Bill on proportionate use of iodine in salt placed

A Bill titled "The Iodised Salt Bill, 2021" was placed at the parliament today, aiming to ensure proportionate mix of iodine in salt and regulate the salt market in the country.

Industries Minister Nurul Majid Humayun Mahmud placed the bill, which has been sent to the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Industries Ministry for further scrutiny.

The parliamentary watchdog was asked to submit its report before the House within seven working days.

Under the proposed law, a 14-member national salt committee, headed by the Industries Secretary as its chairman, will be formed to oversee production, processing, refining, storage, transportation and marketing of salt, ensuring iodine in salt, supply iodine to the salt factories, regulating salt import, as well as placing recommendations over salt management policy.

There will be a separate cell under the industries ministry to ensure the standard of iodine in salt.

If anyone wants to produce, process, store, import, supply salt or set up a salt factory at consumer level, the concerned person will have to be registered under the proposed law.

If anyone produces, processes and imports salt and runs iodised salt factory without registration, or does not maintain the proper standard in salt, the person will be sentenced to one to three years of jail and fined Tk 50,000-Tk 15 lakh or both.

The law violators can be punished through mobile courts.