Bangladesh will import 1.490 million metric tons of refined petroleum oil from six state-owned companies of six countries over the next six months from January to June to meet its domestic requirement. Another 90,000 metric tons of diesel will be procured from India’s state-owned Numalighar Refinery Limited (NRL), spending 512.84 crore. At a virtual meeting on Wednesday, the Cabinet Committee on Public Purchase (CCPP) approved two proposals in this regard. Finance Minister AHM Mustafa Kamal presided over the meeting while members of the committee attended it virtually. READ: Bangladesh plans to import huge petroleum fuel amid global market volatility As per the estimate, the bulk import of refined petroleum will cost an estimated Tk 8417.23 crore and that will come from PTTT of Thailand,  ENOC of United Arab Emirates, Petrochina, BSP of Indonesia, PTLCL of Malaysia and UNIPEC of China. The committee approved 13 procurement proposals from different ministries. Of these, there is a proposal from the Bangladesh Hi-tech Park Authority to award a Tk 1205.18 crore contract to Indian company LARSEN & TOUBRO Limited to set up eight steel structure multipurpose buildings in eight districts. Three proposals of the Bangladesh Rural Electrification Board (BREB) got the nod of the committee. Under these, the BREB will procure 32,400 PC poles from Joint Venture of (1) Charka SPC Poles Ltd.; (2) Dada Engineering Ltd and (3) Confidence Infrastructure Ltd at Tk 31.36 crore while another 32,396 SPC poles  will be procured from Joint Venture of (1) Charka SPC Poles Ltd.; (2) Confidence Infrastructure Ltd. and (3) Poles and Concrete Ltd at Tk 31.35 crore. The BREB will procure 13,0040 distribution transformers from TS Transformers Ltd involving Tk 71.99 crore. READ: BPDB’s extra purchase order of petroleum puts BPC in trouble Seven proposals of the Ministry of Shipping received the CCPP approval. Of these, Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority (BIWTA) placed 5 proposals to award contracts for digging in the Punorbhaba River while one proposal was from Chattagram Port Authority to procure two tag boats from CHEOY LEE SHIPYARDS LTD, Hong Kong at Tk 188.39 crore and another was from Mongla Port Authority to procure two tag boats from the same company at Tk 222.89 crore.

Finance Minister AHM Mustafa Kamal has said the mass people have to bear the burden of increased fuel price to some extent as the government needs money to finance development projects. “The consumers have to share some of the burden, while the rest is borne by the government. The government has to earn money from the taxes… This is an easy equation,” he said while briefing reporters after presiding over a meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Public Purchase on Wednesday. Read:CPD for reinstating previous fuel prices  “If the price is not hiked, how could the government earn? The government has to spend money for development projects,” he said.    He, however, said he will brief on the fuel price hike after the next week’s meeting of the cabinet body. The government hiked the price of diesel and kerosene by 23 per cent and subsequently bus fare was raised by 28 per cent.

Finance Minister AHM Mustafa Kamal has said that remittances and undisclosed money have gone to the country’s stock market. “But no money from government’s stimulus package went to the stock market”, he said while briefing reporters after the meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Public Purchase on Wednesday. He made the remarks responding to a question regarding the media report that huge amount of money from stimulus package was diverted to the stock market by a section of business. The government had provided financial support to different sectors under stimulus package to revive business from the shock of the Covid-19 effects. Read: Finance Minister wonders why people moving to Europe risking lives Kamal also defended the government’s position saying that remittance is absolutely owned by the senders. “If any remittance earner or anybody after whitening the undisclosed money invests in the capital market, the government has nothing to do. This is their own choices where to invest their money in legal way”, he said. He also said that the government has no plan to increase the current rate of incentives from 2 per cent on remittances. He said declining trend of inward remittance in July will have no big impact on the economy.  Read: Corruption hurts me as it does others: Finance Minister Replying to another question on the World Bank’s proposal on Rohingya rehabilitation the finance minister said he had no idea about the matter. “If any suggestion comes from the World Bank with due merit to consider, concerned ministries would consider it. But if the suggestion does not carry any merit, they would not consider”, he said.

