Cabinet Approves Three Laws

The approval was given in principle in the regular meeting of the cabinet held at Bangladesh Secretariat with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in the chair.

Briefing reporters after the meeting, Cabinet Secretary M Musharraf Hossain Bhuiyan said "Bangabandhu Science and Technology Fellowship Trust Act, 2015" is aimed to make sustainable the fellowship programmes of the government for education and research in the areas of science and information technology.

After expiry of the existing fellowship projects, the cabinet secretary said scholarships would be given for education and research in the areas of science and information technology from the trust fund. The cabinet has also decided to formulate an umbrella act to regulate the formation of trust for public sector organizations, he said.

The trust will have a 13-member board headed by the minister or state minister in charge of the Science and ICT. Secretary of the ministry will be the vice- chairman of the committee comprised of the representatives of the ICT, education, finance, legislative and public administration ministries, in addition, representative of the UGC, BCSIR and two professors with science background will be included.

The trust will get fund from the government and can take fund from other sources to make the fund of the trust sustainable, the cabinet secretary said.

The "Paira Bandar Project (land acquisition) Act, 2015" has been approved with a special provision for quick payment of compensation to the affected persons of the project. The law aimed at facilitating land acquisition of the Paira Bandar Project, a priority project of the government, is similar to the laws relating to land acquisition of the Padma Bridge Project and Dhaka Elevated Expressway Project, the cabinet secretary said.

The cabinet has given final approval to the draft subject to the vetting of the Law Ministry, Musharraf Hossain said adding that under the law, the land owners to be affected by the project would get compensation within 60 days of release of the fund by the acquiring body in favour of the concerned Deputy Commissioners. Side by side, the law has provision to check inflated estimate of the cost of the land by unscrupulous people by transforming its landscape overnight, he said.

The objective of the "Bangladesh Roads Transport Authority Act, 2015" is to strengthen the legal framework of the Road Transport Authority to run the organization more effectively. The law aimed at bringing the motor vehicles and road transport system in a planned manner making it technology based, environment friendly and efficient.

The draft of the law has been prepared through long process of verification, inter-ministerial meeting and considering opinions of the stakeholders and the cabinet has given final approval to the draft subject to the vetting of the law ministry, the cabinet secretary said.

Musharraf Hossain said the law, to replace Motor Vehicles Ordinance, 1983, is a comprehensive one with 28 sections and 72 sub-sections. The authority would have an advisory committee headed by the minister in charge of the ministry of road transport and bridges and a management committee headed by a chairman.

The advisory committee will give guidelines to the authority from time to time. It will consist of representatives of the transport sector, mayors, secretaries of the concerned ministries, IG of police, Chief Engineer of the Roads and Highways Department, Executive Chairman of the Dhaka Transport Coordination Board and representatives of the transport owners and workers.

The management committee would have a number of full-time and part-time directors.

The cabinet sent back the draft of the "National Qualitative Standard (goods and services) Policy-2015 for further revision through consultation of the concerned ministries and departments, the cabinet secretary said.