The government on Monday decided to establish a company to look after the operation and maintenance of the Padma Multipurpose Bridge across River Padma.
The decision was taken at the weekly cabinet meeting presided over by prime minister Sheikh Hasina at her Tejgaon office.
The bridges division submitted the proposal for establishment of the 鈥楶adma Bridge Operation and Maintenance Company PLC鈥�, said cabinet secretary Md Mahbub Hossain.聽聽
The company will be owned by the government and run by a board comprising 12 directors from ministries and divisions, including bridges division, railway ministry and finance division.
In June 2022, the Korea Expressway Corporation was appointed for the toll collection of the bridge and the expressway for five years.
The government will pay the company Tk 717.4 crore in five years for the job.
Apart from the toll collection, the foreign company also provides intelligent transport system and maintenance services for the 55-kilometre expressway connecting the 6.12-kilometre-long Padma Multipurpose Bridge, inaugurated on June 25, 2022.
The cabinet secretary said that the PM had directed dropping her name with the proposed bill 鈥楽heikh Hasina Institute of Frontier Technology (shift) 2024鈥�.聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽
The cabinet approved the bill in principle under the title 鈥業nstitute of Frontier Technology (shift) 2024鈥�.聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽
The cabinet meeting also approved the draft of the new export policy with setting a target of $110 billion annual earning by FY27.
The new three-year policy will begin from the current financial year starting on Monday.
The cabinet secretary said that the annual income target of the immediate past export policy was $80 billion.
Referring to provisional data, he said that the annual income by the end of the just concluded FY24 stood at around $70 billion.
He said that the PM directed giving thrust on higher export income due to the end of duty benefits for the country鈥檚 export goods to the developed countries from 2026 when Bangladesh would exit from the least developed countries鈥� bloc.
The PM wanted adoption of dispute settle mechanism and special incentives for export by women entrepreneurs.
Answering a question, the cabinet secretary said that there was not discussion on the ongoing work abstention by the university teachers and the widespread corruption reported by the media against former and current public high officials.聽聽聽聽聽
He, however, gave his personal opinion over the corruption related issues that came to the fore after the media reports appeared on the illegal wealth allegedly amassed by former police chief Benazir Ahmed and custom officer Matiur Rahman.
He also said that departmental proceedings against suspected corrupt public officials and employees were completely different from the action of other agencies.
Departmental proceedings are conducted regarding allegations of moral degradation, indiscipline and corruption by public servants, he said at the cabinet briefing at the Secretariat.
鈥楤ut we can鈥檛 send the corrupt officials to jail [through departmental proceedings],鈥� said the cabinet secretary.
The accused officials might face suspension if allegations were proved against them, he said.
Explaining that there were others agencies, including the Anti-Corruption Commission, to deal further with the allegations of corruption, the cabinet secretary termed departmental proceedings as usually lengthy processes.
This is a reality everybody should understand, he said.