The cabinet on Monday approved in principle a draft bill proposing
imprisonment for 10 years and a fine of Tk five lakh as the maximum
punishment for illegal possession of formalin.
The draft Formalin Control Bill 2013 placed in the weekly cabinet
meeting by the commerce ministry seeking approval stipulates a minimum
punishment of two years’ jail term for the offence.
The meeting, held in the secretariat, was chaired by prime minister Sheikh Hasina.
Massive public outcry led by rights groups against the rampant use of
formalin in treating fruits, vegetables, fish and other perishable foods
prompted the commerce ministry to draft the bill prescribing the
punishments.
As food items treated by formalin could cause cancer and a host of other
harms to consumers, health experts and rights groups have been
demanding a ban on the import and use of the dangerous chemical
substance.
When the bill become law, anyone possessing formalin without license
could get a maximum punishment of 10 years in jail and a fine of Tk 5
lakh, cabinet secretary Mohammad Musharraf Hossain Bhuiyan told a news
briefing later.
The cabinet asked the commerce ministry to further examine the draft
bill so that it did not contradict with the recently enacted Safe Food
Act.
The cabinet secretary said that the minimum punishment for any offence under the proposed law would be two-year imprisonment.
The cabinet gave final approval to the draft of Bangladesh Journalist
Welfare Trust Bill 2013 subject to its vetting by the law ministry.
A draft bill proposes establishment of a statutory authority to provide
assistances to needy journalists or their families from the fund to be
created with contributions from the government allocations and the
private sector.
It proposes a 13-member board for the authority with the information
minister as the chairman and the information secretary as the
vice-chairman.
To be appointed by the government, the managing director would be its chief executive officer, Musharraf Hossain said.
He said government officials and representatives of journalists would also be in the board.
The cabinet also approved the Early Childhood Care and Development
Coordination Policy 2013 to ensure proper physical and mental growth of
children from the prenatal stage until they reach the age of eight.
The cabinet secretary said that the policy would also address cultural development of children.
The ministry of women and children affairs drafted the policy.