United News of Bangladesh

Strong words were exchanged in the Parliament on Sunday as BNP lawmaker Monirul Haque Chowdhury (Cumilla-6) accused Road Transport and Bridges Minister Sheikh Rabiul Alam of recycling the "bureaucratic rhetoric" of the previous government instead of addressing urgent safety concerns on the Dhaka-Chattogram highway. Raising a notice under Section 71 on matters of urgent public importance, Chowdhury drew the House’s attention to what he described as a "death trap" at the intersection of the Dhaka-Chattogram highway and the Cumilla-Noakhali link road. He criticized the installation of "monstrous" illegal barricades and the lack of underpasses and service lanes at seven key points, including Tomchom Bridge. The BNP MP expressed deep frustration after the Minister’s reply, which focused on long-term plans and budget constraints. "I am more disappointed by this statement than ever before. The Minister is repeating the same lines used during the Awami League era," Chowdhury said. "I’ve heard this ‘Rabindra Sangeet’ (melodious but repetitive talk) many times. Just let us die in peace." Chowdhury further alleged that the Minister was merely reading from a script prepared by secretaries and those who had "looted money" from past projects. He questioned why 1,500 crore BDT was spent instead of the sanctioned 700 crore BDT, and why promised overpasses from the 2014 era remain non-existent while lives continue to be lost. In his response, Road Transport Minister Sheikh Rabiul Alam defended the government’s stance, citing the limitations of inheriting ongoing projects. He informed the House that the government is currently prioritizing public works over land acquisition to keep costs low. The Minister highlighted a new plan to upgrade the Dhaka-Chattogram highway to 10 lanes. "Once the 10-lane project is implemented, the Paduar Bazar U-loop will be integrated into a major intersection featuring five underpasses," Alam stated, adding that this would eventually resolve the traffic chaos and accidents in the region. Regarding the MP's immediate concerns, the Minister noted that he had already dispatched the Secretary and relevant officials to the site to take "visible steps" to mitigate the danger. When Speaker Hafiz Uddin Ahmad questioned whether these measures would fully solve the lawmaker’s grievances, the Minister admitted, "It will be a partial solution for now." The session took a brief cinematic turn when an unidentified MP was heard shouting "Bagher Baccha" (Son of a Tiger) without a microphone, praising Monirul Haque Chowdhury’s fiery criticism. Chowdhury concluded by demanding compensation for the families of those who have died at the site since 2014, slamming the "barricades" that he claimed were erected during the controversial elections of the past decade.

The Parliament on Sunday passed the Public Service (Amendment) Bill, 2026 inducting stringent disciplinary measures and a fast-track investigation process to ensure accountability and discipline among government employees. The proposed law seeks to amend the Public Service Act, 2018, by inserting a new section, 37A, specifically targeting actions that disrupt public service. State Minister for Public Administration Md Abdul Bari moved the Bill and it was passed by voice vote. According to the draft bill, government employees will be liable for "disruptive misconduct" if they disobey lawful orders from superiors or obstruct the implementation of government circulars and directives without a valid reason. The bill also categorizes collective absence from work without authorized leave or obstructing other employees from performing their duties as punishable offenses. Under the new provisions, employees found guilty of such misconduct could face severe penalties, including demotion to a lower post or pay grade, compulsory retirement, or dismissal from service. To ensure swift justice, the bill sets a rigid timeline for disciplinary proceedings. An accused employee must respond to a show-cause notice within seven working days. If the response is deemed unsatisfactory, a three-member investigation committee must be formed within three working days. The committee is required to submit its report within 14 working days, with a provision for a one-time extension of seven days under exceptional circumstances. In a significant addition, the draft law holds the investigators themselves accountable. If a committee fails to submit its report within the stipulated timeframe without a justified reason, it will be marked as "inefficiency" in their Personnel Management Information System (PMIS) and official dossiers. This record could lead to separate disciplinary actions against the committee members. The bill allows aggrieved employees to appeal against a penalty within 30 working days. While orders issued by the President cannot be appealed, affected employees may apply for a review within the same timeframe. The objects of the bill notes that the amendment is necessary to suppress indiscipline and ensure that the republic’s work remains unhindered. This bill will replace the Public Service (Amendment) Ordinance, 2025, and the Public Service (Second Amendment) Ordinance, 2025. Once passed, the law will come into effect immediately.

