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Download PDF The Council of Advisers yesterday assigned three ministries to come up with a specific and comprehensive guideline for Voice Over Internet Protocol (VoIP) operations in the country, which is currently restricted under government rules.
The cabinet meeting also took stock of the caretaker government’s performance in the past three months by reviewing a cabinet division report, which stated that the government has fully implemented 32 of the 81 decisions taken by the current government since taking charge on January 12.
Besides, 40 are in the process of being implemented and the government has been informed on the state of nine decisions.
The meeting also decided that the Buddha Purnima public holiday will be on May 2, according to the lunar calendar, and signed and ratified the UN convention on Protection and Promotion of the Rights and Dignity of Persons with Disabilities.
Chief Adviser’s Press Secretary Syed Fahim Munaim yesterday informed reporters of the decision after the council of advisers’ weekly meeting chaired by Chief Adviser Fakhruddin Ahmed.
The caretaker cabinet asked the science and information communication technology ministry, post and telecommunications ministry and the information ministry to report back at the earliest on specific guidelines for VoIP operations, said Fahim.
“A specific policy is required because of the large numbers of illegal and unlicensed operators,” he said, adding that the cabinet asked the three ministries to decide which authority should provide the VoIP licences and sketch out specific criteria for providing licences.
The cabinet also discussed how VoIP operations are run in the neighbouring countries and looked at options at how its benefits can be ‘delivered to everyone’.
Currently the government restricts VoIP operations and plans to draw up the guideline to streamline VoIP operations to reduce huge revenue losses from illegal operations.
The current caretaker government has come down hard on illegal VoIP operations since taking over on January 12, with the Rapid Action Battalion (Rab) busting a few dozen commercial firms in the last three months.
Regarding the Cabinet Division report on the government’s performance, Fahim said between January 12 and March 20, the caretaker government held 20 meetings, discussed 60 issues and took 81 decisions.
The report also stated that seven advisers committees have been formed and they have held a total of 16 meetings, while the government has promulgated three ordinances.
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