The Cabinet on Monday directed the Environment and Forests Ministry to resubmit the ‘Bangladesh National Conservation Strategy’ after incorporating the current perspectives, achievements and priorities to ensure sustainable development and conservation of national resources.

The directive came from the regular weekly meeting of the Cabinet held at the Bangladesh Secretariat with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in the chair.

Briefing reporters after the meeting, Cabinet Secretary M Musharraf Hossain Bhuiyan said many recent issues were not reflected in the strategy paper.

He said land use plan, urbanisation and urban development, ICT, renewable energy and guidelines on financing the implementation of the proposed strategy need to be incorporated in the strategy.

The Cabinet also reorganised the Cabinet Committee and Expert
Committee on Bangladesh National Conservation Strategy as the committees had been constituted long ago.

The reconstituted expert committee will elicit opinions of various ministries and divisions by April 15, and submit the draft paper after necessary changes and inclusion before the cabinet committee.

The Cabinet also approved a proposal for signing a Memorandum of Association (MoA) with Bimstec member countries to establish its permanent secretariat in Dhaka.

Under the MoA, Bangladesh will provide land for the office building of Bimstec Secretariat and bear the maintenance cost of the secretariat for five years.

Later, the expenses will be funded with the subscriptions of member countries.

It may be mentioned that Bimstec has been renamed as the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation.

Cabinet members, advisers to the Prime Minister, state ministers and secretaries concerned attended the meeting.