Information secretary Mahbuba Farzana. File Photo

DHAKA, Sept 8, 2025 (BSS)- Gram Adalat (village court) can play an important role in resolving disputes at the local level alongside empowering women and marginalized communities. 

Information secretary Mahbuba Farzana said this while addressing a consultative meeting on Village Court Activation Project (3rd phase) here today.

Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MoIB and Local Government Division (LGD) jointly organized the meeting at LGD office in the Bangladesh Secretariat.

Describing the third phase of activities initiated by the LGD to establish GRam Adalat as a very necessary initiative, she said, her ministry will extend all possible support to make the initiative successful.
 
LGD secretary Md. Rezaul Maksud Zahedi presided over the meeting while additional secretaries of MoIB Kausar Ahmed, Dr. Mohammad Altaf-ul-Alam, Principal Information Officer (PIO) Nizamul Kabir, Managing Director and Chief Editor of Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha (BSS) Mahbub Morshed and Director General of Bangladesh Television (BTV) Mahbubul Alam, were present, among others.
 
The LGD secretary said, the government’s job is to serve the people. The UNDP is mainly helping to strengthen the government through this project.

“However, this is our own work. Various ministries are involved with this matter and we will work together to implement this program on the basis of mutual cooperation,” he said.

The main goal of the project, being implemented with the support of the GOB and European Union and UNDP, is to increase access to justice for rural people, especially women, small ethnic groups and the poor.
  
Gram Adalat have an effective role in implementing SDGs. It ensures easy, fast and low-cost justice for rural people as well as helping to reduce the backlog of the cases in the formal court.
 
It was informed in the meeting that a total of 1,15 367 cases have been filed in village courts from February 2024 to June this year.
 
Among the applicants 30, 873 are females. Women participation in the trial process is 15 percent. The case settlement rate is 75.41 percent. The decision implementation rate is 89.51 percent, according to the officials.

Compensation of around Tk 127.47 crore has been collected in these cases. More than 10 lakh people have been made aware through the village courts.
 
The project is being implemented across the country except three hill districts. Bangladesh government is bearing one-third of the total cost of the project.
 
Various government and non-government organizations including the MoIB were involved with the project for quick and effectively delivery of the services of the courts to the rural people.

To drum up support to make the project successful, officials said, support will also be taken from the Directorate of Mass Communication, Press Information Department, Bangladesh Television, Bangladesh Betar, Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha (BSS), National Institute of Mass Communication, Press Institute Bangladesh and community radios.
 
At the same time, it was informed in the meeting that there is a plan to conduct a campaign by involving information officers at the district and upazila levels to popularize the village courts.
 
A coordinated initiative is being taken to create awareness about village courts among the rural population, especially small ethnic groups, minorities, women, poor and marginalized people. 

This campaign will also be strengthened by using government web portals and social media, they said.