The cabinet on Monday gave final nod to a draft law with a provision allowing formation of a one-man company to attract further investment, develop entrepreneurship and improve the overall environment regarding ease of doing business in its weekly meeting with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in the chair. “We have no perception of forming a one-man company in which a person will be the owner and sole shareholder of it. The cabinet gave final nod to a draft of “The Companies (Second Amendment), Act 2020” with a provision of forming such company as proposals to this end came from different quarters which indicates that huge investment will come if the idea is implemented,” Cabinet Secretary Khandker Anwarul Islam told a news briefing following the meeting. The PM joined the virtual meeting from her official residence Ganabhaban while ministers and secretaries joined the meeting from the Bangladesh Secretariat here through a videoconference. In the existing law, there is a provision for formation of a company with minimum two persons and maximum 50, excluding the persons appointed to the company. The cabinet secretary also said that a part will be incorporated to the proposed law regarding company’s registration, operation and overall management. He added that the proposed law allows online registration of a company alongside holding its board meeting within 21 days of getting notice, instead of the existing 14 days. “The cabinet approved the proposal of holding a board meeting by 21 days instead of 14 days immediately after getting notice, specially for attracting more foreign direct investment (FDI),” he continued. Anwarul said that the proposed law has given importance to paying the debts of a company in case of its winding up. Owner of a company has to remain present physically if he wants to transfer his or her share to another person or he can transfer his shares by calling a commission in his or her house or any other place, he said The government’s top bureaucrat said the amendments to the existing company law would help scale up Bangladesh’s position in the index of ease of doing business, attract investments and develop entrepreneurship.
