The government is set to award 20 non-resident Bangladeshis the status of commercially important person for their outstanding contribution to the national economy in 2011 and 2012.
Of them, 19 will be awarded the status for their contribution to the economy through sending remittance in 2011 and 2012 while the other will be awarded for importing products from Bangladesh.
The expatriates’ welfare and overseas employment ministry on February 13 published the list.
Officials at the ministry said that no one from the category of investment in industry was found suitable for awarding the status for the two years.
According to CIP (NRB Bangladeshi) Selection Policy-2006, the government may award maximum 25 non-resident Bangladeshis the status every year in three categories — 10 for investing at least $ 5 lakh or equivalent in industry in Bangladesh in the particular year, 10 for remitting minimum $1.5 lakh or equivalent to Bangladesh through banking channel and five for importing goods worth at least $5 lakh or equivalent from Bangladesh.
‘We had sought applications from important non-resident Bangladeshis for awarding the status, but found no applicant suitable for the status in investment category for the two years,’ a high official at the ministry told New Age on Saturday.
Even the ministry found only one non-resident Bangladeshi importer in two years who fulfilled the conditions to be honoured with the status, he said.
The awards will be handed over in late March, he added.
According to the list published on February 13, Habibur Rahman, Md Jasim Uddin and Mohammad Yeasin Chowdhury in Oman, Rafiqul Islam in Switzerland, Firoz-Ul-Alam Khan in Russia, Osman Ali Khan and Mohammad Liaquat Ali in Saudi Arabia, Mohammad Mokbul Hossain in Qatar and Tateyama Kabir in Japan will be awarded the status in remittance category for 2011.
Ten people — Mohammad Mahtabur Rahman and Mohammad Akter Hossain in United Arab Emirates, SM Parvez Tamal and Mahbubul Alam in Russia, Shahid Hossain Jahangir in Australia, Sakura Saber in Japan, Osman Ali Khan and Akkas Mia in Saudi Arabia, Abul Kashem in Kuwait and Mohammad Delwar Hossain in Qatar — will get the status for sending remittance in 2012.
Jagir Hossain Chowdhury was nominated for the status for importing Bangladeshi goods in 2012.
The commercially important persons are entitled to enjoy for one year different state privileges including permission to enter Bangladesh Secretariat, priority in reserving seats in Biman, train, bus and other modes of transports for business related travels in Bangladesh, using the VIP Lounge 2 and special handling facility at the airport, priority in getting cabin facility at government hospitals and invitation to different national programmes organised by Bangladesh missions in abroad, according to the policy.
Their investment in Bangladesh will be protected and will be considered as foreign direct investment, the policy says.
It also says that the commercially important persons will be included in different committees on making policies on related issues.
-With New Age input
