'Pvt sector put in unfair competition with govt'

Calling upon withdrawal of the permission to form a company in the recently-passed Aspire to Innovate (A2i) Act 2023, five leading ICT-related trade-bodies said the new law has put the private sector in a direct and unfair competition with the government.
According to the law, the agency would form a company, if necessary, to implement objectives of the law.
On July 5, the A2i Bill 2023 was passed in the parliament to form an agency to encourage innovation in the information and communication technology (ICT) sector.
The five ICT trade associations jointly organised a press conference at the BASIS Auditorium in the capital on Monday, demanding necessary amendments and revisions to the recently-passed law.
The trade-bodies are the Bangladesh Association of Software and Information Services (BASIS), Bangladesh Computer Samity (BCS), Bangladesh Association of Contact Centre and Outsourcing (BACCO), Internet Service Providers Association of Bangladesh (ISPAB), and E-Commerce Association of Bangladesh (e-CAB).
BASIS President Russell T Ahmed, BACCO President Wahid Sharif, ISPAB President Md Imdadul Hoque, and e-CAB General Secretary Md Abdul Wahed Tomal attended the press conference, among others.
Besides, representatives from over a hundred IT industries and executive members of the five trade associations were also present.
Earlier, the 12th meeting of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Ministry of Posts, Telecommunications and Information Technology was held on 18 June. The committee members (lawmakers), posts and telecommunications minister, ICT Division state minister, relevant officials from the ICT Division, and presidents of the five trade associations attended the meeting.
Citing the meeting, the BASIS president in the press conference said a comprehensive review of the A2i Bill 2023 was conducted, comprising a total of 13 sections and 15 sub-sections.
In this regard, the parliamentary committee members crafted specific proposals for vital amendments within these sections, and the meeting reached a unanimous collective agreement on three crucial matters, he noted.
"Firstly, it has been decided that all the IT-related trade associations will be adequately represented in the Executive Committee, as outlined in [Section 7]. Secondly, A2i will be prohibited from engaging in any joint or partnership transactions, as stipulated in [Section 12 (d)]. Lastly, A2i will not be authorised to form a company, as articulated in [Section 21]," Mr Russell added.
Certain aspects of the two proposed amendments were duly taken into account, leaders of the trade-bodies said. However, one crucial proposition, "the provision granting the agency the authority to establish companies" [Section 21], remained intact despite initial intention to completely eliminate it, they stated.
Citing the Prime Minister along with her ICT affairs advisor and ICT state minister, they said, "The government's commitment is to foster an environment conducive to enterprise, rather than engaging in business activities directly."

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