United News of Bangladesh

Sarowar Alamgir was sworn in as Member of Parliament on Thursday evening after the Election Commission (EC) published a gazette notification declaring him winner in the Chattogram-2 constituency. Speaker Hafiz Uddin Ahmad administered the oath to him at his office at the Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban at 7:15pm. The oath-taking ceremony was conducted by Jatiya Sangsad Secretariat Secretary Barrister Md Golam Sorwar Bhuiyan. Prime Minister Tarique Rahman attended the ceremony. After taking the oath, Sarowar Alamgir signed the oath register in keeping with parliamentary tradition. Sarowar Alamgir secured victory in the 13th parliamentary election held on February 12 on a BNP ticket. However, the announcement was delayed due to legal issues surrounding his candidacy. The High Court on Thursday cleared the way for him to take oath as a lawmaker as it declared the EC’s decision to reject his nomination paper illegal.

Expatriates' Welfare and Overseas Employment Minister Ariful Haque Choudhury on Thursday said 12 Bangladeshis have so far died in the Middle East conflict, while four Bangladeshi workers sent to Russia under employment contracts have died after reportedly being forced into war-related activities. The government has repatriated 186 Bangladeshis, including 12 women and eight children, from Iran amid the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, with financial support from the Wage Earners' Welfare Board, he said. The minister disclosed the information while responding to a question from BNP reserved-seat MP Nilufar Chowdhury Moni during the question-answer session in Parliament. According to him, five Bangladeshis died in Lebanon, three in Saudi Arabia, two in the United Arab Emirates, and one each in Iraq and Bahrain. Of them, one was buried in the country of death, while the bodies of nine others were brought back to Bangladesh. Ariful said the families of the deceased whose bodies were repatriated received Tk 35,000 each at the airport to cover burial expenses and an additional special grant of Tk 50,000. He said the government has also repatriated Bangladeshi migrant workers from different countries at various times in response to natural disasters and conflict situations. The minister also informed Parliament that four of the 30 Bangladeshi workers sent to Russia under employment contracts have died after reportedly being forced into war-related activities. He said the workers were sent to Russia on April 24 through three recruiting agencies after obtaining manpower clearance from Bureau of Manpower, Employment and Training (BMET). After receiving reports that the workers were being compelled to undergo military preparation and sent to the battlefield, the government instructed the Bangladesh Embassy in Moscow on June 15 to take necessary diplomatic steps to rescue and repatriate them, Ariful said. The government remains hopeful that the remaining workers will be brought back through continued engagement with the Russian authorities, he added. On labour migration to Malaysia, the minister said Bangladesh and Malaysia held bilateral discussions at the senior official level in April to facilitate the resumption of worker recruitment. He said Prime Minister Tarique Rahman recently visited Malaysia, while a Malaysian delegation is scheduled to visit Bangladesh later this month, expressing optimism that the process of sending Bangladeshi workers to the country will resume soon. Ariful also said the government is working to diversify overseas employment markets in view of the instability in the Middle East. He said initiatives have been taken to reopen the Malaysian labour market and expand employment opportunities in Thailand, South Korea and Japan. The final draft of a worker recruitment agreement has already been sent to the Thai government. In addition, Bangladeshi missions abroad have been instructed to assess labour demand in their respective host countries and submit specific action plans to increase manpower exports, the minister said. Replying to another question, he said according to the BMET, a total of 1,09,18,009 Bangladeshis went to various Middle Eastern countries for employment between 2004 and June 30 this year. However, Ariful said a significant number of them have since returned home, making it impossible to determine the exact number of Bangladeshis currently working in the region due to the absence of a comprehensive database on returnees. To address the issue, BMET has signed a memorandum of understanding with the Special Branch (SB) of police to facilitate the exchange of information on returning migrant workers, he said.    

Deputy Speaker Barrister Kayser Kamal on Thursday urged lawmakers to maintain decorum in the House by speaking in lower voices, reminding them that Parliament is a place for orderly and respectful discussion. Addressing members during the parliamentary sitting, the Deputy Speaker who was in the chair, made a polite appeal as noise levels rose in the House. "Honourable Chief Whip, Honourable Chief Whip, may I humbly request you— (of course) you are trying by yourself. Let us talk in a low voice. This is Parliament. Thank you," he said. Remarks came as Kayser Kamal sought the cooperation of Chief Whip Nurul Islam Moni and other lawmakers to restore order and ensure the proceedings continued in a disciplined atmosphere. The intervention underscored the Chair's call for maintaining parliamentary etiquette and preserving the dignity of the House during its proceedings.

