United News of Bangladesh

Prime Minister Tarique Rahman on Saturday rode in a “smart car” built by specially-abled youth Wakimul Islam, encouraging the young innovator for his creative effort. Wakimul Islam met the Prime Minister at his office in Tejgaon on Saturday morning, where he showcased the small vehicle he had built. He later drove the battery-operated smart car carrying the Prime Minister. The vehicle has been named “A to I Smart Car.” Tarique holds meeting with BNP’s grassroots leaders

The government has announced a seven-day holiday from May 25 to May 31 for Eid-ul-Azha, the second-largest religious festival of the Muslim community in Bangladesh. The decision was made at a cabinet meeting chaired by the Prime Minister Tarique Rahman on Thursday evening, according to a press release issued by the Cabinet Division. Under the decision, government offices will remain open on May 23 and 24 before the Eid holidays begin. Govt orders senior officials to fly economy class on foreign trips The cabinet also approved the draft of the “National Public Toilet Policy 2026,” initiated by the Local Government Division. The policy aims to ensure easy access to hygienic and quality public toilet facilities across the country, improve public health and hygiene standards, and provide user-friendly facilities for women, children, persons with disabilities, the elderly, and marginalised communities. It also seeks to establish effective management and financing systems to ensure the long-term sustainability of public toilet services. According to the cabinet decision, the Ministry of Education, Ministry of Primary and Mass Education, Local Government Department, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, and Ministry of Information and Broadcasting will undertake awareness programmes to educate students on proper and healthy toilet usage. The policy also requires the inclusion of separate toilets for women in all physical infrastructure development projects. Besides, the construction of septic tanks has been made mandatory for storing toilet waste. Disposing of toilet waste into rivers, canals, and other water bodies will be strictly prohibited to prevent water pollution. The Local Government Department and the Roads and Highways Department will jointly work to establish separate public toilets for men and women at suitable locations along roads and highways. The cabinet also directed the relevant ministries and departments to prepare a time-bound action plan for implementing the policy.

The government on Thursday approved the formation of Bogura City Corporation and five new upazilas across the country. The approval was given  at the 120th meeting of the National Implementation Committee for Administrative Reforms/Reorganisation (NICAR) held at the Bangladesh Secretariat with Prime Minister Tarique Rahman in the chair, said the PM’s Press Wing. The new upazilas are Mokamtola in Bogura, Matamuhuri in Cox’s Bazar, Ruhia and Bhulli in Thakurgaon and Chandraganj in Lakshmipur district. Govt orders senior officials to fly economy class on foreign trips Mokamtola upazila will be formed by dividing Shibganj upazila in Bogura district while Matamuhuri upazila will be created by splitting Chakaria upazila in Cox’s Bazar. In Thakurgaon, the existing sadar upazila will be divided to form two new upazilas — Ruhia and Bhulli. Chandraganj upazila will be established by dividing Lakshmipur Sadar upazila.

Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB) Executive Director Iftekharuzzaman on Thursday met Prime Minister Tarique Rahman and discussed measures needed to make the country free from corruption. The meeting took place at the Prime Minister’s Office at the Secretariat, Prime Minister’s Additional Press Secretary Atikur Rahman Rumon said. “The TIB Executive Director met the Prime Minister. They discussed steps needed to curb corruption and strengthen good governance,” he said. Rumon said the Prime Minister spoke about his government’s policy of maintaining a strong stance against corruption. Cabinet Secretary Nasimul Ghani was present during the meeting. Speaking to reporters after the meeting, Iftekharuzzaman said they placed several specific recommendations before the Prime Minister regarding good governance and anti-corruption efforts. “The Prime Minister took the issues very positively and assured us of taking the necessary steps for implementation,” he said. The TIB chief said they also stressed the need for reform and restructuring of institutions such as the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC). In particular, he said, the restructuring of the ACC was discussed during the meeting. Iftekharuzzaman said the current government wants to send a strong message to the international community that it is committed to fighting corruption without compromise. As part of that effort, he said TIB proposed holding the 2028 International Anti-Corruption Conference in Bangladesh to help strengthen the country’s image globally. “We sought the Prime Minister’s support in organising the international conference in Bangladesh, and he assured us of taking the necessary steps in this regard,” the TIB chief said. He said the international conference is held every two years, and this year’s event will take place in the Dominican Republic. “Previously, only three Asian countries – Malaysia, Thailand and South Korea – have hosted the conference. We believe 2028 will be an appropriate time for Bangladesh to host it,” Iftekharuzzaman said. He said the Prime Minister agreed in principle and the government will move forward with the initiative, subject to the cabinet approval.      

Prime Minister Tarique Rahman on Wednesday evening drove himself to attend a programme at the Bangladesh-China Friendship Conference Centre at Sher-e-Bangla Nagar of Agargaon. He left his office at the Secretariat around 7:30pm and headed to Sher-e-Bangla Nagar to join the programme organised by the Bangladesh Administrative Service Association, said Prime Minister’s Additional Press Secretary Atikur Rahman Rumon.

Prime Minister Tarique Rahman will visit Chandpur on May 16 and Feni on May 25, Water Resources Minister Shahid Uddin Chowdhury Anee said on Wednesday. He made the remarks while briefing reporters after a meeting with the Prime Minister at Secretariat. Replying to a question, the Water Resources Minister said canal excavation work is ongoing and the Prime Minister will inaugurate such programmes in Chandpur and Feni ahead of the monsoon season. “The Prime Minister will visit Chandpur on May 16 and Feni on May 25. Among various programmes, he will inaugurate canal excavation work there,” he said. Across the country, priority is being given to canal excavation in the districts the Prime Minister is visiting, Anee said. “The government has taken a plan to excavate 20,000 kilometres of canals over the next five years. The Prime Minister has already inaugurated such programmes in several districts,” he said. The minister also said ministers and MPs are continuing similar work in their respective areas. “As the monsoon season is approaching, we may be able to continue this programme until May. After the monsoon, the canal excavation work will resume again around November, December and January,” he said. The hour-long meeting on water resource management was held at the Prime Minister’s Office at 10:00am. The minister also said the technical, survey and feasibility studies of the Padma Barrage project are almost complete and the government will soon take a decision in this regard.  

Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) Md Nurul Islam on Tuesday submitted the audit reports for the 2021-22 fiscal year to Prime Minister Tarique Rahman. The reports were placed at the Prime Minister’s Office at the Secretariat in the afternoon, his Press Secretary Saleh Shibly said. He said a total of 38 audit reports on different government ministries, divisions and agencies were submitted, covering both compliance and performance. “The Prime Minister was briefed on key observations and recommendations highlighted in the reports,” Shibly said. Cabinet Secretary Nasimul Ghani, Finance Secretary Md Khairuzzaman Mozumder and other senior officials concerned were present during the submission of the reports. According to the Prime Minister’s Office, the audit reports were prepared under Article 128(1) of the Constitution of Bangladesh and Section 5 of the Comptroller and Auditor General (Additional Functions) Act, 1974. As part of the process, a total of 38 compliance and performance audit reports covering 17 ministries and divisions, along with their directorates, departments, institutions and projects, were submitted to the Prime Minister before being placed in Parliament. During the meeting, Tarique Rahman stressed the importance of ensuring transparency and accountability in public spending and in assessing whether development projects are achieving their intended objectives. He also underscored the need to strengthen performance audits alongside compliance ones.  

Prime Minister Tarique Rahman on Monday directed the authorities concerned to ensure that sacrificial waste generated during the upcoming Eid-ul-Azha is removed within 12 hours, aiming to maintain public health and hygiene across the country. The directive came during a meeting held at the Prime Minister's Office in the Secretariat with officials concerned about Eid-ul-Azha management. Briefing reporters after the meeting, Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed said the Prime Minister issued strict instructions to all city corporations, municipalities, district administration and relevant authorities to complete the cleaning of sacrificial waste within 12 hours of the slaughter. PM orders simplifying project approval process to attract investment

Prime Minister Tarique Rahman on Monday directed the authorities concerned to simplify the project approval process to attract both local and foreign investment. He also assured necessary support for investors willing to invest in long-closed state-owned factories, said a press release issued by the Prime Minister’s press wing. The directives came at a two-hour-long meeting beginning at 10:30am at the Prime Minister’s Office in the Bangladesh Secretariat, where the current condition of closed factories in the textiles and jute sector and the next steps were discussed. The Prime Minister said the government is committed to creating an investment-friendly environment and stressed the need to remove existing complexities in the investment process. PM holds meeting on reopening closed factories According to an official present at the meeting, it often takes a long time to get final approval for projects, which discourages both local and foreign investors. The need to obtain clearances from multiple agencies also acts as a major obstacle. In this context, the Prime Minister instructed that the approval process be made simpler and more time-efficient. “Approvals from ministries or agencies that are not essential should be removed from the process,” he said. He also emphasised easing access to loans to encourage private investment in closed state-owned factories and asked the ministers concerned to take prompt and effective steps in this regard. Commerce, Industries, Textiles and Jute Minister Khandaker Abdul Muktadir Chowdhury, the Prime Minister’s Political and Industry Affairs Adviser Ruhul Kabir Rizvi, Economic and Planning Adviser Dr Rashed Al Mahmud Titumir, State Minister for Textiles and Jute Shariful Alam, Principal Secretary ABM Abdus Sattar, Executive Chairman of Bangladesh Investment Development Authority Ashik Chowdhury, Chairman of Bangladesh Textile Mills Corporation Brig Gen SM Zahid Hasan, and Chairman of Bangladesh Jute Mills Corporation Kabir Uddin Sikder, among others, were present at the meeting. Officials from the relevant ministries and agencies also attended the meeting.    

Prime Minister Tarique Rahman on Sunday called upon deputy commissioners (DCs) to play a proactive role in implementing the government’s promises made to the people with a spirit to move ahead, stressing accountability, transparency and efficiency in building a people-friendly administration. “I hope that, with your talent and competence, you will be able to play a vital role in efficiently implementing every promise made by the government to the people,” he said while inaugurating the four-day DC Conference-2026 at the Osmani Memorial Auditorium. The Prime Minister categorically said the government is committed to implementing every pledge of its election manifesto and the July National Charter as signed before the people. “We will implement each commitment step by step.” PM opens DC Conference, issues directives on govt priorities for field administration “You are at the highest level of administration in running the state. You are one of the main driving forces in building a strong, accountable, lawful and people-friendly state system,” he told the DCs. Highlighting governance priorities, Tarique Rahman said good governance is the foundation of the current administration. “It requires efficient management, capable leadership and, above all, accountability.” He said the government’s position against corruption is clear and that it does not want to make any compromise with corruption In his directives to the DCs, the Prime Minister emphasised the timely implementation of development projects, maintaining the highest transparency in expenditure and ensuring quality in work. He also urged officials not to use excessive legal complexities as excuses, but to adopt realistic, effective and people-oriented decision-making so that citizens can receive timely benefits from government programmes. Referring to sports talent programme – Notun Kuri Sports – inaugurated in Sylhet on Saturday, Tarique Rahman said enthusiasm of young participants should inspire officials. “Let our spirit be like those children – their desire to move forward. That should be the spirit of this conference,” he said.