The government is set to issue new bonds worth Tk 5000 crore to address pending payments to private power producers, according to official sources. The move is currently awaiting final approval from the Finance Ministry. “We’ve completed all the necessary processes from our end to issue the new bonds amounting to Tk 5000 crore. Now it’s with the Finance Ministry for the final approval,” a senior official of the state-owned Bangladesh Power Development Board (BPDB) told UNB. The official expressed the hope that the BPDB will receive the final clearance from the Finance Ministry within this week, after which the bonds will be floated. He added that some 25-27 public and private sector banks will be involved in the bond issuance process, similar to previous instances. The initiative aims to ease the financial strain on independent power producers (IPPs) and stabilise the country’s power sector, the officials said. According to them, the BPDB initiated the move and consulted the Power Division to discuss the issue with the Finance Division. “We’ve been calculating BPDB’s dues with the private power producers, known as independent power producers (IPPs),” said another top BPDB official. Govt sets new automated prices of petroleum fuels He disclosed that BPDB’s total unpaid bills currently amount to approximately Tk 42,000 crore, of which the IPPs are owed around Tk 7,000 crore. Of the remaining amount, Tk 17,000 crore is owed for gas bills, while state-owned public sector power plants are due Tk 10,000 crore. Indian public and private sector entities, including the Adani Group, are expected to receive about Tk 8,000 crore. In an earlier initiative aimed at stabilising the power sector, the previous Awami League government secured Tk 20,620 crore through the issuance of special bonds to clear outstanding liabilities to private power plants. This effort involved collaboration with two prominent private banks -- City Bank and Pubali Bank. A comprehensive agreement was signed on January 25, marking a crucial step in addressing the power sector’s financial challenges. As per the agreement, the government issued bonds worth Tk 19,850 crore to City Bank and Tk 77.50 crore to Pubali Bank, according to the Ministry of Finance. The government’s inability to disburse subsidy funds has left private power plants struggling to meet their financial obligations, pushing some to the brink of insolvency. Constitution reform commission: Cabinet Division issues gazette notification To address this crisis, the issuance of special bonds with an 8 percent coupon rate, reflecting the repo rate set by Bangladesh Bank, was introduced. Any future changes in the repo rate will adjust the bond interest rate accordingly. At the end of the bond term, the government will settle bank dues along with interest and reclaim the bonds. Unlike typical 15-20-year bonds, these special bonds have a maximum tenure of 10 years to meet the urgent needs of the power sector. Key players in the power sector, including Summit Power, United Power, Confidence Power, Baraka, Kushiara, Doreen, and Akron Power, are among the beneficiaries of this initiative. The Finance Division has also disclosed plans for phased agreements with other banks, including BRAC Bank and Bank Asia, to further address the sector’s liabilities. Reflecting on the agreement’s significance, managing directors of several banks expressed optimism. While banks can leverage these bonds with Bangladesh Bank, it provides the government with crucial financial breathing space.

The government has established a nine-member Constitution Reform Commission, headed by renowned political scientist, author, and professor Ali Riaz. The Cabinet Division issued a gazette notification on Monday formalizing the formation of the commission. The commission's members include Dhaka University law professors Sumaiya Khayer and Muhammad Ikramul Haque, Barrister Imran Siddiqui, Supreme Court Advocate Dr. Sharif Bhuiyan, Barrister M Main Alam Firozi, writer Firoz Ahmed, human rights activist and writer Md. Mostain Billah, and student representative Md. Mahfuj Alam. According to the notification, the commission was formed with the purpose of reviewing and assessing the existing constitution of Bangladesh to establish a more representative and effective democracy, while empowering the people. The commission has been tasked with making recommendations for necessary amendments and submitting a report based on their findings. The commission is expected to submit its report to the Chief Advisor of the interim government within 90 days after considering all relevant opinions. The location of the commission’s office will be determined by the government. The head and members of the commission will receive government-designated ranks, salaries, and benefits. However, any member or the head of the commission may opt to serve without remuneration, subject to approval from the Chief Advisor. All ministries, departments, offices, and agencies will provide the necessary data and cooperate with the commission as needed. Additionally, the commission has the authority to include appropriate individuals as members if deemed necessary. The Legislative and Parliamentary Affairs Division of the Ministry of Law, Justice, and Parliamentary Affairs will provide secretarial support to the commission.

