UNB, Dhaka :
The Cabinet on Monday approved the draft of the Fisheries Quarantine Act, 2018 to control the import of fish to prevent the intrusion of any harmful bacteria into the country.
The approval was given at the regular weekly meeting of the Cabinet held at the Prime Minister’s Office with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in the chair.
“Currently, there’s no law to check the intrusion of any disease or harmful bacteria through monitoring fish import. The approved draft law is a new one,” Cabinet Secretary Mohammad Shafiul Alam said while briefing reporters after the meeting at the Secretariat.
As per the proposed law, the Fisheries Department
will act as the Fish Quarantine Authority to monitor the import of any fish or aquaculture species by water, road, air and other routes, he said.
If any individual or company imports fish or fish products without permission, they will face minimum one-year and maximum seven-year jail or fine of maximum Tk 5 lakh or both, the Cabinet Secretary added.
He said the offence under the law would be considered as non-cognisable and bail-able.
Metropolitan magistrate, judicial magistrate and executive magistrate will have the authority to deal with the offence. However, no court will accept any case without written complaint of the quarantine officer.
Shafiul Alam said police, Rab, Coast Guard, BGB, port authority and civil aviation authority, Bangladesh Railway, shipping agencies and other organisations concerned will have the authority to prevent any activity detrimental to the law and help the fisheries officials to execute the law.
The Cabinet also approved a recommendation making the wages of the workers of state-owned enterprises (SOEs) by almost double with retrospective effect from July 1, 2015.
“The Cabinet approved the Wage Scale and Allowances for Workers of the state-owned enterprises following the recommendation of the National Wage and Productivity Commission 2015,” said the Cabinet Secretary.
“The wages for the workers who are working under 16 grades in the state-owned enterprises have been increased by almost double in line with the National Pay Scale 2015,” he said.
The new wages will come into effect from July 2015, while the allowances from July 2016, said the Cabinet Secretary.
The wage of the highest grade has been increased to Tk 11,200 in the Wage Scale 2015 from Tk 5,600 in the Wage Scale 2010, while that for the lowest grade has been increased to Tk 8,300 from Tk 4,150.
The Cabinet also cleared the draft of the productive state-owned industry workers (Job Terms and Condition) Bill 2018.
The draft of the Speedy Supply of Power and Energy (Special Provision) Bill, 2018 for the extension of the effectiveness of the existing law by three years was also approved at the meeting, he said.
The Cabinet gave its nod to the draft of Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha (BSS) Bill 2018 bringing some changes to an ordinance promulgated in 1979.
The Cabinet on Monday approved the draft of the Fisheries Quarantine Act, 2018 to control the import of fish to prevent the intrusion of any harmful bacteria into the country.
The approval was given at the regular weekly meeting of the Cabinet held at the Prime Minister’s Office with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in the chair.
“Currently, there’s no law to check the intrusion of any disease or harmful bacteria through monitoring fish import. The approved draft law is a new one,” Cabinet Secretary Mohammad Shafiul Alam said while briefing reporters after the meeting at the Secretariat.
As per the proposed law, the Fisheries Department
will act as the Fish Quarantine Authority to monitor the import of any fish or aquaculture species by water, road, air and other routes, he said.
If any individual or company imports fish or fish products without permission, they will face minimum one-year and maximum seven-year jail or fine of maximum Tk 5 lakh or both, the Cabinet Secretary added.
He said the offence under the law would be considered as non-cognisable and bail-able.
Metropolitan magistrate, judicial magistrate and executive magistrate will have the authority to deal with the offence. However, no court will accept any case without written complaint of the quarantine officer.
Shafiul Alam said police, Rab, Coast Guard, BGB, port authority and civil aviation authority, Bangladesh Railway, shipping agencies and other organisations concerned will have the authority to prevent any activity detrimental to the law and help the fisheries officials to execute the law.
The Cabinet also approved a recommendation making the wages of the workers of state-owned enterprises (SOEs) by almost double with retrospective effect from July 1, 2015.
“The Cabinet approved the Wage Scale and Allowances for Workers of the state-owned enterprises following the recommendation of the National Wage and Productivity Commission 2015,” said the Cabinet Secretary.
“The wages for the workers who are working under 16 grades in the state-owned enterprises have been increased by almost double in line with the National Pay Scale 2015,” he said.
The new wages will come into effect from July 2015, while the allowances from July 2016, said the Cabinet Secretary.
The wage of the highest grade has been increased to Tk 11,200 in the Wage Scale 2015 from Tk 5,600 in the Wage Scale 2010, while that for the lowest grade has been increased to Tk 8,300 from Tk 4,150.
The Cabinet also cleared the draft of the productive state-owned industry workers (Job Terms and Condition) Bill 2018.
The draft of the Speedy Supply of Power and Energy (Special Provision) Bill, 2018 for the extension of the effectiveness of the existing law by three years was also approved at the meeting, he said.
The Cabinet gave its nod to the draft of Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha (BSS) Bill 2018 bringing some changes to an ordinance promulgated in 1979.
