Economy
Tipu Munshi: Holiday market will motivate entrepreneurs & consumers
Commerce Minister Tipu Munshi on Friday (13 December) said the holiday market is a new idea in the country and launching holiday market similar to the developed world would motivate entrepreneurs and consumers.
He also said that there is a potential to encourage the entrepreneurs of the SME sector as many entrepreneurs have stepped into the SME sector and the quality of their products is also very good.
The Commerce Minister said these while addressing the inaugural ceremony of the “DNCC Oikkyo Holiday Market” at the ICT Road at Agargaon in Dhaka.
The Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC) has launched it as a pilot project to sell the products of the SME sector.
Mentioning that the contributions of the SME sector are still 25 percent, Tipu said that such percentage should be increased to 50 percent to make an impact on the entire market of the country.
Citing that most of the entrepreneurs of the SME sector are female, he said that the womenfolk should be given more scope to contribute to the holiday market.
The Commerce Minister said the entrepreneurs of the SME sector have opened up a new door of potential. In order to ensure economic emancipation, there is a need to develop further this SME sector, he added.
He also called upon all to play their due role from their respective positions to make the operations of the holiday market successful
Tipu said such an environment should be created so entrepreneurs and consumers become more interested in holiday market.
The holiday market will feature leather goods, jute-made goods, handicrafts, fashion and lifestyle products, home decor products, organic agricultural products, and agricultural products of the CHT region.
Presided over by DNCC Mayor Atiqul Islam, CEO of DNCC Md Selim Reza, DMP additional commissioner Mir Rezaul Alam and DNCC 28 number ward councillor Haji Md Forkan Hossain, among others, spoke on the occasion.
Chief Adviser Prof Muhammad Yunus on Thursday paid tribute to the Armed Forces Division by placing a floral wreath at its headquarters.
Prof Yunus, who visited the division as part of his official duties, laid the wreath to honor the sacrifices and dedication of the members of the Armed Forces.
Following the wreath-laying ceremony, he signed the visitor’s book.
Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Kazi Habibul Awal, along with four other election commissioners, announced their resignation during a press conference today at the Election Commission (EC) building. The resignation follows growing speculation and pressure.
CEC Awal stated, “In this changed situation, I and other commissioners have decided to step down. We’re handing over our resignation letters to the EC Secretary to send it to the President.” After submitting the letters, the CEC and some commissioners quickly left the premises, with no clear explanation for the absence of two election commissioners.
The resignations come amid increasing unrest tied to the registration of political parties such as Nagarik Oikya and Gono Odhikar Parishad. Sources revealed the CEC felt unsafe due to aggressive behavior from activists, prompting the decision to step down.
Protesters outside the EC building hurled shoes at vehicles carrying Election Commissioners Rashida Sultana, Md Alamgir, and Anisur Rahman as they left. Meanwhile, preparations for their exit had already been underway, with the commissioners reportedly relocating personal belongings from their offices.
The commission, appointed in February 2022 for a five-year term, had previously expressed confusion over demands for their resignation, maintaining they had conducted fair elections. However, internal discussions led to the collective decision to resign earlier than expected.
The government will now purchase LNG from the international spot market through open tender instead of negotiation.
Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) in a meeting on Wednesday in principle approved a proposal in this regard.
Adviser of the interim government for Finance Dr. Salehuddin Ahmed, who presided over the meeting, said that the government will procure LNG through open tender.
The Energy and Mineral Division of the Ministry of Power, Energy and Mineral Resources placed the proposal where it sought approval to import LNG from 23 listed companies in the international spot market.
The adviser said that though such 23 companies were enlisted by the previous Awami League government and signed Master Sales and Purchase Agreement, they will remain unchanged.
He said that instead of applying the Speedy Increase of Energy and Power Supply (Special) Act 2010, the interim government will follow the Public Procurement Rules 2008 to ensure the competitive bidding process.
“We don’t want to change them as we wanted to import LNG quickly, ensuring proper competition among the suppliers,” he told reporters.
Committee also approved another proposal in principle to sign a contract to import urea fertiliser for the 2024-25 fiscal year from Fertiglobe Distribution Limited, UAE, on a G-to-G basis.
Meanwhile, the Cabinet Committee on Government Procurement (CCGP) in a meeting, presided over by the Adviser for Finance, approved 3 proposals for import of lentil and fertiliser.
As per the proposal, the Trading Corporation of Bangladesh will procure 10,000 metric tons (MT) of lentil from local firm Sahara Enterprise at a cost of Tk 98.20 crore with each kg priced at Tk 98.20.
The Commerce Ministry which moved the proposal on behalf of the TCB in the meeting mentioned in the proposal that the supplier firm was selected through open tender.
The CCGP approved two separate proposals of the Industries Ministry under which Bangladesh Chemical Industries Corporation will import 30,000 MT of bulk granular urea fertiliser from Fertiglobe Distribution Limited, UAE, under state to state contract at a cost of Tk 121.48 crore.
Each metric ton of fertiliser will cost $343.17.
Another 30,000 MT of bagged granular urea fertiliser will be procured from the local Karnaphuli Fertilizer Company Limited (Kafco) at a cost of Tk 116.99 crore with each metric ton costing $330.50.
