The cabinet committee on the garment industry has formed a standing committee to implement its decisions.
Labour and Employment Secretary Mikail Shipar disclosed this while talking to reporters after the 4th meeting of the cabinet committee at the secretariat on Sunday.
Presided over by Labour and Employment Minister Rajiuddin Ahmed Raju, the meeting was attended by Shipping Minister Shajahan Khan, Industries Minister Dilip Barua, Home Minister Muhiuddin Khan Alamgir, Commerce Minister GM Quader, Disaster Management and Relief Minister Abul Hassan Mahmood, State Minister for Labour and Employment Begum Monnujan Sufian.
The other members of the standing committee, formed led by Commerce Secretary Mahbub Ahmed, are labour and employment and foreign secretaries, additional secretaries to the Home Ministry and Public Administration Ministry, a representative from the Finance Ministry, BGMEA and BKMEA each.
Mikail Shipar said the meeting held an elaborate discussion on three issues: ensuring security of garment factories and preventing fire incidents, progress of the government measures to restore the GSP facilities and progress of work on the construction of a garment village (Garment Palli).
He also said a garment village will be established at Baushia in Munshiganj district. “The land acquisition process will be completed within a week.”
Responding to a query about the US government condition to appoint 200 inspectors to ensure safe working environment at garment factories and reinstate the Generalised System of Preferences (GSP) facilities, the secretary said the government has taken an initiative in this regard.
“The government has circulated a notice to recruit 37 inspectors while the process of recruiting 23 others is almost completed and the rest will be appointed after creating new posts,” he said.
Mikail said two foreign organisations — Accord and Alliance — will conduct the inspection work at 1,750 garment factories out of nearly 3,500-4,000 ones maintaining the Bangladesh standards.
Besides, the assessment of the rest factories will be conducted by the Labour Ministry and International Labor Organization which will begin on September 15 with a panel of 30 experts from Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET), he said.
A high-powered committee formed headed by Textiles and Jute Minister Abdul Latif Siddiqui to review the infrastructures and safety measures of RMG factories after the Savar tragedy will submit its report within 10-15 days, the secretary added.
Earlier, the cabinet meeting on the garment industry shut 20 garment factories, including four in Sitakunda, on safety issue. Of the 20 factories 14 have resumed their operation by fulfilling the condition, he said.
Source: UNBConnect
