The Cabinet on Monday approved the draft of the Food Safety Bill, 2013 keeping provision of maximum five years imprisonment or Tk 500,000 fine for adulteration of food. The approval was given at the regular weekly meeting of the cabinet held at Bangladesh Secretariat with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in the chair. Briefing reports after the meeting, Cabinet Secretary M Musharraf Hossain Bhuiyan termed the proposed law as comprehensive and modern, which defined many aspects of food security. Under the proposed law, an institutional framework will be established to ensure food safety, he said. Besides, he informed that a Food Safety Advisory Council, headed by the Food Minister, will be constituted and a safe food authority will be established, while there will be detailed lists of activities which are harmful for health and arrangement of food testing would be made. The Cabinet approved the draft of the Bangladesh Institute of International and Strategic Studies (BIISS) Bill, 2013, subject to the vetting of the Law Ministry. The existing BIISS Ordinance of 1984 was annulled following the cancellation of the fifth and seventh amendments of the Constitution by the higher court.

In order to maintain the continuity of the BIISS, the proposed law has been drafted and will be placed in Parliament during the upcoming session, the Cabinet Secretary said. The meeting also approved the National Strategy Paper on the Myanmar Refugees living in Bangladesh and Myanmar citizens who infiltrated into Bangladesh to take coordinated efforts to deal with the problem. Musharraf Hossain Bhuiyan said the Strategy Paper proposed to conduct a survey on the Myanmar citizens in Bangladesh and prepare a list to determine their actual number. The government will ensure all amenities for those who have already included in the list of the government. Besides, the strategy paper said that a National Coordination Committee, headed by the Foreign Minister, and a National Taskforce led by the Foreign Secretary will be constituted to look into the matter. Similar taskforce will be formed at district and upazila level, headed by the Deputy Commissioners and Upazila Nirbahi Officers. Reports on the visits of Bangladesh delegations to India led by the Jute and Textile Minister in August; China visit led by the Planning Minister in June; France, Switzerland and Saudi Arabia visits of the Expatriate Welfare and Overseas Employment Minister in June-July; participation of the Foreign Minister at the ASEAN Regional Forum held in Brunei in July; and visit of the Fisheries and Livestock Minister to New Zealand in July were placed before the cabinet. Cabinet members, advisers to the Prime Minister, State Minister concerned attended the meeting while secretaries concerned were present.