Dhaka, Nov. 8 -- The government's decade-long efforts to bring transparency to public spending is facing a setback, as the Trading Corporation of Bangladesh (TCB) has requested an exemption from the newly introduced mandatory electronic government procurement (e-GP) system.

Instead, the state-owned agency has sought permission to revert to the paper-based manual procurement method for purchasing essential commodities, sources said.

In a letter, TCB Chairman Mohammad Foyshol Azad has requested the commerce ministry to take necessary steps for approval from the Bangladesh Public Procurement Authority (BPPA), saying that the fluctuating nature of essential commodity prices and the need for physical sample verification necessitate the retur...