Cabinet okays biodiversity act draft
Around two and a half years after it was approved in principle, a proposed law to protect the biodiversity got the cabinet's final endorsement yesterday.
The Bangladesh Biodiversity Act 2015 provides for five years' imprisonment and a fine of Tk 10 lakh for violations.
Briefing reporters, Cabinet Secretary Mohammad Shafiul Alam said as a signatory to the Convention on Biological Diversity of the UN, it was important for Bangladesh to frame the law.
He said it was a harsh law, which would play a significant role in preserving the biodiversity.
He added that there were committees to monitor and review the implementation of the convention up to the union level.
The cabinet also approved the National Standards (Goods and Services) Policy 2015 aiming to upgrade the Bangladesh Standards and Testing Institute (BSTI) and Bangladesh Accreditation Board to international standards.
There are detailed guidelines in the policy for setting the standards of goods and services to be exported in accordance with the suggestions of the World Trade Organization (WTO).
In addition, professionals like accountants, doctors, and engineers, who are going abroad will have to go through the accreditation process as per the policy, said the cabinet secretary.
The draft policy also aims to ensure the quality of digital products like hardware and software meant for export. The European Union and NORAD provided technical assistance for framing this policy, the secretary said.
The cabinet also approved the Bangabandhu National Agriculture Award Fund Act 2015, and Bangabandhu Science and Technology Fellowship Trust Act 2015.
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