5 reform commissions get second deadline extension
The government has extended the tenure of five reform commissions for the second time, according to separate circulars issued on Thursday...
Tags : Reform
REFORM DIALOGUE: Khelafat Majlis for all reforms before polls
Khelafat Majlis central leaders, while meeting the National Consensus Commission on Saturday, demanded implementation of all the reforms in the constitution, electoral system, judiciary, public administration, police and Anti-Corruption Commission before the next general election.
MEDIA REFORM: Independent media council recommended
The media reform commission has proposed a 20-point recommendation, including formation of an independent national media commission, enactment of journalism protection act, journalist鈥檚 entry-level wage equivalent to the ninth grade and...
Paving path to pluralism
PLURALISM is a fundamental principle of liberal democracy, ensuring that diverse political parties, ideologies, and social groups coexist and actively participate in governance. The constitutional reform commission proposed key amendments to the preamble of the constitution, emphasising values such as equality, social justice, human dignity, and democracy...
Reform may result in weak govt system, says BNP
The Bangladesh Nationalist Party on Saturday alleged that the reform proposals of the National Consensus Commission appeared to be an unreasonable attempt to appoint unelected persons to state positions in the future.
Government to act on media reforms immediately, says Professor Yunus
Chief adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus on Saturday said that the interim government would take steps to implement the Media Reform Commission鈥檚 proposals that can be done without delay...
Price ceiling should be priority health reform agenda
AS THE government discusses the reform strategy for the health sector, it should take into account findings of the Bureau of Statistics survey on public health services that reflect people鈥檚 demands and expectations. The survey report...
Fascism may return if polls held without reforms: Ali Riaz
National Consensus Commission vice-chairman Professor Ali Riaz on Thursday said that fascism might return if any government was formed through a fair election without completing reforms.
Reform initiatives lack disadvantaged people鈥檚 representation: Debapriya
Citizen鈥檚 Platform for SDGs, Bangladesh convener Debapriya Bhattacharya on Thursday said that there were no appropriate representatives to speak for the backward sections of people in the commissions formed by the interim government to make reforms in the country...
HEALTH SECTOR REFORM: People for fixed charges for health service: BBS survey
More than 90 per cent of people in the country thinks that the government must contain the 鈥榚xtremely high鈥� expenses for affording medicines, diagnostics, surgery and doctor鈥檚 fee by setting limits on their prices, according to the public opinion survey on health sector reform 2025...
Rights bodies for widening rape definition
The Rape Law Reform Coalition, a combine of 17 legal and rights organisations, on Wednesday suggested that amendments to the Women and Children Repression Prevention Act-2000 should introduce a broader legal definition of rape to include all individuals to curb incidents of rape and violence against women...
Activists oppose local govt reform proposal
Activists at a press conference on Tuesday raised doubts about the effectiveness of local government institutions if reforms based on recommendations of the Local Government Reform Commission were implemented.
Qatar extends support to reform agenda
The ambassador of Qatar to Bangladesh Seraya Ali Al-Qahtani on Tuesday said that Qatar had extended its full support to the reform agenda of Bangladesh鈥檚 interim government...
Small parties oppose constituent assembly
Small political parties, who shared their opinions with the National Consensus Commission on reform proposals till Monday, have opposed the idea of a constituent assembly to implement key reforms, according to party leaders.
EC disagrees with reform proposal, sends letter to consensus commission
The Election Commission on Monday sent a letter to the National Consensus Commission, expressing its disagreement about some of the recommendations of the Electoral Reform Commission as the EC believed that these recommendations, if...
Polls in Dec, reforms must be done by then: Yunus
Chief adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus on Monday stressed the urgency for implementing reforms, stating that the government had limited time before elections in December.
Legal reform to recognise male rape needed
THE recent event in Narayanganj, in which a 20-year-old man was allegedly raped and a sodomy charge was filed instead, demonstrates a fundamental weakness in Bangladesh鈥檚 legal structure. The country鈥檚 rape laws, as specified in Section 375 of the Penal Code of 1860, only recognise rape as an act committed by a man against a woman, effectively removing male...
THE MISSING COMMISSION: Why avoid national security reform?
BANGLADESH, a country born out of war and bloodshed, now finds itself at another critical juncture. Once, in the 1980s and 1990s, the military and foreign service attracted the sharpest minds 鈥� men and women who saw these institutions not merely as jobs, but as the last line of defence for a fragile state. But time has not been kind to these pillars of national security...
FEEDBACK ON NATIONAL CONSENSUS: Major parties set to miss deadline
Major political parties, including the Bangladesh Nationalist Party and the Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami, are set to miss the deadline for submitting their feedback to the National Consensus Commission鈥檚 multiple-choice questionnaire on key reforms...
No alternative to democratic reforms of police force
THE way the police have relied on violence to disperse an anti-rape march towards the residence of the chief adviser demanding a more decisive role in ending violence against women is a shocking reminder of the role that the police played during the July uprising. The anti-rape march was one of many protests taking place over the rape of a child in Magura, fighting for life...
PROPOSAL FOR FEDERALISM: What are the far-reaching consequences?
THE interim government of Bangladesh formed an 11-member Administrative Reform Commission in October 2024, led by Abdul Muid Chowdhury, to recommend ways to make public administration more people-centric, accountable, efficient, and impartial. On February 15, the Commission submitted its recommendations, key among which is transitioning Bangladesh...
Nahid wants consensus on justice, reforms before polls
National Citizen Party convener Nahid Islam on Monday urged the political parties to form a consensus on justice and reforms before election...
Healthcare reforms must lead to universal health coverage
UNIVERSAL health coverage aims to provide everyone with essential healthcare services without financial strain. However, despite global pledges to achieve universal health coverage by 2030, more than half of the world鈥檚 population still lacks access to basic health services. The Health Care Financing Strategy 2012...
BANGLADESH鈥橲 GOVERNANCE GAMBLE: Proposal on federalism
IS BANGLADESH ready for a federal system? Emerging聽from the recommendation of the Administrative Reforms Commission, the issue has generated considerable discussion. Although federalism has been acknowledged for its capacity to distribute power and solve regional problems elsewhere in the world, its viability in Bangladesh is yet unknown. Examining this...
Reforms before or after polls left with parties
The National Consensus Commission has sent a questionnaire to different political parties to gather their opinions on key reform proposals.
Interim govt to effect parts of July charter advice: Yunus
The chief adviser, Professor Muhammad Yunus, said on Thursday that the interim government would implement part of the July Charter to be signed by the political parties after the dialogue on the reforms recommended by six commissions.
FY26 budget to prioritise reform initiatives
The national budget for the forthcoming financial year of 2025-26 will focus on the reform initiatives taken by the interim government aiming at ensuring good governance, eradicating poverty and curbing discrimination to achieve an inclusive economic growth in the country.
Stakeholders鈥� support will drive telecom sector reforms: BTRC
The Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission will move forward with telecommunication sector reforms based on the support of the majority of stakeholders, ensuring affordability and service quality, said BTRC chairman Md Emdad-ul-Bari...
TOBACCO CONTROL REFORM: Legal challenges and progress
THE rate of tobacco use in Bangladesh is alarmingly high, posing significant challenges to public health, the economy and the environment. According to the World Health Organisation, tobacco-related diseases are responsible for eight million deaths annually, with 1.3 million of these attributed to passive smoking. In Bangladesh, 35.3 per cent of adults use tobacco, with...
LOCAL GOVT REFORM:聽2 uniform laws suggested
The Local Government Reform Commission has submitted a primary report to the government, recommending a comprehensive overhaul of the country鈥檚 local government system.