State Minister for Food Abdul Bari on Sunday said the government remains committed to ensuring food security for the poorest segments of society through various subsidised programmes. Responding to a written question from opposition MP Obaidullah Salafi (Nilphamari-3) in Parliament, he said under the food-friendly programme, 5.5 million families in 495 upazilas are receiving 30 kg of rice per month at Tk 15 per kg for six months annually (August-November and March-April). For the 2025-26 fiscal year, a total of 10 lakh metric tons of rice has been allocated for the programme. As of March 19, around 7.93 lakh metric tons – about 79.25% of the allocation – has already been distributed. In addition, the government is supplying 3.07 lakh metric tons of fortified rice enriched with Vitamin A, B1, B12, B9 (folic acid), iron and zinc to beneficiaries in 248 upazilas over five months to address nutritional needs. To stabilise market prices for low-income groups, the minister said. To ensure food security of the low-income population through market price control, Abdul Bari said the government is operating the Open Market Sale (OMS) programme across the country. Under the OMS (General) programme, 1,091 sales centres in 12 city corporations, 14 labour-intensive districts and 52 district town-based municipalities are selling 1,185 metric tons of rice and 1,432 metric tons of flour daily at subsidised rates –  Tk 30 per kg for rice, Tk 24 for 2 kg of loose flour and Tk 55 for 2 kg of packaged flour. In addition, as a special programme to control the high price of rice, 406 metric tons of rice are being sold daily in the upazila markets through 836 sales centres in 418 upazilas at a price of Tk 30 per kg. In the fiscal year 2025-26, there is a budget of 3 lakh metric tons of rice and 5.25 lakh metric tons of wheat in the OMS. Till March 19, some 2.09 lakh metric tons of rice and 3.27 lakh metric tons of wheat flour have been sold (which is about 70% of the allocated budget). The state minister also said in view of the demand of the Ministry of Commerce, the Food Department is selling 33,833 metric tons of rice to 67,66,667 families through TCB at a price of Tk 30 per kg every month.  

The Law Minister on Thursday told Parliament it will cost around Tk 12 lakh to make printed copies of all the previous laws during the process of introducing the 133 ordinances issued by the interim government in the form of bills. Copies of the Civil Procedure Code or CPC alone will cost about Tk 7 lakh. Law Minister Md Asaduzzaman said this in a point of order after submission of the report of the special committee to review ordinances in Parliament. The Law Minister said that providing a photocopy of all the previous laws in their entirety along with the Ordinances would cost a huge amount. Therefore, he said, it has been proposed to view the relevant laws on the Law Ministry's website. “We are bringing the entire bill, but providing a photocopy of the previous law along with the bill (to all lawmakers) will cost Tk 12 lakh. Here, we have asked to take the previous law from the website.” He also said they will provide the entire bill. "We will provide it in the way you said for comparative study," he added. Speaker Hafiz Uddin Ahmad said, "Even if you don't give the entire old law, it will be easier for members of parliament to understand the matter if you give a comparative description of the relevant sections. What was the law before? What amendments do you want to bring? I think giving such a statement will be convenient for members to consider." Opposition leader Dr Shafiqur Rahman taking the floor said, it will be difficult to compare with the original law if only the amendment proposal is in front. He said only the proposal has been presented, but they also need to know what the original legislation was. “If the original bill is not there, then we will not be able to compare the changes being proposed,” he said. In response, the Speaker said the sections of the law in which the amendments have been brought, along with what are the changes, will be clearly presented to the members. If necessary, it will be explained in parliament.

