Stringent law to regulate fertiliser trade
Cabinet approves Fertiliser (Management)(Amendment) Bill, 2018
UNB
Cabinet yesterday approved the draft of The Fertiliser (Management)(Amendment) Bill, 2018 making the punishment tougher by raising jail term and fine to make the existing law more time befitting one, reports UNB.
The approval was given at the regular weekly meeting of the cabinet held at Bangladesh Secretariat with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in the Chair.
The draft law has been approved bringing some changes in the previously framed The Fertiliser (Management) Act 2006,Cabinet Secretary Mohammad Shafiul Alam said while briefing the reporters after the meeting.
He said the punishment for production, import, transportation, distribution, marketing or sale of fertiliser without having any licence has been increased to maximum two-year imprisonment or up to Tk 5 lakh as fine or both instead of the existing maximum six-month imprisonment or up to Tk 30,000 as fine or both in the clause 8 of the draft bill.
If anyone files false case under the proposed law to harass another person, the person who lodged the case will face the same punishment mentioned for the offenders in the proposed law, said Shafiul Alam.
In the proposed law, the number of members of the National Fertiliser Standardization Committee has been increased to 17 from
existing 15.
Cabinet also approved the draft of The National Skills Development Authority Act, 2018 re-organizing few provisions to make it more time-befitting one.
Cabinet Secretary said, there is no major change in the proposed law.
As per the draft law there will be a 30-members Governing Body headed by the Prime Minister and this Body will sit for meeting at least once a year.
Besides there will be 17-member Executive Committee headed by the Principal Secretary of the Prime Ministers Office, which will hold at least three meetings a year.
