The government has finally decided not to accept the donation of Tk 30 million from the Islami Bank Bangladesh Ltd (IBBL) for holding an event of mass singing of the national anthem on upcoming Independence Day.
The decision came following strong objections from the Ministry of Cultural Affairs along with some other cultural organisations.
The Ministry of Finance (MoF) in a statement issued on Sunday said that the government had taken many national initiatives in the past and will do the same in the days to come.
It said the whole nation traditionally takes part in these events and banks, financial institutions, industries and other business houses also participate in those.
"And the government provides necessary help and inspiration to the private sector to make the programmes a success," the statement signed by Arijit Chowdhury, joint secretary (Bank and Financial Institutions Division) of the MoF said.
As part of the initiatives, the government took two major initiatives - ICC T20 World Cup and 'Lakho Konthe Sonar Bangla' programme on the Independence Day (March 26), which needed huge funds for infrastructure development.
Terming private sector as the most vibrant force of the economy, the statement said it has come up with due interest to ensure its participation in the national initiatives.
"We called upon the private sector to take part in the initiatives as the programmes have been taken in a close timeframe. An amount of Tk 0.9 billion will be required for arranging the events," it said.
It said the IBBL deposited Tk 30 million in response to the government's call for holding the Lakho Konthe Sonar Bangla' programme, for which the government has decided not to take the financial assistance from the bank.
The statement said the IBBL is a legally registered financial institution but many people hold a negative view of the bank and various organisations had refused its assistance in the past.
"Hence, it can be unequivocally said that the government is not taking donation from the IBBL for the 'Lakho Konthe Sonar Bangla' programme," the statement added.
Udichi Shilpi Goshti, one of Bangladesh's foremost cultural organisations, withdrew its offer to participate in the mass singing of national anthem in protest against the Islami Bank's donation.
