Ensure smooth supply of power, gas to factories

Business leaders yesterday urged the prime minister to ensure uninterrupted power and gas supply to their factories.

They also demanded the reinstatement of the previous rates of cash incentives on export receipts until the country graduates from the Least Developed Country group in 2026.

The leaders, who met Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina at the Gono Bhaban yesterday, wanted different tax benefits in the next budget. They also urged her to ensure that officials of customs and NBR do not harass them.

Led by Mahbubul Alam, president of the Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FBCCI), the meeting discussed the overall business climate and the upcoming national budget with the PM.

They also held a meeting with Salman F Rahman, adviser to the prime minister on private industries and investment, at the office of Bangladesh Investment Development Authority in Dhaka.

Business leaders have been demanding that the import duty on solar panels be lowered as the high tariff is discouraging factories to use them.

A group of businesspeople also held a meeting with Tawfiq-e-Elahi Chowdhury, the power, energy, and mineral resources' adviser to the prime minister, on Wednesday.

They urged the same regarding solar panels and cited the target to produce over 12,000 megawatts of renewable energy as per the Paris Agreement.

Apart from the FBCCI, leaders from Dhaka Chamber of Commerce and Industry; Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association; Bangladesh Textile Mills Association; Bangladesh Knitwear Manufacturers and Exporters Association; cement manufacturers association; and many other chambers and trade bodies attended the meeting.