Cabinet approves Youth Policy 2017

"The new policy has given a clear guideline for a national action plan for the development of the youths, which was absent in the previous (youth) policy," Cabinet Secretary M Shafiul Alam told a media briefing emerging from the meeting with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in the chair.

The draft of the Jubo Niti (Youth Policy), 2017, he said would replace the existing one framed in 2003.

Alam said the policy suggested framing of specific action plans for welfare of unemployed youths, young females, young entrepreneurs, expatriate youths, rural youths, school dropout youths, illiterate youths, unskilled youths, youths with special needs, drug addict youths, transgender youths, homeless youths and youths suffering from epidemics.

The cabinet today, he said, gave its approval to a proposal for formally recognizing newly independent southeastern European state of Kosovo.

Besides, the cabinet approved drafts of two acts, the Marine Fisheries Act, 2017 and the Sheikh Hasina National Youth Development Institute Act, 2017, and two agreements for avoiding double taxation and tax evasion.

The Marine Fisheries Act, 2017 is the updates version of the existing Marine Fisheries Ordinance- 1983 which was declared null and void by the Supreme Court in 2010 with other laws promulgated during military regimes.

The new law authorized the government to create Mariculture Zone in the country's coastal or riverine areas for pisciculture and seaweed harvesting under approved methods.

The cabinet secretary said 'Shaikh Hasina National Youth Development Institute' would be a statuary body having authority to confer diploma and graduate and post-graduate degrees with the permission of the University Grant commission (UGC). The Institute will replace the existing 'Shaikh Hasina National Youth Development Kendra' and it will have an academic council headed by a Director General for performing activities headed by a Director General.

Registrar of the Institute will be the member secretary of the academic council.

The Institute will also have a high-powered 18-member Executive Council headed by the youth and sports ministry's secretary and comprise representatives from different ministries to be nominated for a three-year term.

The cabinet secretary said the Institute would prepare training manual and curriculum to develop youths as human resources and conduct research on youth activities.

“The Institute will also act as think tank for development of the youths,” Alam said.

The new law amended provisions of punitive actions suggesting tougher actions against the offenses under the law and for violation of the law.

As per the Supreme Court order the draft of the new law has been made in Bangla, the cabinet secretary said.

The cabinet approved a draft of an agreement to be signed with Bhutan for avoidance of double taxation and tax evasion aimed at expansion of the trade facilities between the two countries under BBIN (Bangladesh-Bhutan-India-Nepal) framework.

The cabinet also approved the draft of an agreement to be signed with Qatar for identical purposes.

After a long negotiation since 1997The two countries signed the agreements with Bangladesh.

At the beginning of the meeting, he said, the cabinet adopted a resolution congratulating Iqbalur Rahim, Whip of the Jatiya Sangsad for getting Leadership Award from Word Leadership Federation (WLF) recently.

Rahim received the award in 'social innovator category' for his outstanding social services including construction of a 'Manob Palli' for housing of the transgender people and old home for elderly people in his constituency.