BSS-10 Cabinet clears draft BSS Act

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CABINET-BSS-ACT

Cabinet clears draft BSS Act

DHAKA, July 2, 2018 (BSS) – The cabinet today approved the draft law of
Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha (BSS), which emerged as the national news agency
in 1972 and was so far being run under an ordinance promulgated in 1979.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina chaired the meeting which gave its final
approval to the “Bangladesh Sangbad Sagstha (BSS) Ain 2018”.

“The draft of the law has been framed bringing some changes in the
ordinance of 1979,” Cabinet Secretary Md. Shafiul Alam told newsmen in a
briefing at Bangladesh Secretariat after the meeting at the PMO.

BSS was established on January 1, 1972 as the then Dhaka bureau of the then
Associate Press of Pakistan (APP) was turned into Bangladesh’s news agency
while an ordinance for it was promulgated during the military regime in 1979.

The BSS Act would require the parliamentary endorsement for its enactment
as the first law to run the national news agency engaged in disseminating
national and international news of different arenas.

The draft law suggests the national news agency to be operated by a 13
member Board of Directors with three years tenure which will include
representatives of different ministries including the home and foreign
ministries alongside senior journalists.

The government would appoint the chairman of the board while a person
having 18 years experience in journalism would be eligible for the post of
the Managing Director and Chief Editor of the national news agency.

The law suggests simultaneous auditing of the news agency by the
Comptroller and Auditor General (C&AG) and a chartered account firm.

BSS/AKH/AR/1522 hrs