DHAKA, Oct 07, 2020 (BSS) – The cabinet today approved in principle a draft of the “Iodized Salt Act, 2020’ keeping provisions of one to three years of imprisonment or fine of Taka 50,000 to 15 lakh, if anyone imports, produces, markets or stocks salt without registration.
The approval came at the regular weekly virtual cabinet meeting held at the cabinet conference room in the Bangladesh Secretariat with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in the chair, Cabinet Secretary Khandaker Anwarul Islam told a press briefing after the meeting at the Bangladesh Secretariat.
The premier joined the virtual meeting from her official residence Ganabhaban while her cabinet colleagues and secretaries got connected from the Bangladesh Secretariat through a videoconferencing.
He said under the section 42 of the draft law, the person who will be found breaching the law will be awarded punishment of minimum one year to maximum three years of imprisonment and fine of minimum Taka 50 thousand to maximum 15 lakh or the both.
“There will be a 14-member National Salt Committee, where the industries secretary will act as the president and the BSCIC (Bangladesh Small and Cottage Industry Corporation) will be included as the member secretary to supervise all the activities under the Iodized Salt Act, 2020,” the cabinet secretary said.
In the proposed laws, Islam said, there are 13 chapters and 51 sections where the National Salt Committee are empowered to supervise the production of salt, its processing, refining, iodizing, importing, hoarding and making wholesale supply and management.
All the Traders would have to take license under the law for doing salt business and it will be regarded as offense if any unregistered person does import, makes stocks, wholesale supply, refines and runs idolized slat factory anywhere of the country.
The government has drafted the law with an aim to make it mandatory for all edible salt to be iodized for ensuring use of iodized salt in producing food items for human and animals and to bring the salt sector under proper management, he said.
Islam said the cabinet also approved in principle the proposal to declare the day of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman’s speech on March 7, 1971 as a “Historic Day”.
“Everybody knows that the day is historic one. The Father of the Nation’s speech at Suhrawardy Udyan on 7 March 1971 is the main motivation of the War of Liberation and country’s Independence.” he mentioned.
In the light of the instructions of the March 7 speech, the cabinet secretary mentioned that people of all walks of life spontaneously got involved in the Liberation War.
Referring to global significance of the day, he said it also has international significance as the UNESCO has included this speech in the ‘Memory of the World Registrar’.
About the proposal of the cabinet, raised by the cultural affairs ministry, Islam said it will be possible to implement the effort to establish the history of the Liberation War for all, including the new generation.
“All the ministries, departments, offices, agencies will celebrate and implement this day through their respective programmes. There will be no holiday on this day. The cabinet department will be included in the ‘A’ category,” the cabinet secretary added.
Islam said the cabinet was also informed about the target of the incumbent government about the “Vision-2041 Implementation: Bangladesh Perspective Plan 2021 and 2041”, where a draft proposal was set with the four baselines — good governance, democratization, decentralization and skill development.
He said, “Our target is to join the Highly Middle Income Group by 2030 and the Higher Middle Income Group by 2041.”
The cabinet meeting also discussed the latest development of the vaccine of the COVID-19 (Coronavirus), he added.