The Cabinet has approved the draft of The Electoral Rolls (Amendment) Act-2019 incorporating the provisions on a two-month timeframe to update the voter list.
The approval came at a regular meeting at the Prime Minister’s Office in Dhaka on Wednesday (Jan 8) with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in the chair.
“The Cabinet finalized the draft of the Electoral Rolls (Amendment) Act 2019 with extending the timeframe to update the voter list from Jan 2 to Mar 1,” Cabinet Secretary Khandker Anwarul Islam told the media at the Secretariat after the meeting.
The timeframe was increased as it was difficult [for the Election Commission] to update the voter list within the existing 29 days from Jan 2 to Jan 31.
According to the draft law, the National Voters’ Day would be observed on Mar 2 which was earlier on Mar 1, Islam added.
APPROVAL OF NATIONAL AGRICULTURE MECHANIZATION POLICY
The cabinet meeting also cleared the draft of The National Agriculture Mechanization Policy-2019, Islam said.
The policy aims to help the farmers buy agricultural inputs at reasonable prices, expand agriculture mechanization and decrease the production cost as it requires fewer workers.
It would open the import of heavy machinery for the agriculture sector and suggest a cooperative system in the production and marketing of the agro products, he added.
NATIONAL INSURANCE DAY ON MAR 1
The Cabinet also approved a proposal on announcing the “National Insurance Day (Jatiyo Bima Dibosh)” on Mar 1 every year in remembrance of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman
Bangabandhu joined Alpha Insurance Company on Mar 1 in 1960 which is why the finance ministry proposed to observe the National Insurance Day on Mar 1, the Cabinet Secretary said.