The government wants to bring closed and loss-making state industries back into operation, and work has begun on a specific plan to do so. Under the plan, the sale of unused land, buildings and shares of closed and loss-making state enterprises is being considered, which would hand these enterprises over to the private sector. The process is also meant to boost the private sector, and the relevant laws are being reformed for the purpose, according to sources at Invest Bangladesh.
A policy meeting was recently held at the Prime Minister’s Office to further examine and finalise the draft policy. The special meeting, chaired by the prime minister’s principal secretary, discussed finalising the details of the “Policy on the Transfer of Unused Land or Buildings, Transfer of Shares and Ownership, or Strategic Sale of Government Industrial or Commercial Enterprises, 2026”, according to senior officials of several organisations that attended.
A master plan to restart closed and loss-making enterprises
Attracting domestic and foreign investment and creating jobs are among the main aims of the initiative. A total of 44 state enterprises have been identified at the first stage, to be run first under joint public-private ownership or full private ownership. The list includes the companies presented at a “road show” held at the Prime Minister’s Office on 20 June. Invest Bangladesh has already drafted the policy in coordination with the Ministry of Industries.
Debate over debts and transfer of ownership
In finalising the policy, the National Board of Revenue (NBR) raised the problem of past liabilities and tax arrears on state assets. It stressed that all liabilities should be paid off in full before any asset is transferred, so that no investor faces legal and financial risk by investing in an encumbered asset. It also suggested that where liabilities exceed an asset’s value, waivers or payment arrangements should be decided case by case.
All ministries concerned asked for views
Senior secretaries and secretaries of the Finance Division and the ministries of land, housing and public works, industries, labour and employment, and textiles and jute have been instructed to give specific comments and written observations on the draft. All ministries and divisions concerned are required to send their views to the Invest Bangladesh authority, which has been given the task of refining them. Once all views arrive within the set time, the conditions in the document will be reconciled quickly and the policy sent to the Prime Minister’s Office and the cabinet for final approval.
Those involved believe that if the policy takes effect, thousands of acres of idle government land and disused factories will become profitable commercial assets. On the other hand, without specific and strict legal oversight, it could create a serious risk of state assets passing to powerful corporate syndicates at throwaway prices.
বাংলায় মূল প্রতিবেদন পড়ুন · Read the original Bengali report