DHAKA, Nov 11, 2019 (BSS) – The cabinet today approved in principle the
draft of “The Bangladesh Public-Private Partnership (PPP) (amendment) Law,
2019” keeping a provision of undertaking and implementing the G2G (government
to government) projects in the existing act.
The approval came from the weekly cabinet meeting held at Bangladesh
Secretariat here this afternoon with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in the
chair.
After the meeting, Cabinet Secretary Khandker Anwarul Islam briefed
reporters.
He said “The Bangladesh Public-Private Partnership (PPP) Act, 2015” was
framed to create a partnership with private sector by attracting local and
foreign investment aimed at improving living standard of the people and
expediting the country’s socioeconomic progress as well as building
infrastructures.
“Under the existing law there was no provision about the G2G schemes. But
after the introduction of the PPP Act, 2015 the government took initiatives
for execution of the PPP projects (G2G PPP) with various countries,” the
cabinet secretary said.
He said memorandums/cooperation of understanding have already been signed
with Japan, Singapore, South Korea and Dubai under the “Policy for
Implementing PPP Projects through Government to Government (G2G)” and other
counties have also shown their interest to undertake schemes in this process.
“Against this backdrop, the sub-sections 2 (6 Ka), 13 (3) and 13 (4) have
been incorporated in the Section 8 of the proposed law for inclusion of the
issue of undertaking and implementation of the G2G projects,” Islam said.
The cabinet secretary said the proposed law has also kept a provision of
holding one meeting of the Board of Governors instead of six a year.
The proposal has been made as arrangement of six meetings in a year is time
consuming and it is not possible due to busyness of the members, including
the chairman of the Board of Governors, he said.
Islam said the executive board of the authority was formed in the maiden
meeting of Board of Governors of the PPP Authority. In the proposed law, the
issues related to the size of the board, its responsibilities and meetings
have been included, he said.
The cabinet secretary said in the organogram of the PPP Authority, there
is a provision of contractual appointment in different posts of the PPP
Authority.
Under the section 11 of the existing law, it has been mentioned that the
service conditions of the employees appointed directly will be determined by
the provisions, he said.
Islam said to add separate provisions to the case of the persons appointed
in the PPP Authority on contractual basis, a proposal has been made to amend
the section 11 of the existing law.
As a result, the issue of enforcement of the guidelines or provisions
approved by the Board of Governors has been incorporated in the proposed law,
he said.
Besides, he said, some clauses have also been incorporated in the amended
law for taking opinions and help from the PPP Authority on the issues of
monitoring after the partnership agreement with the PPP Authority.
The cabinet secretary said at the outset of the meeting, the cabinet
adopted an obituary reference at the death of noted parliamentarian and
valiant freedom fighter Moinuddin Khan Badal.