Dhaka: Sharing his experiences gathered in New York and New Delhi, Finance Minister AMA Muhith has advised the government to legalise certain issues of society like brokerage to expedite the ease of doing business.

‘If someone provides you some service like brokerage, he must be paid for it. It’ll be a moral uplift of society,’ he said while addressing a meeting of Bangladesh Investment Development Authority (Bida) at InterContinetal Dhaka in the city on Tuesday, reports the UNB.

Muhith said there is a city service office in New Your city to help people get their services like a driving licence in exchange for money.

About his experience in New Delhi, he said, after a call from the Bangladesh High Commission in New Delhi, a person received him at a hospital there and introduced himself as a broker and provided every service till the completion of the medical check-up and getting report. ‘We should legalise this business and bring it within the system.’

When a reporter urged Muhith to broadly explain the issue, Commerce Minister Tofail Ahmed intervened and requested journalists not to misinterpret his speech, saying the Finance Minister is not talking about legalising illegal things.

With Bida Executive Chairman Kazi Aminul Islam in the chair, the meeting was also addressed by Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan, Shipping Minister Shajahan Khan and State Minister for Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Nasrul Hamid.

Principal Coordinator (SDG) of the Prime Minister’s Office Abul Kalam Azad and some other secretaries also spoke on the occasion.

Addressing the programme, Tofail Ahmed expressed his grave disappointment at the Bida performance, saying it took two years to hold a steering committee meeting.

He said Bangladesh has been doing well in all areas except ease of doing business. ‘The Bida officials prefer to hold seminars abroad instead of doing something for easing the business.’

Mentioning that many foreign investors visit Bangladesh with huge enthusiasm, the Commerce Minister said, ‘But when the visit Bida and other offices, they become frustrated and leave Bangladesh with disappointment.’

He said Bida still could not be able to introduce a one-stop service for businesspeople.

Sharing his own experiences in doing persuasion for different businessmen in getting permission of Department of Environment, Law Ministry and Rajuk for their businesses, Tofail said he had to directly phone the secretaries concerned.

He, however, said he never made any call for any matter that does not have merit and did not pursue for any illegal matter.

The Commerce Minister said there is no problem with the top officials like secretaries. ‘The main problem is with the lower-tier officers at the ministries who hold files unnecessarily.’

State Minister Nasrul Hamid said different government offices need to be dititised to ensure ease of doing business. ‘We need a system where people need not to go to offices and waste time in persuasion to get services,’ he said.