The Cabinet Committee on Public Purchase on Thursday approved the import of 3.360 million MMBtu of liquified natural gas (LNG) at international spot market.  The state-owned Petrobangla will procure the bulk LNG from AOT Trading AG, Switzerland at a cost of Tk 436.47 crore with each unit price at $13.069. READ: Cabinet committee for 9th wage board reconstituted The committee also gave nod to a proposal of the railway ministry to appoint the Joint Venture of (2)  RITES Ltd India, and (2) Aarvee Associates Architects Engineers & Consultant Ptv Ltd. India as consultant for construction of dual gauge rail truck from Bogra to Shahid Mansur Ali Station of Sirajganj project at a value to Tk 97.56 crore.   A proposal of the industries ministry was also approved by the committee for import of 30,000 metric tons of phosphoric acid from Dubai-based Sun International and Gentrade FZE, UAE. READ: Bangladesh signs MoU with Malaysia on LNG supply Bangladesh Chemical Industries Corporation will import the acid for its DAP Fertiliser Company at a total cost of Tk 177.34 crore with per ton price at $353.400.

The Cabinet Committee on Public Purchase on Wednesday approved 10 procurement proposals including import of 1.235 million mts of petroleum fuel and 3.360 million MMBtu liquified natural gas (LNG) . Finance Minister AHM Mustafa Kamal presided over the Cabinet body meeting. Read: Cabinet body okays proposal to procure 1.5 crore Chinese Sinopharm vaccine According to the meeting decisions,  state-owned Bangladesh Petroleum Corporation (BPC) will import 1.234 million mts of petroleum fuel in different packages from Unipec Singapore Pte Ltd. Singapore, Petro China International (Singapore) Pte Ltd., VitoI Asia Pte Ltd., Singapore, and Emirates National Oil Company Pte Ltd, Singapore., at a total cost of Tk 5,774.45 crore (equivalent to about $683.366 million) over the next six months from June-December 2021. The supplier companies were selected through international quotation, said Shamsul Arefin, additional secretary to the Cabinet Division while briefing reporters on the issue.    He, however, did not disclose what will be the premium of the product and which item of petroleum will be imported from the companies.   The Petrobangla and its subordinate body RPGCL will import 3.360 million MMBtu of LNG from Excelerate Energy LP, United States at a contract value of Tk 313.68 crore.  The unit price of the LNG was not disclosed.  Read: Cabinet body clears proposal to purchase 30,000MT urea The Cabinet committee approved a proposal of Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) for awarding of a contract for procurement of design, development, supply, installation, testing and commissioning of telecom monitoring system for the telecom networks and systems of Bangladesh from TKC Telecom Inc, Canada at a cost of Tk 77.65 crore. A proposal of Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority (BIWTA) to procure 3 passenger cruise vessels from Karnaphuli Ship Builders at Tk 231.13 crore received the approval of the committee. The Cabinet body gave nod to a proposal of the Bangladesh Road Transport Authority to appoint a service provider at Tk 218.71 crore for collecting fees and taxes  from motor vehicles through online for next five years. However, it was not disclosed which company won the contract for the job. Read:Cabinet body OKs import of 250,000MT rice Bangladesh Chemical Industries Corporation (BCIC) received the committee’s approval for procuring 30,000 metric tons of bagged granular urea fertiliser from Karnaphuli Fertiliser Company (Kafco) at a value of Tk 87.63 crore. The Cabinet body approved a proposal of the Bangladesh Railway to change 9 points of the PCC (Particular Conditions of Contract) of the Commercial Contract and also its supplementary agreement -2 of the Padma Bridge Rail Connection Project with Chana Railway Group of China (CRÈC). Shamsul Arefin said though the conditions of the contract will be changed, but it will not have any effect on the contract value.

Reiterating that about 15 new laws, including some amendments to the existing laws, will be passed in parliament in the next 6 months to prevent money laundering, Finance Minister AHM Mustafa Kamal on Wednesday said it causes him great pain when he sees corruption. “You’ll see a substantial fall in corruption once those laws are passed by Parliament,” he said while briefing reporters about the decisions of the Cabinet Committee on Public Purchase on Wednesday.  The finance minister said he feels the same pain as other people do when it comes to money laundering.  READ: Finance Minister dismisses the claim of 2.5 crore new poor Mustafa Kamal said efforts are going on to detect money launderers. “Those who were identified were either sentenced to jail or put on trial. Trials are on,” he said. He said there are two reasons behind money laundering -- some people do it looking for a better place to invest and some others do it out of their greed.  “If we can create a better investment environment, then those people will invest here instead of investing abroad,” he said.    Speaking in Parliament on June 7, he said there was a time when sand used to be imported in the name of cement and one product used to be brought in the name of another product. “Now under-invoicing and over-invoicing are hardly done. But I don’t say such things have stopped completely. We hardly see these things in the newspaper,” he added. Kamal said he knows how such irregularities are committed but does not know who are doing these. “Once such things had happened due to inefficient systems and ineffective management. These things will have to be stopped completely.” READ: Zero tolerance for corruption in financial sector: Finance Minister He said the government will frame new laws aiming to reform the systems in the financial sector. “We’ll enact new laws so that our banks and financial institutions can run their activities smoothly with responsibility. We’ll create the scope. I’m assuring you.” Responding to a question, Mustafa Kamal today told journalists that Bangladesh will consider lending from its foreign exchange reserves to neighbouring countries if the returns in this regard are good. 

