The New Nation - Internet Edition

Staff Reporter

The Government yesterday retreated from its decision to privatise five state-owned enterprises (SOEs) and asked the Privatisation Commission to return those to their operating ministries.

The SOEs are Chittaranjan Cotton Mills in Narayanganj, Daulatpur Jute Mills in Khulna, Services & Facilities Centre in Brahmanbaria, Textile Facilities Centre in Noakhali and Khulna Newsprint Mills.

The Advisers Committee (Cabinet Committee) on Economic Affairs took the decision in a meeting yesterday with Finance Adviser Dr AB Mirza Azizul Islam in the chair.

The meeting also asked the Privatisation Commission to re-examine a proposal for privatisation of the state-owned Karnaphuli Rayon and Chemical Mills and the Particle Board & Veneer Plant. Through this move, the government

ultimately backed out from its plan to privatise these particular SOEs.

The caretaker government, since its inception, has shown its seriousness in divesting the SOEs and in April last year, the government decided to sell out 18 SOEs.

Meanwhile, the ministries earlier took back as many as 31 industrial units from the Privatisation Commission as the successive governments several times changed their decisions to divest those.