2 more divisions alongside M\\\'singh to be established

The government will establish two more administrative divisions alongside Mymensingh to decentralise power for the betterment of the people.
To push the move forward, the cabinet approved on Monday the proposal for establishing Mymensingh as the 8th administrative division of the country to bring the services at the doorsteps of common people and also to empower them.
It asked the Cabinet Division to take necessary actions for formation of Mymensingh administrative division.
"The matter will now go to National Implementation Committee on Administrative Reforms (NICAR) for taking necessary steps," Cabinet Secretary Muhammad Mosharraf Hossain Bhuiyan told the media after the weekly cabinet meeting at Bangladesh Secretariat.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina presided over the meeting at the Cabinet Division.  
The cabinet secretary said the council of ministers also directed the Cabinet Division to scrutinise the feasibility and utility of the establishment of two other administrative divisions -- one comprising the districts of greater Faridpur and another comprising the districts of greater Comilla and Noakhali.
"The Cabinet Division will now take initiative for establishing Mymensingh division," he said.
He said an inter-ministerial committee will be formed by the Cabinet Division which will submit its recommendations to NICAR for taking final decision.
"The NICAR will determine how many districts with approximate areas Mymensingh administrative division will have," he said.
Asked when Mymensingh administrative division will start functioning, the cabinet secretary said: "All the formalities will be completed within the logical time".
The council of ministers also approved in principle the draft Tea Act, 2015 for the development of the sector.
The cabinet also approved in principle the draft of the 'Bangladesh Tea Workers Welfare Fund Act, 2015' to ensure welfare of the workers.
The cabinet was also apprised of the comparative socioeconomic advancement and macroeconomic status during the period of 2009-2014 with 2001-2002 to 2005-2006.
The report, submitted by the Finance Division, said there was macroeconomic stability in the last five years as there was steady growth, marking improvements in the key economic indicators.
The report said the average gross domestic product (GDP) growth over the last five years was 6.14 per cent while the public investment rose to 7.3 per cent in the last five years compared to 5.6 per cent during the BNP-Jamaat tenure.
The power generation capacity in the last five years also tripled. The per capita income increased more than double. The revenue-GDP ratio rose to 10.5 per cent in the last five years from 8.5 per cent during the BNP-Jamaat rule.
In the last five years, the size of Annual Development Programme (ADP) increased three times along with increase in imports, exports and remittances.
The overall budget size quadrupled, the foreign currency reserve rose six times. There was also marked improvement in social sectors like education, health and sanitation.
The cabinet secretary said the poverty rate in the last five years reduced to 26.2 per cent from 40 per cent, extreme poverty rate to 11.9 per cent from 24.2 per cent, inflation rate reduced to 6.11 per cent in December 2014.
There is also a declining trend in child mortality, maternal mortality and the low growth of population.
"The cabinet gave the directive to the authorities concerned to go forward with higher growth achievement, attracting higher investment, raising productivity, efficiency and enhancing ADP implementation capacity to maintain this advancement in the socioeconomic and macroeconomic sectors," Mr Bhuiyan said.  
He said there is a need for increasing revenue collection through capacity building of the NBR as well as raising the non-tax revenue.
In the meeting the PM directed the ministers and secretaries concerned to gear up implementation of the ADP projects under the designated ministries and divisions.
The cabinet was also apprised about the participation of Industries Minister in the G-77 Ministerial Meeting on Governance of Natural Resources and Industrialisation held in Bolivia on November 28-29, 2014.
    talhabinhabib@yahoo.com