Education Minister Dr A N M Ehsanul Hoque Milon on Thursday said the government has increased the allocation for the technical education sector by Tk 6,000 crore in the new budget, raising the total allocation to Tk 18,000 crore to expand vocational and technical education across the country. Speaking in Parliament on a private member's resolution moved by BNP lawmaker from Gaibandha-4 Mohammad Shamim Kaiser, the minister said the government has attached special importance to technical education as part of its efforts to develop a skilled workforce. He said the enhanced budget reflects the government's commitment to strengthening technical education following the Prime Minister's directive to prioritise the sector. Milon said technical education facilities are being expanded under various ongoing development projects in different constituencies. Referring to the proposal raised by Shamim Kaiser, he said a technical school has already been established in the MP's constituency, while another has been included under a project involving the construction of 100 technical schools. He also noted that another project covering 329 technical institutions is currently under implementation. The minister said the four unions mentioned by the MP already have a significant number of educational institutions, including 20 secondary schools, nine dakhil madrasas, two colleges, one alim madrasa and one fazil madrasa. He said the government has introduced vocational education streams in schools, colleges and madrasas across Bangladesh to equip students with practical skills. Students enrolled in vocational education receive a monthly stipend of Tk 500, Tk 1,000 annually for educational materials and another Tk 1,000 to cover form fill-up fees, he added. Milon said the incentives are intended to encourage enrolment in technical education and help produce skilled human resources to meet growing domestic and international demand. He observed that while many developed countries are facing shortages of human resources, Bangladesh has the opportunity to transform its growing population into a skilled workforce through expanded technical education. The minister said if local representatives submit proposals, the government has the capacity to introduce SSC Vocational, HSC Vocational, Dakhil Vocational and Alim Vocational programmes in areas where such facilities are needed. He also announced that the government has a plan to establish one technical school and college in every upazila. Highlighting the existing infrastructure, Milon said Bangladesh now has 51 diploma institutes and 161 technical colleges across the country. He urged lawmakers to communicate with the ministry and submit demi-official (DO) letters seeking new institutions in underserved areas, assuring them that proposals would be examined and considered based on need.

Parliament on Wednesday formed the Standing Committee on Public Accounts, making Opposition Deputy Leader Syed Abdullah Mohammed Taher as its chair. This marks the first time a Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami MP has been appointed chairman of a parliamentary standing committee.  Chief Whip Nurul Islam Moni proposed the formation of the 15‑member committee, which was later adopted unanimously under the chairmanship of Deputy Speaker Kayser Kamal.  Other members are Amanullah Aman (Dhaka‑2), ABM Ashraf Uddin Nizan (Lakshmipur‑4), AKM Fazlul Haque Milan (Gazipur‑5), Md Hafiz Ibrahim (Bhola‑2), AM Mahbub Uddin Khokon (Noakhali‑1), Md Jalal Uddin (Chandpur‑2), Dr Md Mahbubur Rahman (Mymensingh‑7), Sk Azizul Baree (Khulna‑4), Md Monjurul Islam (Dinajpur‑1), Md Fazley Houda (Naogaon‑3), Mohammed Zakir Hossain (Mymensingh‑5), Syed Joynul Abedin (Dhaka‑4), Md Ruhul Amin (Chuadanga‑2) and Md Anwarul Islam (Kurigram‑1).  The Public Accounts Committee is considered one of the most important parliamentary committees. Its responsibilities include oversight of state expenditure, audit objections, and accountability in public accounts. After the passage of the budget, the committee examines how government funds are spent, what irregularities are flagged in audits, and how ministries and agencies respond to those findings.  In the discussions of the National Consensus Commission, one of the four parliamentary committees agreed to be chaired by the opposition was the Public Accounts Committee.