Fifty-nine unions under the country’s three hill districts—Bandarban, Rangamati and Khagrachhari—will get permanent broadband internet connectivity soon as the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs approved a proposal in principle in this regard on Wednesday. As per the proposal, Bangladesh Computer Council will implement the project through Bangladesh Army awarding it a contract through direct procurement method (DPM). “The BCC will award the contract to the Bangladesh Army to implement the project,” said Shamsul Arefin, additional secretary to the Cabinet Division, while briefing reporters on the decisions of the Cabinet body. Read: Nearly half of global population still lack internet access: UN Chief The project was awarded to the Bangladesh Army considering the security risk and other relevant impediments in installing the optical fiber in remote areas of the hill tracks, he added.   The scheme will be implemented under the project titled, ‘Broadband Connectivity Setup at the telecommunication-deprived areas’ of the BCC under the Information and Communication Technology Division. However, the figure of the contract was not disclosed at this stage of approval. But it might be revealed when the project will gain be placed for the final approval of the Cabinet Committee of Public Purchase.    Meanwhile, the Cabinet Committee on Public Purchase approved 11 proposals of different departments under different ministries involving Tk 2,579.30 crore of which Tk 890.62 crore will be spent from the national exchequer while the remaining funds will come as loans by different financing agencies. The committee approved a proposal of the Public Security Division of Home Ministry to procure a “Vehicle Mounted Mobile Interceptor and related services” at a cost of Tk 56.56 crore from Toru Group Limited, Switzerland, whose local agent is Smart SCM Solution, Dhaka. The supplier was selected through a limited tender method (LTM) from two bidders vying for the works, according to the proposal. Two tender proposals of the Dhaka Water Supply and Sewerage Authority (Wasa) under Local Government Division also got approval of the Cabinet body. Dhaka Wasa selected China Geo-Engineering Corporation, China for its project “Environmentally Sustainable Water Supply (DESWS)” under package -1 to install 25 km refined water transmission lines from Rampura to Kachukhet via Vatara, Airport Road, Uttara, Gulshan and Banani involving Tk 589.31 crore. Read:Landslide warning: People urged to evacuate foothills in Rangamati Dhaka Wasa’s proposal to extend the time and cost of the consultant for the same project also received the approval of the committee. As per the approval, the Joint Venture of (1) Kunhwa-DDC-FCEA and (2) Vernacular Consultant Ltd. Bangladesh’s work tenure was extended up to 75 months from the existing 36 months with an increased cost of 2.71 crore against the original cost of Tk 19.85 crore. A project of Bangladesh Water Development Board (BWDB) to construct a coordinated water control structure on the Punorbhara River in Dinajpur got approval raising its cost by Tk 12 crore against the original cost of Tk 43.74 crore. A total of six proposals of the Roads and Highways Department under Road Transport and Highways Division also got nod of the Cabinet body. Of these, China Railway Construction Bridge Engineering Bureau Group Co Ltd won a Tk 743.28-crore contract for interchange construction and maintenance under the improvement of Alega-Hatikamrul- Rongpur into a 4-lanes project. Abdul Momen Limited won a Tk 601.10 crore contract for civil and maintenance works of the same project. A proposal seeking a cost rise of Tk 47.88 crore for package PW-1 of the project to upgrade Cumilla (Tomson Bridge) to Noakhali (Begumganj) local road into a 4-lane highway received approval of the committee. Its original cost was Tk 193.84 crore. The package PW-3 of the same project received a Tk 39.21 crore cost extension approval while its original cost was Tk 194.98 crore. Read:Proposals to set up 15 MW HFO-power plant in Hatiya, 40,000 SHS in hill districts get nod The package DW-05 of the Improvement of Important Local Highways (Sylhet Zone) received approval for extending the cost by Tk 16.81 crore against its original cost of Tk 186.98 crore.   The Roads and Highways Department’s awarding of a Tk 301.35 crore contract to National Development Engineers Ltd., to implement package – PW-01 of the Project for installing excel-load contract central at the transportation source points at important locations of the highways received the Cabinet body approval. The Ministry of Labour and Employment’s proposal to appoint 112 non-government organizations (NGOs) for providing 6-month long sub-formal education and 4-month skill development training to 100,000 children at a cost of Tk 160 crore received the approval of the Cabinet Committee on Public Purchase.