The Cabinet on Monday gave the final approval to the draft of the National Identity Registration Act, 2023 – to transfer the national identity registration operation from the Election Commission (EC) to the Security Services Division under the home ministry.
The approval came from the Cabinet meeting chaired by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina at her office in Dhaka.
“As per the proposed law, the NID registration operation will be under the Security Services Division of the home ministry. Immediately after the birth, any individual would have the right to get a birth certificate or a unique number, which would remain unchangeable,” said Cabinet Secretary Md Mahbub Hossain while briefing reporters at the Bangladesh Secretariat after the meeting.
The Election Commission will prepare the voter lists with the nationals aged above 18 years, he said replying to a question.
However, the proposed law would not be effective immediately after passage in parliament. Rather the government would fix a date for its effectiveness, said the cabinet secretary.
The Election Commission currently conducts the national identity registration operation and issues national identity cards against citizens aged 18 or above, since 2007, as per the National Identity Registration Act, 2010.
The Cabinet also cleared the drafts of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Agriculture University, Shariatpur Act-2023, Thakurgaon University Act-2023, Bangladesh Institute of Management Act-2023, and Sylhet Development Authority Act-2023.
The meeting approved in principle the draft of the Bangladesh Economic Zone (second amendment) Act-2023 and the National Foundation for Development of Disabled Persons Act-2023.
Besides, the Cabinet cleared the ratification proposal for the Hong Kong International Convention for the Safe and Environmentally Sound Recycling of Ships, 2009.