On Monday, the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting of the interim government announced several grant selection committees, including renowned personalities, to ensure grants allocation process for both full-length and short-length films. The seven newly announced committees are the Full-Length Film Grant Committee, the Short-Film Grant Committee, the Script Selection Committees for Full-Length and Short-Film Grant, the Sub-Committees for the Full-Length and Short-Film Grant, and the Film Certification Appeal Committee. The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting circulated the gazette notifications issued by Deputy Secretary Md Saiful Islam on Monday, revealing the new committees. The new 10-member Full-Length Film Grant Committee and the 8-member Short-Film Grant Committee will be chaired by Information and Broadcasting Adviser Nahid Islam, and he will be joined by the ministry's Additional Secretary (Film) as the member secretary of these two committees. The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting Secretary and the Managing Director of Bangladesh Film Development Corporation (BFDC) will also be the members of these two grant committees. Other members of the Full-Length Film Grant Committee are actress Zakia Bari Mamo, actor-director and teacher at the Dhaka University Department of Theater and Performance Studies Titas Zia; filmmaker-producer Akram Khan, filmmaker Nargis Akhtar, Dhaka International Film Festival Director and President of the Rainbow Film Society Ahmed Muztaba Zamal, and Jagannath University Department of Film and Television faculty and film producer Sameer Ahmed. Meanwhile, the other members of the Short-Film Grant Committee are North South University Assistant Professor Dr Shariful Islam Imshiat, filmmaker Syed Imran Hussain Kirmany, actor Imtiaz Barshon, and filmmaker Sharmin Doza. The 7-member Script Selection Committee for the Full-Length Film Grant will be chaired by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting Additional Secretary (Film). The Deputy Secretary (Film-2) of this ministry is the member secretary, and the other members of this committee are Dhaka University Department of Theatre and Performance Studies Associate Professor Dr Shahman Shahriar (Shahman Moishan), film critic, screenwriter and journalist Sadia Khalid Reeti, author-screenwriter Nazim Ud Daula, filmmaker Masuma Rahman Tani and the Joint Secretary (Film) of the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting. Meanwhile, the 7-member Short Film Script Selection Committee includes filmmaker and critic Rashidul Islam, writer and journalist Muhammad Asadullah, and filmmaker Umme Salma Usha, alongside the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting Additional Secretary (Film) as the chair. The other members included the Director General of the Department of Films & Publications and Joint Secretary (Film) of the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, while the Deputy Secretary (Film-2) of this ministry has been made the member secretary. The Film Certification Appeal Committee will be chaired by the Cabinet Secretary. while the Secretary of the Ministry of Information is the convener of the committee. Jagannath University Professor Dr Shah Md Nister Jahan Kabir, Dhaka University Film and Photography Department Assistant Professor Habiba Rahman, Documentary and Film Maker Humaira Bilkis and sound editor Nahid Masud are also members, while Vice Chairman of the Bangladesh Film Certification Board has been made the member secretary of this committee. The 2024–25 fiscal year grant allocation will be supervised by the new committees, which will work to make sure that innovative and culturally noteworthy films have the required financial support from the government.

Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) Club Rangpur Riders will participate in the five-team West Indian franchise cricket league, the Global Super League. Rangpur Riders will compete in the overseas league along with four other teams from Australia, England, Pakistan and hosts West Indies. The Global Super League, like the previous champions league T20, is expected to begin in the Caribbean island Guyana on November 26. BCB President Faruque Ahmed disclosed this while addressing the local media on Monday. The BCB boss said, "West Indies made an announcement to organize the Global Super League with the participation of five teams from Australia, England, Pakistan, Bangladesh and hosts West Indies and accordingly we got the invitation from West Indies.” "We first offered the last BPL champions Fortune Barisal to participate in the global league, but they  regretted the offer, then we went for the semifinalist  Rangpur Riders, which will participate in the league if everything goes on right track,” he further added.