Awami League MP Benzir Ahmed from Dhaka-20 (Dhamrai) has been appointed as the chairman of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on the Home Affairs Ministry. Chief Whip of parliament Noor-e-Alam Chowdhury placed the proposal for reconstitution of the parliamentary watchdog, proposing Benzir Ahmed’s name as chief of the House body on Tuesday. Parliament later unanimously approved it. Awami League MP Shamsul Haque Tuku was chairman of the parliamentary standing committee on the Home Ministry.  But he was elected the deputy speaker of parliament on Monday, following the demise of Fazle Rabbi Miah in July.  Read: PM participates in extended discussion in JS on global roots of local suffering Benazir Ahmed was first elected MP in the ninth parliament. Later in the eleventh Parliament he was again elected as lawmaker.  Today, the parliament nominated Deputy Speaker Shamsul Haque Tuku as a member of the Business Advisory Committee, chairman of the Library Committee, member of the Petition Committee, member of the parliamentary committee on Rules of Procedure, and a member of the Privilege Committee of parliament.

Parliamentary Standing Committee on the Information and Broadcast Ministry on Tuesday got another 60 days to examine and amend the much-debated Mass Media Employees (Services Conditions) Bill 2022. Chairman of the Committee Hasanul Huq Inu sought the time extension in Parliament and the House unanimously approved the proposal. Earlier on June 6, the same parliamentary committee was given 60 days to examine the Bill and report back to the House. On March 28 of this year, Information and Broadcast Minister Hasan Mahmud placed the Bill and it was sent to the parliamentary standing committee for scrutiny of the proposed law. According to a source, the Standing Committee did not sit for a meeting till now. Earlier on June 16, Inu told media that the parliamentary body will sit with different stakeholders before finalizing the “Mass Media Employees (Services Conditions) Bill.” Various journalists organisations and owners association, Transparency International Bangladesh have seriously opposed various sections of the proposed law. The Editors' Council (Sampadak Parishad) has said the space for independent media will shrink further if the proposed bill is passed by parliament. The wages and benefits of journalists, employees and press workers, artists of broadcast, online, and print media outlets would be fixed under the proposed law. As per the bill, journalists will be regarded as media professionals, not as workers. Read: PM participates in extended discussion in JS on global roots of local suffering The wage board will be applicable for journalists and employees of all the media outlets, including print and electronic, as per the Bill. According to the Bill, the minimum working hours for media employees will be 48 hours in a week, while the casual leave will be 15 days instead of 10 days and the earned leave will be 100 days instead of 60 days annually. If anybody works beyond the stipulated time, he or she will be entitled to overtime pay. Besides, the festival leave will be 10 days in a year, recreation leave will be 15 days after every three years, and the maternity leave will be six months in place of the existing eight weeks. If anyone or organisation violates the provisions of the Bill, s/he will be fined Tk 50,000-Tk 5 lakh. The government will be able to cancel the licences or registration of the media. The owners of media outlets will also face punishment for violation of the law. If anyone or any organisation violates the provisions of the Bill, he/she will face monetary fine or imprisonment, the Cabinet secretary said. Once the new law is passed in parliament, jobs of media employees will no longer be regulated under the labour law. Currently, journalists and employees of media houses are regarded as “workers” under the labour law. Once the law is passed, they will be regarded as media personnel, not workers. According to the proposed law, a wage board will be formed for the media personnel. The wage board will fix salaries and allowances of media personnel in line with the salary scale of the government employees and it will be applicable to the owners of all media outlets.

Rowshan Ara Mannan, a Jatiya Party MP (opposition) from women reserved seats in parliament, has been made chairperson of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Road Transport and Bridges Ministry. Besides, Cricketer Masrafe Bin Mortaza, an Awami League MP elected from Narail-2, has been made a member of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on the Ministry of Planning. READ: Parliament passes legislation to regulate country’s tour industry Chief Whip of Parliament Noor-e-Alam Chowdhury, on behalf of Leader of the House and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, moved two different motions in Parliament on Saturday to reconstitute the two parliamentary standing committees. Awami League MP Akabbar Hossain, chairman of the Parliamentary Committee on the Ministry of Road Transport and Bridges Ministry, died on November 16, leaving the post vacant. With Rowshan Ara being made chairman of a parliamentary body, four opposition JP MPs have been made the chief of parliamentary standing committees on different ministries. READ: Public Debt Bill lands in Parliament JP MP Anisul Islam Mahmud is performing as the chairman of Parliamentary Standing Committee on Expatriates’ Welfare Ministry while two other JP MPs -- Rustum Ali Faraji and Mujibul Haque Chunnu – are leading the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Public Account and Parliamentary Committee on Labour and Employment Ministry respectively.

The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs Ministry on Monday recommended forming a national commission for trying those involved in the killing of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and 17 members of his family on August 15, 1975, presumably beyond those already convicted in the landmark case that was filed 21 years after the crime.