Dhaka, Nov 18 (V7N) — The government has decided to purchase 17,000 shotguns for Ansar members to strengthen election-time security, Finance Advisor Dr. Salehuddin Ahmed said on Tuesday.

The decision was finalized at a meeting of the Advisory Committee on Economic Affairs, held at the Secretariat.

Old Weapons to Be Replaced

Dr. Salehuddin said the existing weapons used by Ansars are very old, prompting the need for new shotguns ahead of the upcoming national election. He emphasised that the procurement will be carried out transparently.

Body-Worn Cameras Only for Risky Centres

He also stated that the previously planned purchase of 40,000 body-worn cameras will not proceed as initially designed. Instead, cameras will be provided only to polling centres identified as risky.
“The Election Commission and the Home Ministry will jointly discuss and finalize the matter,” he added.

Other Key Decisions

The Finance Advisor outlined several additional approvals made during the meeting:

  • One crore e-passport books will be purchased to meet rising demand.

  • EPI vaccines will be procured due to an ongoing supply shortage.

  • The government will import rice and wheat before Ramadan to ensure market stability and keep food prices under control.

Dr. Salehuddin reiterated that all procurement processes will be handled with transparency and in line with election-time security needs.

END/SMA/AJ