The new 16-member committee formed by the Commerce Ministry regarding a new e-commerce law, said there is no need to formulate new legislation, a few amendments to the existing laws should suffice in regulating platforms.
Regardless, a sub-committee has also been formed to further analyze and report back within one month to figure out if new laws are needed to govern the errant sector that had scammed crores from consumers and merchants.
“Most of the representatives suggested amending the existing law to govern the e-commerce business in the country,” AHM Shafiquzzaman, additional commerce secretary told media in a briefing following the first held meeting of the new committee.
The committee held its first meeting in the secretariat office of the Commerce Ministry on Tuesday with representatives from 16 important ministries, departments, and private sector trade bodies.
Earlier, the commerce ministry had formed a 16-member committee to counsel on building a framework for the e-commerce sector.
AHM Safiquzzaman, additional secretary of Import and Internal Trade of the Ministry of Commerce, has been made the convener of the committee and Muhammad Saeed Ali, the deputy secretary of Central Digital Commerce Cell, has been made the member secretary.
Other members of the committee are, representatives of the Information and Technology Department, representatives of Legislative and Parliamentary Affairs Department of the Ministry of Law, representatives of Posts and Telecommunications Department, representatives of Bangladesh Bank, representatives of National Consumer Rights Protection Department, Bangladesh Competition Commission, Buet and Dhaka University teachers, representatives of the WTO Cell of the Ministry of Commerce, representatives of the FBCCI, representatives of the A2I, president and general secretary of the E-Commerce Association of Bangladesh, president of Basis, and Barrister Tanjibul Alam, a lawyer of the Supreme Court.