The government has approved a proposal to procure 17,050 shotguns for Ansar and VDP (Village Defence Party) in order to replace their old and outdated firearms.
The decision was taken at a meeting of the Advisers Council Committee on Government Purchase held at the Bangladesh Secretariat.
Finance Adviser Salehuddin Ahmed said, “We will procure around 17,000 12-bore shotguns for Ansar and VDP as 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.”
After the meeting, he told reporters that the procurement proposal was evaluated on the basis of competitive pricing.
Responding to a query on whether the purchase has any connection to the upcoming national election, Salehuddin said the procurement is not election related.
“This has nothing to do with the election. It is not an election issue. Ansar has long been in need of updated shotguns, and this procurement was overdue,” he further said.
The proposal will now move through detailed scrutiny and procedures under the Cabinet Committee on Government Purchase.
