.
The cabinet secretary said the meeting also approved the draft proposal for turning the world’s seventh largest “Four Tier National Data Centre” project into “Bangladesh Data Centre Company Limited” in the company’s Memorandum of Association (MoA), and Articles of Association (AoA).
Anwarul said the proposal of forming the company was given to ensure uninterrupted and efficient operation and maintenance to increase the standard of services. “The data centre will help preserve data in a safer way and stop dependency on foreign data centres and can save Taka 353 crore a year,” he said.
The Cabinet approved the proposal for forming “Startup Bangladesh Limited Company” to give financial assistance to encourage new entrepreneurs in innovating technology based products and their development, providing work spaces and necessary training, said the cabinet secretary.
“The government will give financial assistance as equity,” he said.
Anwarul added that it also approved the proposal for ratifying the two agreements on extradition and mutual legal assistance in criminal matters, signed between Bangladesh and South Africa.
The Cabinet approved the proposal for inclusion of Bangladesh in the protocol relating to the Madrid Agreement Concerning the International Registration of Marks, 1989.
The cabinet secretary said: “It is urgently necessary to join the Madrid protocol to create international markets for Bangladeshi ICT products and services, and ensure exports alongside attracting foreign investment to the ICT sector in Bangladesh.”
The Cabinet also proposed incorporating a provision for mobile courts to apprehend any breach of the law he said, adding: “In many cases, giving on the spot punishment yields good results and leaves a good impact on the people.”
