The Ministry of Commerce on Sunday awarded 180 businessmen, selected as Commercially Important Persons (CIPs) of the year 2021, for their contribution to the country’s export sector.
Commerce Minister Tipu Munshi handed over the award to the businessmen in a ceremony at a hotel in the capital. The CIPs and designated representatives of CIPs received the crest and cards.
Commerce Secretary Tapan Kanti Ghosh presided over the event while the president of FBCCI Md. Jasim Uddin, Export Promotion Bureau (EPB) Vice Chairman AHM Ahsan were present as special guests.
Among the CIPs, 140 have been selected for contributing directly to the export sector. Among them, 4 in the raw jute category, 4 in jute products, 5 in leather and leather products, 8 in frozen food, 17 in the oven garment (single), 4 in the oven garment (group) category, 8 in agricultural products, 3 persons in agro-processed products, 3 persons in light engineering products, 4 persons in pharmaceuticals category and 3 persons in handicrafts category were selected as CIPs.
Others include 3 in Home Textiles, 25 in Knitwear (Single), 7 in Knitwear (Group), 2 in Ceramic Products, 1 in Plastic Products, 7 in Textiles and Computer Software, Computer Services and Data Processing etc, 4 people have been selected in the class.
Apart from this, 23 representatives of the miscellaneous products category and representatives of five EPZ companies have become CIPs.
Besides, 40 people were selected from the representatives of business organisations and given CIP cards.
A CIP receives a special ID card from the Ministry of Commerce and from the government. The CIPs are invited to the Citizen’s reception for various national ceremonies, including entry to the Bangladesh Secretariat and the city corporation.
The CIPs have priority seating opportunities in most domestic public transport during business trips. To facilitate visas, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs offers a ‘Letter of Introduction’ to the Embassy concerned. They get access to the VIP lounges at airports, and their family members receive priority when booking cabins at government hospitals.
The primary list of CIPs is prepared based on the amount of export, income tax and value-added tax (VAT), the type of business, and employment, among other aspects.
