The interim government鈥檚 council of advisers on Tuesday gave its final approval to the draft of the Cyber Security Ordinance, 2024 aimed at combating cybercrimes alongside ensuring freedom of expression.
It also decided to issue gazette notifications regarding retrospective promotion of 764 retired bureaucrats who were allegedly deprived of promotion during the 15 years of rule of Awami League since 2009.
Chief adviser鈥檚 press secretary Shafiqul Alam came up with the information at a press conference at the Foreign Service Academy in the capital Dhaka after the advisory council weekly meeting.
Mentioning the approval of the draft cybersecurity ordinance, he said that it would protect media freedom.
Shafiqul at the press conference also said that all controversial sections of the previous law that were used to muzzle the press and dissenting voices were dropped in the draft of the cybersecurity law.
Noting that there were incidents of many people cheated and many women and children bullied in the cyberspace, he said, 鈥榃e want to make cyberspace safe for all vulnerable people of the country.鈥�
Shafiqul also said, 鈥業t (cyber security act) had been used by former prime minister Sheikh Hasina to suppress differing opinions, to silence them, or to create an atmosphere of fear in the country.鈥�
He also stated that it was the responsibility of the government to make cyberspace safe.
Shafiqul also said that the advisory council also approved the proposal of establishing Ganabhaban as 鈥楯uly Mass Uprising Memorial Museum鈥� at its meeting chaired by chief adviser Muhammad Yunus.
He said that the interim government on Tuesday decided to issue orders for retrospective promotion of 764 retired bureaucrats who were deprived during the Awami League regime.
Subject to the approval of the president, he said that the promotion orders could be issued for each official from the applicable date.
He said that that there was a need for an estimated one-time allocation of Tk 42 crore for outstanding salary, gratuity and pension to implement the promotion and subsequently an estimated annual allocation of Tk 13 crore for pension.
Earlier, a committee led by former finance secretary Zakir Ahmed Khan submitted a list of 764 retired government officials to the chief adviser with a recommendation of their retrospective promotion.
The committee looked into the applications from over 1,500 individuals who retired between 2009 and August 4, 2024, and believed that they had been deprived of promotion during the Awami League tenure.
The committee recommended promoting 119 retired officials as secretary, 41 to grade-1 (secretary status), 528 as additional secretary, 72 as joint secretary and four as deputy secretary.
Shafiqul also said that Bangladesh had formally launched a negotiation with South Korea on an economic partnership agreement in an effort to open a broader window for economic cooperation between the two countries.
Noting that Bangladesh is looking for a greater market going beyond the European and American markets, he said, 鈥楾he government wants to explore new markets as part of its efforts to diversify the economy.鈥�
Shafiqul also said the government was also in discussion with Japan, which has the world鈥檚 third-largest economy, on a similar kind of EPA for stronger economic cooperation.
