Cabinet renames MoEF as MoEF&CC

FT ONLINE

The government has changed the name of the Ministry of Environment and Forests calling it henceforth 'Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change'.

The decision was taken on Monday in the weekly meeting of the cabinet held at Bangladesh Secretariat with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in the chair.

Briefing reporters after the meeting Cabinet Secretary Md. Shafiul Alam said the change in the name of the ministry has done keeping consistency with neighbouring countries.

"Climate Change is a big issue now... so this has been specified in the name of the ministry," he said.

The cabinet also approved a proposal to allow the concerned officials to fell trees in the reserved forest in Moheshkhali of Cox's Bazar district for installation of single point mooring of Bangladesh Petroleum Corporation.

Shafiul Alam said the trees would be cut off on the condition of planting five times of saplings in the 191.25 acres of land and taking care of those trees for ten years.

Cabinet Secretary said the cabinet allowed cutting of 1,546 trees on 2.30 acres of land at a social forest in Kapasia Upazila of Gazipur district for construction of a mini stadium in the area.