DHAKA: The government is going to introduce a new law for non-governmental organizations to bring transparency and accountability in the sector, as reports point out a lack of discipline in the run of innumerous NGOs operating in the country.

“We have already held inter-ministerial meeting and prepared the draft of the law,” Social Welfare Minister Enamul Haque Mostafa Shaheed told reporters after a meeting Sunday.

He added, “We hope to place the draft before the Cabinet after the Prime Minister returns home.”

Bangladesh Institute of Development Studies (BIDS) organized the seminar on ‘Food Security, Access to Food, Safety Net Programme and Budgetary Implications’ at a city hotel.

Former Director-General of BIDS Dr Quazi Shahabuddin presented a keynote while Sayedul Haque MP, Biren Sikder MP and Narayan Chandra Chanda MP, among others, took part in discussion.

Enamul Haque said the NGOs have capacity to run as ‘parallel government’ and they are doing business by setting up commercial establishments like hospital and university in the name of people’s welfare.

“But now their activities will be regulated by formulating the law,” he also said.

As per the act, NGOs have to submit their financial statements, sources of income and sectors of expenditure to the authority concerned on regular basis, said the minister.

Activities of any NGO will be suspended and its registration might be cancelled if any irregularity is found, he added, further explaining the strict provisions of the law in the making.

“Actually we want to discourage NGOs from doing business here and not to let them work as competitors of government,” the minister told reporters after the meeting.

Dismissing anthrax panic as propaganda he said, “The fact is not as bad as it is assumed. A vested quarter is trying to reap benefit creating instability in the sector ahead of Eid-ul Azha.”

Replying to a question on food security, he also said the government has already taken sufficient measures to avert food deficit till the next ‘boro’ season.

BDST: 1330 HRS, SEPT 19, 2010