UNB, Dhaka :
The Cabinet on Monday approved in principle the draft of the Bangladesh Press Institute Bill, 2016, aiming to give legal shape to the Press Institute of Bangladesh (PIB) and make it more time-befitting one alongside improving its operations.
The approval came from the regular weekly meeting of the Cabinet held at Bangladesh Secretariat with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in the chair. Briefing reporters after the meeting, Cabinet Secretary Mohammad Shafiul Alam said since inception of the Press Institute of Bangladesh (PIB) on August 18, 1976, it has been operating only through a resolution. “So, the government feels the necessity of framing a law and that’s why the draft law has been placed before the Cabinet.”
The proposed law also defines the word ‘journalist’. It also outlines that the main PIB office will be there in the capital while the government will be able to set up its branch offices outside the capital.
The Cabinet Secretary said there will be a 15-member Board of Directors for the PIB to be appointed by the government for two years with representation from eminent journalists, educationists, public relations experts and representatives from various journalists’ bodies.
According to the draft law, he said that the main duties of the PIB would be to provide on duty training facilities to working journalists, mass media personnel, development and communication workers and persons related to media with real focus on training.
The chairman, as the head of the Board of PIB, would be appointed by the government for two years while the Director General of the institute would work as its Chief Executive to be appointed also by the government.
The Cabinet approved in principle the draft of the ‘Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha
(BSS) Bill, 2016′ following the existing 1979 ordinance of the national news agency. Mohammad Shafiul Alam said the BSS is now being run as per the 1979 ordinance promulgated during the martial law regime.
But, he said the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court in a verdict declared illegal all ordinances promulgated by the martial law regimes from 15th August of 1975 to 9th April of 1979 and 24th March of 1982 to 10th November of 1986.
As per the judgement, the government asked the authorities concerned to replace the relevant ordinances and translate those into Bangla. In its continuation, the law has been placed in yesterday’s cabinet meeting.
The Cabinet Secretary said there is no ‘gross deviation’ from the existing ordinance, and the new law is going to be framed more or less following the 1979 ordinance.
The Cabinet on Monday approved in principle the draft of the Bangladesh Press Institute Bill, 2016, aiming to give legal shape to the Press Institute of Bangladesh (PIB) and make it more time-befitting one alongside improving its operations.
The approval came from the regular weekly meeting of the Cabinet held at Bangladesh Secretariat with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in the chair. Briefing reporters after the meeting, Cabinet Secretary Mohammad Shafiul Alam said since inception of the Press Institute of Bangladesh (PIB) on August 18, 1976, it has been operating only through a resolution. “So, the government feels the necessity of framing a law and that’s why the draft law has been placed before the Cabinet.”
The proposed law also defines the word ‘journalist’. It also outlines that the main PIB office will be there in the capital while the government will be able to set up its branch offices outside the capital.
The Cabinet Secretary said there will be a 15-member Board of Directors for the PIB to be appointed by the government for two years with representation from eminent journalists, educationists, public relations experts and representatives from various journalists’ bodies.
According to the draft law, he said that the main duties of the PIB would be to provide on duty training facilities to working journalists, mass media personnel, development and communication workers and persons related to media with real focus on training.
The chairman, as the head of the Board of PIB, would be appointed by the government for two years while the Director General of the institute would work as its Chief Executive to be appointed also by the government.
The Cabinet approved in principle the draft of the ‘Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha
(BSS) Bill, 2016′ following the existing 1979 ordinance of the national news agency. Mohammad Shafiul Alam said the BSS is now being run as per the 1979 ordinance promulgated during the martial law regime.
But, he said the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court in a verdict declared illegal all ordinances promulgated by the martial law regimes from 15th August of 1975 to 9th April of 1979 and 24th March of 1982 to 10th November of 1986.
As per the judgement, the government asked the authorities concerned to replace the relevant ordinances and translate those into Bangla. In its continuation, the law has been placed in yesterday’s cabinet meeting.
The Cabinet Secretary said there is no ‘gross deviation’ from the existing ordinance, and the new law is going to be framed more or less following the 1979 ordinance.
