Chaired by Chief Adviser (CA) Fakhruddin Ahmed, the council at its regular weekly meeting also approved the draft Bangladesh Biman Corporation (Amendment) Ordinance 2007 to turn Biman Bangladesh Airlines into a public limited company (PLC).

"After thorough discussion, the meeting directed the law ministry to place a draft of the ordinance relating to establishing an independent EC secretariat," says an official communiqué.

The meeting asked the ministry concerned to place again the draft Memorandum of Association and Articles of Association of "The Bangladesh Airlines Limited" before the meeting of the Council of Advisers after scrutiny.

After reform, Biman, the national flag carrier, will be running under the nomenclature of "Bangladesh Airlines Limited".

All advisers to the caretaker government, the cabinet secretary and the secretaries of the ministries concerned were present at the meeting held at the Chief Adviser's Office in the afternoon.

Our staff correspondent adds: The Council of Advisers in its meeting on May 20 approved the measures to turn Biman Bangladesh Airlines into a public limited company (PLC) by June this year.

According to the government plan, Biman will have to undergo internal reforms before it becomes a public limited company (PLC).

On June 5, Biman Bangladesh Airlines offered the VRS in order to trim its staff to 3,400 by axing about 1,400 current employees.

As a PLC, Biman will be owned by at least seven public organisations through floating its shares.