A national committee -- Nobel Prize Winner Muhammad Yunus and Grameen Bank Reception Committee -- has been formed in this regard with former chief of caretaker government Justice Muhammad Habibur Rahman as the chairman.

A preparatory committee was also formed with Khandoker Ibrahim Khaled, former deputy governor of Bangladesh Bank and managing director of Pubali Bank, as the convener, while Nasiruddin Yusuff, Khushi Kabir, Annisul Huq and Debapriya Bhattacharya were made co-conveners.

A meeting was held yesterday at the Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD), which will function as the secretariat of the committee.

The meeting was presided over by Laila Rahman Kabir, member of CPD Board of Trustees and managing director of Kedarpur Tea Company Ltd, and was attended by Dr Qazi Faruque Ahmed, president of PROSHIKA and chairman of ADAB, Dr Fakhruddin Ahmed, managing director of PKSF, Aminul Alam, deputy executive director of BRAC, Mahfuz Anam, editor and publisher of The Daily Star, Rasheda K Choudhury, director of CAMPE, Dr Zafrullah Chowdhury, project co-ordinator of Gonoshasthya Kendro, Dr Omar Haider Chowdhury, research director of BIDS, Annisul Huq, former president of BGMEA, Dr Muhammad Ibrahim, executive director of Centre for Mass Education in Science, Dr Iftekharuzzaman, executive director of Transparency International Bangladesh, M Tajul Islam, director, Federation of NGOs in Bangladesh, Khondkar Ibrahim Khaled, former managing director of Pubali Bank, Dr Wajedul Islam Khan, general secretary of Bangladesh Trade Union Kendra, Ayesha Khanam, general secretary of Bangladesh Mohila Parishad, Dewan Mallik of Bangladesh Centre for Advanced Studies, MA Momen, president of DCCI, Mustafa Monowar, chairman of EPDC, Dr Ainun Nishat, country representative of International Union for Conservation of Nature, Dr Faustina Pereira, director of Ain-o-Salish Kendra, Matiur Rahman, editor of the Prothom Alo, Dr Atiur Rahman, chairman of Unnayan Samannya, Latifur Rahman, president of Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce and Industry and managing director of Transcom Group, Ataus Samad, advisory editor of the Amar Desh, Khairul Anam Shakil, general secretary of Chhayanat, Dr Meghna Guho Thakurta, executive director of RIB, Nasiruddin Yusuff, president of Sammilito Sanskritik Jote, Prof Mustafizur Rahman, research director, and Anisatul Fatema Yousuf, additional director, of CPD, also attended the meeting.

The next meeting of the preparatory committee will take place today at the CPD.

DCC ACCORD
Dhaka City Corporation (DCC) will also accord a civic reception to Dr Mohammad Yunus on November 3, reports UNB.

Mayor Sadeque Hossain Khoka met Yunus at his Grameen Bank office in Mirpur yesterday and extended the invitation.

Accepting the invitation, Yunus told the mayor the caretaker government is supposed to take over by Nov 3 and it would be better if advisers to the caretaker government are present at the reception.