A heated exchange took place in Parliament on Thursday between Leader of the Opposition Dr Shafiqur Rahman and Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed over remarks made during the previous day’s session. The verbal clash began during a ‘Point of Order’ after the question-and-answer session when the Opposition Leader raised the issue in a sarcastic tone, prompting a strong reaction from the Home Minister. "Yesterday, after we left the House, the Honorable Home Minister was kind enough to claim I had spoken untruths. Verily, Allah has gifted him with extraordinary skill. He can change the bottle while keeping the contents intact—expertly presenting truth as falsehood and falsehood as truth. I have stood today simply to thank him for that,” said Shafiqur. Speaker Hafiz Uddin Ahmed intervened, noting that points of order should concern current matters rather than past proceedings. "This matter was settled yesterday. There is no need to raise it anew," the Speaker said advising the Home Minister not to respond. He added that had the Opposition Leader been present in the House during the original remarks, a ‘Right of Reply’ would have been granted then. However, Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed took the floor to protest Dr. Rahman’s choice of words. "The Honorable Leader of the Opposition has used two unparliamentary words—specifically the word ‘lie’ .Had he said ‘untruth’, I would not have objected. I request that the word ‘lie’ be expunged from the record," the Minister stated. Defending his previous day’s stance, the Home Minister explained that the Opposition’s claim was factually incorrect. He noted that the Speaker had accepted a private member's resolution under Rule 62 long after the Opposition had staged a walkout. "How could that be considered as already tabled or read? Therefore, I maintain that his statement was untrue," Ahmed added. Responding to the Minister, Dr. Shafiqur argued that the confusion stemmed from the fact that the same proposal had been brought forward by an independent MP under a different name. "The proposal remained the same; only the name changed. I spoke based on the earlier version I was aware of. I provided no misinformation," the minister countered. While the Home Minister formally requested the expunging of the word ‘lie,’ the Speaker did not provide an immediate ruling. Parliamentary tradition in Bangladesh dictates that the word "untruth" is used instead of "lie", a practice reinforced by multiple past rulings from the Chair. The underlying tension traces back to March 29, when the Leader of the Opposition moved an adjournment motion regarding a meeting of the Constitution Reform Council. Subsequently, independent MP Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Iqbal moved another motion regarding the implementation of the ‘July National Charter.’ While those motions remained pending, the Speaker accepted a fresh adjournment motion on Wednesday from Treasury Bench MP Zainul Abdin Farroque regarding the implementation of the same Charter. The Opposition staged a walkout on Wednesday alleging that their original proposals were being suppressed in favor of the government’s version. Discussion on the newly accepted motion is scheduled for next Sunday.

Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Iqbal Hassan Mahmood on Thursday told Parliament that the government is actively considering moving to international arbitration or revising the power purchase agreement signed with Indian Adani group through negotiations. “The options of going to the international arbitration court over the agreement signed with Adani or revising the deal through discussions with Adani Power are under active consideration of the government,” he said. The Minister said this while replying to a starred question from opposition bench lawmaker Shahjahan Chowdhury (Chattogram-15) during the question-and-answer session in the House. Iqbal Hassan said the 2017 agreement signed with India’s Adani Power (Jharkhand) Limited was reviewed during the tenure of the interim government by a national committee headed by a retired Supreme Court judge. The committee that included power and energy experts, legal experts, economists and chartered accountants, took opinions from an international legal firm specialising in international contracts, he added. “The national committee in its review report cited that the agreement with Adani Power had been signed by the previous Awami League government at an unusually high price compared to domestic and international market rates,” said the minister. Based on the committee’s report, the government is now actively considering steps including international arbitration or renegotiation of the agreement, he added. In reply to another question from opposition Jamaat lawmaker Mohammed Kamal Hossain (Dhaka-5), the minister said the country is currently facing a significant shortage of gas as domestic production continues to decline while supply, including imported LNG, remains insufficient compared to overall demand. “As a result, gas distribution is being disrupted to some extent in all areas and there is currently no plan to provide new residential gas connections in the present or near future,” he said. What the Minister says about fuel crisis: Replying to a supplementary question from NCP lawmaker Abul Hasnat, popularly known as Hasnat Abdullah (Cumilla-4) regarding an alleged fuel crisis at fuel pumps, the minister said the required amount of fuel is being supplied supply to the fuel pumps but the problem is being created due to panic buying. “We are supplying the required amount of fuel to each pump daily. However, following the Iran tensions, sales have surged suddenly. Previously, it took one to one-and-a-half days to sell the supplied fuel, but now it is being sold out within two hours,” he said. He attributed the situation to panic buying, saying that although long queues are being seen, fuel supply continues regularly. Earlier, Hasnat Abdullah claimed that despite the minister’s earlier statement denying any fuel shortage, many pumps are shutting down and people are not receiving expected services, citing long queues and disruptions in different areas including Sylhet. Following the question-answer session, Water Resources Minister Shahid Uddin Annie raised an objection over the wording by the lawmaker in his supplementary question, saying it undermined the privilege of ministers. In response, the Speaker ruled that the term “minister” is acceptable, but if used in plural form as “ministers,” the suffix would be expunged from the record of the parliament.

Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Iqbal Hassan Mahmood on Thursday told Parliament that there is no electricity shortfall against demand though occasional outages occur during peak hours in summer due to multiple reasons. The Minister said this while replying to a scripted question from treasury bench lawmaker SM Jahangir Hossain (Dhaka-18) during the question-and-answer session. Although there is currently no shortage of electricity as per demand, power outages occasionally occur to some extent during peak demand periods during the summer due to shortage of primary fuel for electricity generation, limitations in transmission and distribution infrastructure, maintenance and storms-rainfalls and it can’t be possible to continue power supply as per demand, he said. Iqbal Hassan said the country’s total power generation capacity is 32,332 megawatts (MW) and of which the grid-based power generation capacity stands at 28,919 megawatts. Depending on demand, on average 14,500 MW to 15,000 MW of electricity is being generated daily as of March 2026, he said. The minister focused on a series of measures taken by the Power Division to increase power generation in line with growing demand and to ensure uninterrupted electricity supply. The measures include giving the highest priority to the power sector, diversifying energy sources and ensuring the primary energy supply for electricity generation. According to the minister, a 180-day action plan has been formulated in line with the government’s election manifesto.  

Industries Minister Khandakar Abdul Muktadir on Thursday told Parliament that a total of 31 state-owned industrial enterprises under the Industries Ministry are currently operating at loss. “Five state-owned enterprises of Bangladesh Steel and Engineering Corporation (BSEC), 14 of Bangladesh Sugar and Food Industries Corporation (BSFIC) and 12 of Bangladesh Chemical Industries Corporation (BCIC) under the Ministry of Industries are operating at a loss," he said. The Minister said this in his scripted answer to a question from treasury bench lawmaker SM Jahangir Hossain (Dhaka-18) during the question-and answer session. Earlier, the parliamentary session resumed at 3:30pm with Speaker Hafiz Uddin Ahmad in the chair. Abdul Muktadir said the government provides subsidies for covering the trade gap—the difference between production cost and selling price—on fertilisers such as urea, TSP and DAP produced by factories under BCIC. However, he said no subsidies are provided to the loss-making enterprises under BSFIC, though the government offers loans as operating capital support. Similarly, no subsidies are given to the loss-incurring industries under BSEC, he added. The government has plans to reduce the losses, the minister added. He said the government has taken initiatives to modernise sugar mills under BSFIC, increase sugarcane production and sugar recovery rates, rationalise manpower and establish agro-based industries and distillery plants. He further said a project is underway to convert the production process of Chhatak Cement Company Ltd under BCIC from wet process to dry process. Besides, initiatives have been taken to restart closed factories and establish energy-efficient, environment-friendly and profitable industries to produce import-substitute products using modern technologies. The minister said efforts are ongoing to modernise BSEC industries and make them environmentally-friendly as well as improve their marketing systems.

