The government today approved a proposal in principle to procure 17,050 pieces of 12-bore shotguns for Bangladesh Ansar and VDP to replace their old and outdated firearms.
Finance Adviser Dr Salehuddin Ahmed, who chaired two separate meetings of the Advisers Council Committee on Economic Affairs and the Advisers Council Committee on Government Purchase at the Bangladesh Secretariat, briefed reporters on the decisions.
He said the existing firearms used by Bangladesh Ansar and VDP had become very old, making the replacement necessary to ensure operational effectiveness.
"We will procure around 17,050 shotguns for Ansar and VDP because the existing ones have become very old. The price we are getting is cost-effective, and we found the purchase to be economically viable, so it has been approved," he said.
Dr Salehuddin said the procurement proposal had been assessed based on competitive pricing. "It is highly economical, and if you compare it with previous procurement costs, you will understand that this is very competitive," he added.
Responding to a question on whether the purchase was linked to the upcoming national election, he clarified that the procurement had no relation to election activities. "This has nothing to do with the election. It's not an election issue. Ansar has long been in need of updated shotguns, and this procurement was overdue," he noted.
He further mentioned that the Ansar force had not received official firearm replacements for many years, which justified the timing of the procurement.
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