The government on April 17 approved a proposal to privatise 17 state-owned enterprises, 12 of them operating in the textiles and jute industries, aiming to complete the process in four months. The government will go for open tenders after assessing the assets and liabilities of the enterprises.
The textiles and jute ministry-run concerns that face privatisation are Rangamati Textile Mills, Chittaranjan Cotton Mills in Narayanganj, Tangail Cotton Mills, Magura Textile Mills, Monwar Jute Mills in Narayanganj, Doulatpur Jute Mills in Khulna, Qaumi Jute Mills in Sirajganj, Services and Facilities Centre in Brahmanbaria, Handloom Service Centre in Narsingdi, Textile Facilities Centre in Noakhali, Rajshahi Silk Factory and Thakurgaon Silk Factory.
The industries ministry-run remaining five SoEs earmarked for sell-off are Dhaka Leather Company, North Bengal Paper Mills in Pabna, Chittagong Chemical Complex, Karnaphuli Rayon and Chemical Ltd in Rangamati and Bangladesh Can Company Ltd in Chittagong.
The Privatisation Commission also placed a proposal for privatisation of another 31 SoEs. The Privatisation Commission has so far privatised 69 SoEs, 49 of them have been sold. The shares in 20 firms have been offloaded.
