The government approved the procurement of another vehicle-mounted data interceptor for the ministry of home affairs under the direct purchase method.
The cabinet committee on economic affairs gave the approval for the purchase in its meeting on Wednesday at the
secretariat, chaired by finance minister AHM Mustafa Kamal.
The procurement will cost the exchequer around Tk 2.0 billion.
The National Telecommunication Monitoring Centre will use the data interceptor for the interest of national security.
After the meeting, the minister said the way rumours are spread proves to be "very risky" for the country.
"Such rumours can create a dangerous situation anytime," he said.
He cited the example of a recent rumour in connection with the requirement for human heads for building the Padma bridge.
"So, we should be very cautious, careful and we must take all measures, either remedial or preventive in order to keep ourselves safe and secured from all these unnecessary rumours," Mr Kamal said.
Asked whether the data interceptor would interfere in the privacy of individuals, the minister answered in the negative. "We have studied a lot on this (equipment). We now need it."
"For the security purpose, the data interceptor is very important for us," he said.
The committee also approved a proposal for empowering the Trading Corporation of Bangladesh (TCB) to buy essential commodities on its own to meet the emergency needs.
The minister also chaired a meeting of cabinet committee on public procurement.
The meeting approved the procurement of 0.45 million tonnes of muriate of potash (MoP) fertiliser from Belarus at a cost of Tk 11.09 billion. Each tonne of fertilisers will cost US$291.65.
The committee also approved the procurement of drill bit, casing accessories, and liner hanger for drilling well in Zakiganj, the procurement of 25,000 tonnes of granular urea fertiliser from Qatar, and the selection of consulting firm for real time online motor vehicle document digitisation, archiving and management system in Dhaka metro area.
Replying to a question about providing 2.0 per cent incentives to remitters, the minister said remittance earnings this financial year will reach $20 billion from the last fiscal's $17 billion.
