180 businessmen get CIP cards

The government has awarded the Commercially Important Person (CIP) cards to 180 businessmen for their extraordinary performance in export and trade in 2021.

Commerce Minister Tipu Munshi handed over the trophies to recipient companies as the chief guest at a ceremony at a hotel in the city on Sunday.

Out of the 180 businessmen, 140 received the status for their outstanding performance in export of different products while 40 got the status under the trade category.

The CIP cards for the year 2021 were given in 22 export categories, like jute, leather and leather goods, woven and knit garments, specialised and home textile, fabrics, handy craft, light engineering, plastic, agro processing and agricultural products, ceramic, frozen food, pharmaceuticals, computer software and miscellaneous.

Speaking at the function, Tipu Munshi welcomed the winners and said Bangladesh has become a ‘role model’ of development for the active participation of the country’s business community in the development journey.

He mentioned that Bangladesh has set US$100 billion export target by 2030. 

“We are providing special focus on diversification of the exportable products. I believe that we can achieve the target if our business society works together,” he added.

Tipu Munshi urged the businessmen to take time-befitting initiatives for attracting the investors of other countries to relocate their investment in Bangladesh.

Senior Secretary of the Commerce Ministry Tapan Kanti Ghosh and President of the Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and Industries (FBCCI) Md Jashim Uddin, among others, spoke on the occasion.

According to the gazette, every CIP will enjoy some government-provided benefits like being able to enter Bangladesh Secretariat using vehicles with stickers and get invited to national programmes and receptions accorded to citizens by city corporations and municipalities.

The foreign ministry will send letters of introduction to the embassies concerned in favour of the CIPs to avail visa whenever they travel abroad while the CIPs can also enjoy VIP lounges II at airports.

The CIPs will also get priority to public transports like airlines, railway, buses and water vessels, the gazette also said.

Moreover, the CIPs, their children and wives can avail cabins in public hospitals on a priority basis.