Fisheries and Livestock and Agriculture Minister Mohammad Amin Ur Rashid on Wednesday said the government will ensure fish sanctuaries in rivers, beels and canals across the country to protect natural breeding grounds and restore fish resources. “The initiative also aims to restore the traditional abundance of fish in Bangladesh’s water bodies,” he said while replying to a supplementary question from ruling party lawmaker elected from Madaripur-3 Anisur Rahman during the question and answer session in the house. Mohammad Amin Ur Rashid said that the government has already taken steps to protect fish during breeding seasons and will expand conservation measures in freshwater bodies, including haors, beels and canals, by declaring designated areas as fish sanctuaries where fishing will be prohibited during breeding periods. He said hilsa fishing remains banned across the country during the breeding season, particularly during egg-laying periods, usually for about two months, to ensure proper reproduction of the species. “During this period, hilsa fishermen are provided with free rice so that they do not suffer financially.” The minister added that the fishing ban is being extended beyond hilsa to include certain areas of rivers and even marine zones where fish breed in low-depth waters, as catching fish during spawning seasons destroys fish eggs and threatens various marine species. Responding to the question about whether similar restrictions would be imposed in haors and freshwater wetlands, he said the government has a clear plan to implement seasonal fishing bans in freshwater bodies as well to protect natural breeding cycles of fish. The Agriculture Minister noted that many indigenous freshwater fish species such as shing, taki and boal are now rarely found due to destruction of natural breeding grounds. “To address this, the government is taking initiatives to create protected sanctuaries in wetlands and water channels so that fish can take shelter, lay eggs and multiply naturally,” he added. Amin Ur Rashid also expressed hope that the initiative would help restore the country’s traditional fish wealth and ensure rivers, beels and ponds are once again filled with fish in the future.

Prime Minister Tarique Rahman on Wednesday expressed firm determination to implement his party’s electoral manifesto as the present government has already started keeping the commitments made before the people. “I would like say clearly that InshaAllah, we will continue to try our best to fulfill the promise we made to the people of Bangladesh,” he said, while replying to a supplementary question from treasury bench lawmaker ABM Mosharrof Hossain (Patuakhali-4) during the question-and-answer session in Parliament. The Prime Minister said the current government has begun the initial work of implementing the promises. “We’re determined to fulfill the promises we made before the people,” he said, adding that the government would implement its all programmes in phases.   Replying to a starred question from the same lawmaker, Tarique Rahman said the family card programme was launched on March 10, 2026 and in the initial phase, allowances have been provided to 37,817 female-headed households. In the remaining three months of the current fiscal year of 2025-2026, more 30,000 families will be brought under the programme, he added. “We’ll bring four crore families under the family card programme in phases throughout the country in the next four years,” said the Prime Minister. In reply to a starred question from ruling party lawmaker Tahsina Rushdi (Sylhet-2), the prime minister said all ministries and divisions are taking necessary initiatives to formulate action plans for the next 180 days, the next fiscal year and the next 5 years to implement the commitments announced in the government's election manifesto. “Significant progress has already been achieved in the implementation of some important activities announced in the election manifesto,” he said. To protect marginalized and low-income families, the initial phase of providing 'family cards' to 37,814 female-headed families in 15 wards of 13 districts has begun, he added. Tarique Rahman said the government has taken the initiative to provide farmers with comprehensive protection. In the initial stage, piloting will be done in 11 blocks of 11 upazilas of 10 districts of 08 divisions through the Department of Agricultural Extension, he said. Besides, in order to implement the election promise, the government has already waived agricultural loans up to Tk 10,000 in the crops, animal husbandry and fisheries sectors, he added. He said the honorarium was sent to the bank accounts of a total of 9,102 beneficiaries, including 3,295 Imams, 2,975 Muazzins, 2,604 Khadems, 114 Hindu temple priests and 83 servicemen, 15 principals and 16 vice principals of Buddhist monasteries/pagodas before Eid-ul-Fitr. A project to issue 2.5 million e-health cards in Khulna district under the pilot programme on 'issuance of e-health cards' is under the process, he said. The PM said the implementation of the 20,000 km canal excavation/re-excavation programme in the next 5 years has started from March 16, 2026 as per the government's election manifesto. Some 1.5 crore saplings of various species have already been produced for afforestation with the aim of planting 25 crore trees and creating green jobs in 5 years. The produced saplings will be planted in this monsoon, he said. Tarique Rahman said the government has a plan to distribute free-school uniforms to 200,000 children in government primary schools this fiscal year.