Cabinet approves silk development act
The cabinet yesterday approved the draft of The Bangladesh Silk Development Board Act-2012 in a bid to ensure quick development of this sector.
The act aims at bringing about coordination among three organisations -- Bangladesh Silk Board, Silk Research Training Institute and Bangladesh Silk Foundation.
If the law is passed, there will be only one organisation named Bangladesh Silk Development Board. The jute and textiles minister will be head of the board, Cabinet Secretary M Musharraf Hossain Bhuiyan told reporters after the meeting.
The cabinet also approved the draft of the Waqfs (Amendment) Act-2012 aiming to make Waqf administration more effective. The proposed law has a provision to raise the fine of 'Mutawallis' (caretaker of Waqfs property) to Tk 20,000 from Tk 2,000 for negligence in their duties.
The cabinet secretary said once the law is passed, the Waqf estates would be registered in the names of estates concerned instead of 'Mutawallis' as the estates go to their inheritors after their death.
The proposed law also gives limited executive magistracy powers to the Waqf administration and limited scope in running mobile courts by the administrator and his associates to ensure proper maintenance of the estates and drives to oust encroachers, added Musharraf.
He said no Waqf estate would be transferable or registered without the consent of the administrator under the proposed law.
The meeting approved a proposal for withdrawal of a decision by an earlier cabinet meeting on Land Dispute and Crime (Special Provision) Act, 2004, saying there was no need for the act as a related existing act had been effective.
The meeting also endorsed a proposal for ratifying the Protocol of Amendments to the Convention on the International Hydrographic Organisation, adopted at the 3rd International Hydrographic Conference held in Monaco.
Musharraf said under this protocol, shipping safety and security would be ensured and its capacity enhanced, and Bangladesh would get more cooperation from other countries regarding the use of modern technology.
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