Kamal for central bank interviewing board members, top management in private banks
Finance Minister AHM Mustafa Kamal supported the central bank's proposal on Thursday to interview the board members and top officials of private banks before they are appointed.
The Bangladesh Bank has outlined the proposal in the draft of the amendment to the Banking Companies Act that has been uploaded on the finance ministry's website for public opinion.
In response to a query, the minister said the top management of state-own commercial banks are appointed with approval from the Bangladesh Bank.
"It will be better for the banking sector if such a provision is implemented for private commercial banks as well," the minister said, adding that they have taken steps to amend some provisions in the existing bank company law.
Kamal made the comment while briefing reporters after chairing two meetings that approved 12 proposals worth nearly Tk3,619 crore. One meeting was of the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs, and the other was of the Cabinet Committee on Government Purchase.
He also talked about this year's revenue collection, which he said is higher than that in the previous fiscal year.
"The revenue collection till December this fiscal year was around Tk12,000 crore higher than in the same period of the previous year. The government has always set a big revenue collection target that the authorities try to achieve," he said.
The 12 proposals include the 92km Matarbari-Banshkhali-Madunaghat 400kV Power Transmission Line, which will ease access to electricity in the Chattogram region.
The Power Grid Company of Bangladesh (PGCB) will implement the project under the Public-Private Partnership at a cost of Tk1,652 crore by 2023.
The meetings also approved a Tk320 crore project for procuring and installing LED road lights in the Dhaka North City area. The Dhaka North City Corporation will implement the project by December 2021 under the supervision of the Bangladesh Army. The LED lights will be procured under the direct procurement method.
The finance minister said the government plans to illuminate all the highways with LED lights in the future.
Approval was also given to establish a 500-bed multi-specialty hospital and a 100-seat medical college on Bangladesh Railway's land at Chattogram at a cost of Tk398 crore.
The meeting also approved purchase of 50 four-wheel-drive vehicles for Upazila Nirbahi Officers at a cost of Tk47 crore. The Pajero Sports QX will be bought from Pragati Industries Ltd.
The government will procure four lakh personalised dual interface polycarbonate motor driving licences at a cost of nearly Tk19 crore.
Bangladesh will import 1.8 lakh tonnes of fertiliser from Russia for Tk 390.76 crore.
The procurement proposal for Rehabilitation of Distribution Network for NRW reduction under the Dhaka Water Supply Network Improvement Project for Tk375 crore was also approved.
The statistics and information management division will purchase the material from the China Construction Second Engineering Bureau Ltd (China) and REL Plastic Ltd.
The procurement of material for the development project titled "Netrokona-Kendua-Atharbari-Ishwarganj Highways Development" worth Tk115.59 crore was also approved in the meeting.
The other project which was approved on Thursday is the civil construction and plumbing work for the third factory of the Essential Drug Company Ltd in Gopalganj for Tk 102 crore.
The meeting also approved the appointment of a consultancy firm to set-up a climate resilient local infrastructure centre.