The Integrated Budget and Accounting System (iBAS++) scheme of the Strengthening Public Financial Management Program to Enable Service Delivery (SPFMS) under the Finance Division of the Ministry of Finance has earned the prestigious ISO/IEC 27001:2013 certification in the category of information security management systems. This certificate, awarded by the global organization Bureau Veritas, recognizes the systematic and comprehensive approach implemented by iBAS++ to secure sensitive information.  Bureau Veritas granted the certification after a thorough examination, inspection, and verification process. In a ceremony held at the SPFMS office in Dhaka, the certificate was formally handed over to Finance Advisor Dr. Salehuddin Ahmed by Bureau Veritas' CIF Operation Manager (Bangladesh), Mukut K. Barua. Dr. Salehuddin Ahmed attended the event as the chief guest, while Dr. Md. Khairuzzaman Majumder, Secretary of the Finance Division, chaired the session. High ranking officials from the Finance Division and representatives of development partner organizations were also present. National Program Director of SPFMS, Mohammad Saiful Islam, provided an overview of various activities under the SPFMS program. Addressing the ceremony Dr. Salehuddin Ahmed said useful, efficient and pragmatic approach of iBAS++ in managing automated financial services would help ensuring transparency and accountability of the use of financial resources. Prior to the certificate handover, Dr. Salehuddin Ahmed inaugurated the extended section of the SPFMS office and an e-library. According to the recent evaluation by the certification authority, iBAS++ met all the requirements for obtaining the ISO/IEC 27001:2013 certification for its application, related IT operations, and data processing activities. ISO is a global alliance of national standards bodies, and ISO/IEC 27001 is an international standard that helps organizations protect their information assets. The ISO certification of iBAS++ is considered a significant milestone in securing government budget and expenditure management information, marking a major achievement in the government’s information management practices. Through the iBAS++ system, over 400 financial management reports can be generated to support policy-making, monitoring, auditing, and other activities. iBAS++ interfaces with all major government systems, including the Central Bank’s core banking system, the Tax Identification Number (TIN) database, the National ID (NID) database, the electronic Government Procurement (e-GP) system, systems from the Ministry of Public Administration, the Planning Commission, the Bangladesh Employee Welfare Board, birth and death registration, land development tax, the Election Commission, and the National Board of Revenue database. This integration has ensured faster service delivery by the government.

Eight more local companies have received ISO 22000 certificates from the International Organisation for Standardization (ISO), paving the way for the firms to export their products to foreign markets. With the eight companies, a total of 21 local firms have so far obtained the ISO 22000 certificates with the help of the Small and Medium Enterprise (SME) Foundation. The eight companies are Safe Trading Corporation, Pratibha Trading, Abhijit Food and Beverage Industries, Masud Agro Processing Food Products, Bani's Creation, Ayurvedic Pharmacy (Dhaka), Chhip Food BD and All-wells Marketing. Also read: Chinese Company to set up hair fashion accessories industry at BEPZA economic zone The certificates were handed over to the companies through a function on Monday, said a press release of SME Foundation. Addressing the function, Chairman of the SME Foundation Prof Masudur Rahman said now the food and agricultural processing companies can export their products of 500 million US dollars. The Foundation will help SMEs to raise the export earnings to one billion US dollars in this sector by 2030, he said. Director General of the SME Foundation Dr Mofizur Rahman said the Foundation will help eight more small and medium enterprises to obtain the ISO 22000 certificates in the current financial year. Also read: Govt urged to reject offer for Covid-19 vaccine from any tobacco company Additional Secretary of Commerce Ministry Hafizur Rahman and member of Food Safety Authority Rezaul Karim were present in the event. The SME Foundation has been creating awareness about Food Safety Management System (FSMS), Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) and Good Agricultural Practice (GAP), providing training to entrepreneurs, and extending assistance to enterprises to attain international standard certificates. In 2013, three local companies attained the ISO 22000 certificates for the first time with the help of the SME Foundation. Later, four other companies got the international standard certificates in 2015 and six ones in 2017. Read Plastic businessmen want harassment-free environment

Local brand Marcel has started its journey in the country's mobile phone market with "Made in Bangladesh" tagged feature phones. Marcel is known to the domestic customers for its electrical and home appliance products including refrigerator, TV and AC. On Thursday, Marcel announced the launch of its mobile phone marketing activities at a ceremony held in the capital.  Also read: Marcel Digital Campaign Season-10 begins The brand released three models of feature phones in the market. The phones were manufactured at Marcel's factory in Gazipur's Chandra. Models of the newly launched phones are Axino A01, A25 and B50. The phones, which come with different prices and configurations, have 16GB microSD card support, digital camera, FM radio with recording facility, full multimedia, internet browsing, Facebook, Bangla keypad, and many other features.  Also read: Marcel tv’s guaranteed discount campaign kicks off Marcel Mobile Project Operation Manager Habibur Rahman Tuhin said, "We are producing mobile phones following the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) standard. Also, Marcel has its research and development (R&D) wing for producing the latest mobile phones." Golam Morshed, managing director of the brand, said: "Marcel has already established its strong position in the market. I expect Marcel mobile phones will be at the top of the customers' choice with its latest features and smartphones." There will be a 30-day replacement guarantee and 1-year after-sales service on Marcel phones. The brand is set to bring smartphones soon, too, read a press release. Read Marcel offers Tk 1 lakh cash vouchers on fridge, washing machine, oven