The government has selected 180 businesspeople to honour them with the commercially important person (CIP) status as part of efforts to recognise their contributions to national export and vital roles played in trade bodies in 2021. The commerce ministry shared the information through a gazette notification on Wednesday (May 24).
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 visas whenever they travel abroad while the CIPs can also enjoy VIP lounges at airports. The CIPs will also get priority in booking seats in public transport like airlines, railways, buses, and water vessels, the gazette also said. Moreover, the CIPs, their children, and their wives can avail of cabins in public hospitals on a priority basis.
Among the CIPs, 140 have been selected for their direct contribution to the export sector. Out of them, 4 in the raw jute category, 4 in jute products, 5 in leather and leather products, 8 in frozen food, 17 in oven clothes (single), 4 in the oven clothes (group) category, 8 in agricultural products, 3 in agro-processed products, 3 in light engineering products, 4 in Pharmaceuticals category and 3 in Handicraft category have been selected as CIPs.
Among others, 3 in Home Textiles, 25 in Knitwear (Unit), 7 in Knitwear (Group), 2 in Ceramic Products, 1 in Plastic Products, 7 in Textiles, and 4 in Computer Software, Computer Services, and Data Processing, etc. have been selected. Apart from this, 23 representatives of the miscellaneous products category and representatives of five EPZ companies have become CIPs. In addition, 40 people have been selected from the representatives of the trade bodies.
The CIP status will remain valid for one year. However, the CIPs can use the cards until the next group of CIPs is announced.