Lawmakers from both the treasury and opposition benches on Wednesday voiced concern in Parliament over severe waterlogging and flooding in Chattogram caused by days of heavy rainfall, urging the government to step up relief efforts and address the city's long-standing drainage problems. Responding to the concerns, Relief and Disaster Management Minister Asadul Habib Dulu said the government had allocated relief assistance, including rice, cash and dry food, for the affected districts. Chattogram records highest daily rainfall in 42 years; normal life disrupted The issue was raised on points of order, where MPs highlighted widespread flooding, landslides and the hardships faced by residents across the greater Chattogram region. Before the Asr recess, BNP MP Sarwar Jamal Nizam, representing Chattogram-13, said his constituency of Anwara and Karnaphuli had been inundated following four consecutive days of heavy rain. "The condition of the people is extremely bad," he told the House. After the recess, Jamaat-e-Islami MP Shahjahan Chowdhury said large parts of Chattogram, including Lohagara, Satkania, Banshkhali, Chandanaish, Patiya, Anwara and Karnaphuli, remained submerged. "I am from Chattogram. Today the whole of Chattogram is under water," he said, adding that people in the constituency of the Finance Minister had also been badly affected. Shahjahan urged the government to distribute dry food among women, children, the elderly and other vulnerable people and to take immediate measures to protect riverbanks where erosion had occurred. Another Jamaat MP, Mohammad Zahirul Islam, criticised the lack of coordination in implementing the city's waterlogging mitigation project. He noted that a project to address waterlogging in Chattogram city had been undertaken in 2017, but claimed that the problem persisted even after nine years due to poor coordination among the relevant agencies. He called for coordinated action involving the Ministry of Disaster Management and Relief, the Ministry of Agriculture and engineering authorities to achieve a lasting solution. According to the MP, identifying and addressing key issues such as sluice gates, canal excavation and drainage infrastructure through an integrated approach would help permanently resolve the problem in the affected areas. Replying to the discussion, Minister Asadul Habib Dulu said continuous heavy rainfall over the past few days had inundated the greater Chattogram and hill districts. "We have allocated 200 metric tonnes of rice and Tk 1 million for each affected district. We also have packaged dry food, and instructions have been given to distribute those," he said. The minister added that he was maintaining regular communication with deputy commissioners, who would distribute the relief in consultation with local MPs.

Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Iqbal Hassan Mahmood on Wednesday said the government is negotiating with private power producers to reduce the financial burden of capacity charges and keep electricity prices affordable, though existing contracts backed by sovereign guarantees limit its room for manoeuvre. Responding to a supplementary question from Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami MP for reserved women seat Mardia Mumtaz in Parliament, he said most of the costs associated with electricity subsidies stem from capacity charges and acknowledged concerns over their impact on power tariffs. French ambassador calls on Energy and Power Minister; France to continue support in sector Mardia Mumtaz wanted to know whether the government has any specific plan for the next fiscal year to address the rising subsidy burden and costs linked to capacity charges, noting that it is often cited as the main reason behind increases in electricity prices. In reply, the minister said many of the agreements signed by the previous government with private power companies include sovereign guarantees, making it difficult to terminate or alter the contracts immediately. "These sovereign guarantees are state commitments, and cancelling them is a lengthy process," he told the House. Iqbal Hassan said the government is engaged in discussions with the power producers on several issues, including late payment fees. "We are negotiating with them on various matters, particularly late payment fees. We hope these discussions will be productive," he said. He said once power generation infrastructure is integrated into the national grid, the government cannot simply adopt a confrontational approach with power plants, as maintaining the stability of the electricity system remains a priority. "As long as these contracts remain in force, we will continue our efforts to reduce electricity prices and ensure power is supplied at an affordable rate," the minister said. He also attributed recent pressure on electricity tariffs to higher global fuel prices triggered by the Iran-Israel conflict. Iqbal Hassan said the increase in fuel prices has raised the government's subsidy burden, forcing it at times to adjust electricity tariffs to reduce the level of subsidies. "As fuel prices rise, we sometimes have to align electricity prices to reduce subsidies. That is why electricity prices increase," he added.

Parliament's scheduled Question Hour was cut short on Wednesday after Deputy Speaker Kayser Kamal announced that the ministers designated to answer members' questions were absent from the House. While presiding over the sitting after Asr prayers, the deputy speaker said the Question Hour could not continue as the ministers concerned were not present to respond to queries. Govt steps up modern onion storage to ensure fair prices for farmers: PM "As this is the question-answer session, members are supposed to ask questions to the ministers. Unfortunately, none of the ministers for whom the questions were listed is present in the House. Therefore, we are concluding the Question Hour and moving on to the next item of business," he told the House. The announcement prompted an immediate intervention from Liberation War Affairs Minister Ahmed Azam Khan, who pointed out that he was present in the House and that questions relating to his ministry were included in the day's agenda. Addressing the Chair, the minister said the deputy speaker stated that the Question Hour will be treated as laid on the table because ministers were absent, but stressed that he was in attendance. "I am here, and the Question Hour concerning my ministry is also there. I am present in Parliament," he said. Responding to the minister, the deputy speaker clarified that the matter did not apply to him, saying the relevant rule governing the proceedings was different in his case. "Honourable minister, in your case, Rule 71 applies; it is not part of the Question Hour. You are present, and thank you very much," Kayser Kamal said. The House then proceeded to the next item on its agenda.

