Sheikh Hasina National Youth Development Institute Act gets cabinet nod

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DHAKA, Oct 23, 2017 (BSS) – The cabinet has given final approval to the draft of the “Sheikh Hasina National Youth Development Institute Act, 2017” aimed at creating efficient manpower through giving necessary training and education to the youth.

The approval was given in the weekly meeting of the cabinet held at Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in the chair.

Briefing reporters after the meeting at Bangladesh Secretariat, Cabinet Secretary M Shafiul Alam said the new law will formalize the activities of the Institute which already exists. The institute will have a Board of Directors and academic council like other training and academic institutes under the government, he said.

The cabinet secretary said the institute will give time befitting training to the youth, prepare curriculum and conduct research on youth development and award degree and diploma.

A 21-member executive council headed by the secretary of the Ministry of Youth and Sports will operate the institute while an academic council headed by the Director General of the Institute and comprised of intellectuals and academic persons would help the executive council in its operation.

Shafiul Alam said at the beginning of the meeting the Cabinet Division placed an annual report on the activities of different ministries and departments in 2016-2017 fiscal year.

The report underlined the distribution of 35,15,13,857 textbooks among 4,26,33,929 students on the very first day of the academic year 2016-2017 as one of the great achievements of the government.

According to the report, the country fetched total export of US$ 34.8468 billion in 2016-2017 fiscal which was 1.72 percent higher than the export of the previous year. Total revenue earned by the government in 2016-2017 was Taka 1,86,273 crore which was 7.7 percent more than the revenue income of the previous year.

In 2018-2017 fiscal year, a total of 8,94,054 people went abroad with job which is 30.6 percent higher than the previous year. Per capita income in 2015-2016 was US$ 1,465 which rose to 1,602 dollar in 2016-2017, the report said.

Country’s economic growth rate in 2016-2017 was 7.2 percent from 7.11 percent in 2015-2016. In 2016-2017, a total of 312 projects were implemented out of 341 by various ministries and departments, the cabinet secretary said adding that expenditure for annual development programme in 2016-2017 fiscal year was 20,162 crore more than the previous year.

The cabinet secretary said actual production of wheat, maize, potato, onion, jute, vegetables, sugar, fisheries, meat, milk, egg and coal was increased in 2016-2017 compared to the previous year while both generation and demand of electricity were increased in 2016-2017 fiscal year than those of the previous year. About 44,497 kilometers of new distribution line and 543 circuit kilometers of transmission line were constructed in 2016-2017 fiscal year.

The cabinet discussed the present status of construction of the flyovers and elevated express ways in the city to get rid of traffic congestion, hoping that construction of the Mass Rapid Transit (MRT)-6 would be finished before schedule.

The cabinet was informed of the progress in the railway, shipping sector, river dredging, water transport sector and sports and cultural arena.

During the year, the armed forces of the country have also achieved remarkable progress in terms of capacity building through raising new brigade, divisions and battalions, and acquisition of warfare including two submarines for Bangladesh Navy, the report said.

The report mentioned the steps taken by the government for welfare of the freedom fighters including their housing project and construction of Freedom Fighters’ Complexes in all districts and upazilas.

A total of 2,971 housing units are being constructed for the freedom fighters while 45 complexes at district level have already been completed.

At the beginning of the meeting the cabinet was informed about discovery of a new gas field at Shahbajpur in Bhola district near the existing gas field of the Bangladesh Petroleum Exploration Company (Bapex). According to the primary estimation, the new field has about 700 billion cubic feet (bcf) gas, raising the total reserve to one trillion cubic feet including the previous reserve, the cabinet was told.