UNB, Dhaka :
The Cabinet on Monday approved the draft of the ‘Foreign Contributions (Voluntary Activities) Regulation Bill 2014’, aiming to ensure transparency in the use of foreign donations through NGOs.
The proposed law will make the existing ordinances in this regard more comprehensive and elaborate legal instruments to properly regulate foreign-funded NGOs.
The approval was given at 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 M Musharraf Hossain Bhuiyan said the approval was given to ensure proper inspection, monitoring and evaluation of the activities of the foreign-aided NGOs in the country.
He said the proposed law will also ensure transparency, accountability and appropriate use of foreign contributions through the NGOs.
“Under the proposed law, no NGO will be able to undertake any project and implement it with foreign donations without the approval of the NGO Affairs Bureau,” he said.
As per the proposed law, the Cabinet Secretary said, no NGO will be able to run its activities without taking registration from the NGO Affairs Bureau while in case of individual, no registration is required, but approval has to be taken from the Bureau.
Besides, the source of the foreign donation and its areas of utilisation have to be mentioned.
The Cabinet Secretary said the NGO Affairs Bureau would approve the projects to be implemented by the NGOs concerned.
The law has also kept a provision of punishments, including cancellation of registration and imposing fines for violating the law. The tenure for the registration will be for 10 years, but in case of any violation of the law, the registration of the NGO concerned could be scrapped.
In case of violation of the proposed law, the first step is issuing warning, then scrapping the registration and finally imposing fine. But, in case of criminal offences like financing or patronising terrorism and militant acts, women and child trafficking and drug smuggling, criminal procedures will be followed, Musharraf added.
The Cabinet Secretary said the NGOs will have to keep their foreign contributions in a mother account of a scheduled bank, audit their accounts, publish annual reports and submit those to the Director General of the NGO Affairs Bureau.
The Cabinet meeting also approved the draft speech of the President with some observations to be delivered on the first day of the first session of calendar year 2015.
The Cabinet Secretary said the Rules of Procedure of the Jatiya Sangsad ordains cabinet’s approval to the Presidential Speech to be delivered in parliament beforehand.
In the speech, Musharraf Hossain said, the President will highlight the country’s overall situation, including socio-economic scenario, along with giving directives for future.
He said the President will also speak about the issues of the government’s achievements in different areas, success in the way of implementing Vision 2021 and Digital Bangladesh.
Besides, the scenario on local and overseas employment, programmes taken under social security net, progress in the trial of the war criminals, creating investment-friendly environment and other administrative, political, social and economic issues will also get priority in the President’s speech.
He said the meeting also approved the draft of the ‘The Supreme Court Judges (Leave, Pension and Privileges) Ordinance (Amendment) Bill, 2014’ to raise the rate of gratuity of the judges of the higher court in case of compulsory surrender of pension.
In the beginning of the meeting, the Cabinet adopted two condolence motions at the demise of noted Independence Award recipient artist Qayyum Chowdhury and noted journalist Jaglul Ahmed Chowdhury.
Besides, the Cabinet was also apprised about the visit of the Prime Minister to the UAE on October 25-27, 2014 and also the visit of State Minister for ICT to South Korea on October 19-28, 2014.
Ministers, State Ministers and secretaries concerned attended the meeting.
The Cabinet on Monday approved the draft of the ‘Foreign Contributions (Voluntary Activities) Regulation Bill 2014’, aiming to ensure transparency in the use of foreign donations through NGOs.
The proposed law will make the existing ordinances in this regard more comprehensive and elaborate legal instruments to properly regulate foreign-funded NGOs.
The approval was given at 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 M Musharraf Hossain Bhuiyan said the approval was given to ensure proper inspection, monitoring and evaluation of the activities of the foreign-aided NGOs in the country.
He said the proposed law will also ensure transparency, accountability and appropriate use of foreign contributions through the NGOs.
“Under the proposed law, no NGO will be able to undertake any project and implement it with foreign donations without the approval of the NGO Affairs Bureau,” he said.
As per the proposed law, the Cabinet Secretary said, no NGO will be able to run its activities without taking registration from the NGO Affairs Bureau while in case of individual, no registration is required, but approval has to be taken from the Bureau.
Besides, the source of the foreign donation and its areas of utilisation have to be mentioned.
The Cabinet Secretary said the NGO Affairs Bureau would approve the projects to be implemented by the NGOs concerned.
The law has also kept a provision of punishments, including cancellation of registration and imposing fines for violating the law. The tenure for the registration will be for 10 years, but in case of any violation of the law, the registration of the NGO concerned could be scrapped.
In case of violation of the proposed law, the first step is issuing warning, then scrapping the registration and finally imposing fine. But, in case of criminal offences like financing or patronising terrorism and militant acts, women and child trafficking and drug smuggling, criminal procedures will be followed, Musharraf added.
The Cabinet Secretary said the NGOs will have to keep their foreign contributions in a mother account of a scheduled bank, audit their accounts, publish annual reports and submit those to the Director General of the NGO Affairs Bureau.
The Cabinet meeting also approved the draft speech of the President with some observations to be delivered on the first day of the first session of calendar year 2015.
The Cabinet Secretary said the Rules of Procedure of the Jatiya Sangsad ordains cabinet’s approval to the Presidential Speech to be delivered in parliament beforehand.
In the speech, Musharraf Hossain said, the President will highlight the country’s overall situation, including socio-economic scenario, along with giving directives for future.
He said the President will also speak about the issues of the government’s achievements in different areas, success in the way of implementing Vision 2021 and Digital Bangladesh.
Besides, the scenario on local and overseas employment, programmes taken under social security net, progress in the trial of the war criminals, creating investment-friendly environment and other administrative, political, social and economic issues will also get priority in the President’s speech.
He said the meeting also approved the draft of the ‘The Supreme Court Judges (Leave, Pension and Privileges) Ordinance (Amendment) Bill, 2014’ to raise the rate of gratuity of the judges of the higher court in case of compulsory surrender of pension.
In the beginning of the meeting, the Cabinet adopted two condolence motions at the demise of noted Independence Award recipient artist Qayyum Chowdhury and noted journalist Jaglul Ahmed Chowdhury.
Besides, the Cabinet was also apprised about the visit of the Prime Minister to the UAE on October 25-27, 2014 and also the visit of State Minister for ICT to South Korea on October 19-28, 2014.
Ministers, State Ministers and secretaries concerned attended the meeting.