Parliament on Tuesday passed the Public Examinations (Offences) (Amendment) Bill, 2026, introducing tougher penalties against question paper leaks, digital manipulation, fake certificates and other technology-driven examination offences in a bid to protect the integrity of Bangladesh's public examination system. Education Minister Dr A N M Ehsanul Hoque Milon moved the Bill, which was passed by voice vote. The legislation amends the Public Examinations (Offences) Act, 1980, replacing several outdated provisions to address cyber-enabled examination fraud and other emerging forms of malpractice. Milon places bill to clean up exams, targeting question leaks and other offences According to the Bill's statement of objects and reasons, the existing law was enacted about 45 years ago to prevent cheating, question paper leaks, fabrication of certificates and other examination-related irregularities. However, the rapid expansion of digital technology has made many of its provisions inadequate for tackling modern forms of offences. One of the most significant amendments is the introduction of a legal definition of "digital manipulation", covering unauthorised access to, hacking of, alteration, modification, deletion or suppression of public examination databases. The new law introduces Section 5A, making digital manipulation punishable by up to five years' imprisonment, a fine or both. To curb technology-assisted cheating, the Bill also inserts Section 3A, making it an offence to enter or attempt to enter an examination hall with electronic devices prohibited by the authorities or to deliberately violate lawful examination instructions. Conviction under this provision carries a maximum punishment of two years' imprisonment, a fine or both. The amended law strengthens punishment for leaking examination materials by replacing the existing provisions of Section 8. Anyone found possessing, disclosing, publishing or distributing question papers or answer scripts before an examination will face up to five years' imprisonment, a fine or both. A new Section 9A criminalises the establishment or operation of unauthorised examination centres. Individuals involved in organising such centres, as well as owners of premises knowingly used for illegal examinations, will face imprisonment of up to five years, a fine or both. To address manipulation during the evaluation process, the Bill introduces Section 10A, making deliberate over-assessment or under-assessment of answer scripts, or attempts to influence examination results through such practices, punishable by up to two years' imprisonment, a fine or both. The legislation also widens accountability through Section 12A, allowing legal action against institutions, organisations and service providers that directly or indirectly facilitate examination offences or fail to exercise proper supervision over their employees. Responsible office bearers may also face prosecution unless they can prove they exercised due diligence or had no knowledge of the offence. Recognising the involvement of minors in some offences, the Bill introduces Section 13A, providing that any child accused under the Act will be dealt with in accordance with the Children Act, 2013, ensuring proceedings under the juvenile justice system. Another new provision, Section 13B, provides legal protection for whistleblowers who disclose information on examination-related offences in good faith, shielding them from civil, criminal or disciplinary action. The Bill also revises procedural provisions by making all offences under the Act cognisable, enabling law enforcement agencies to take action without prior court permission. Cases will be tried by Metropolitan Magistrates in metropolitan areas and Senior Judicial Magistrates or First Class Magistrates elsewhere through summary trial procedures. The government has also been empowered to frame rules through a new Section 14A to ensure effective implementation of the amended law by issuing notifications in the official gazette. According to the objective of the Bill, the amendment has become necessary to combat increasingly sophisticated examination fraud involving digital systems and organised criminal networks, while ensuring greater transparency, credibility and fairness in Bangladesh's public examination system.

Law Minister Md Asaduzzaman  on Tuesday assured Jaitya Sangsad that the government will take legal action against those involved in the blast and power disruption at a rally organised by National Citizen Party (NCP). Responding to concerns raised by NCP lawmaker Akhter Hossen (Rangpur-4), Law Minister Md Asaduzzaman said the government is treating the matter with utmost importance and promised a transparent investigation. Four injured in crude bomb blast at NCP rally in Savar “We can assure the House that if anyone is found to be involved, the government will take the strongest possible legal action against them with full transparency,” the minister said. Earlier, Akhter Hossen told Parliament that the NCP launched a nationwide "July March" programme and held its inaugural rally in Savar on Monday night. Power supply to the venue was cut before party leaders took the stage, he said. He further alleged that an explosion occurred among the audience, leaving several people injured and causing panic, forcing organisers to cut the programme short. Hossen said NCP chief Nahid Islam, several central leaders and he himself were present at the gathering when the incident took place. Describing the incident as an attack on democratic rights, the opposition MP said the Constitution guarantees the right to peaceful assembly and questioned why electricity was unavailable during the event. He also alleged that whenever the party announced programmes relating to the July movement, attempts were made to obstruct them. Referring to an earlier crude bomb explosion outside the party's office, he claimed that those opposed to the July movement were continuing efforts to disrupt the party's activities. As the Home Minister was not present in the House, Hossen urged the Speaker to seek an explanation from the government over the reported power outage and to clarify what measures would be taken against those responsible for the explosion. He also sought assurances that opposition parties would be able to hold meetings and rallies without interference.