The interim government has put into action 129 reform proposals, Chief Advisor Muhammad Yunus has said, highlighting initiatives aimed at transforming the state following the July Uprising while responding to criticisms over the agenda.
On Friday, he said these recommendations forwarded by the reform commissions were “implemented” through 54 ministries.
In an address to the nation on the eve of Eid-ul-Azha, he underlined government efforts to rescue the people from a “culture of looting” and prioritised investment and employment as key areas of focus at the moment.
“In the past few months, every ministry of the government has undertaken many small and extensive reform initiatives, including steps for reforms of the economy. A total of 1,061 reform and development-related steps have been taken...
“The ministries are also working to quickly implement the recommendations of the reform commissions. As of May, 129 recommendations have been implemented… based on the recommendations received from different reform commissions.”
Following the fall of the Awami League government in the face of a mass uprising in July-August, the interim government headed by Yunus took charge and formed 11 panels to drive state reform initiatives.
The panels on constitution, judicial, electoral, public administration, police and Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) reforms formed in the first phase in October submitted reports on Feb 8.
A National Consensus Commission led by Yunus was then formed to come to an agreement over the proposals of the remaining five commissions it began work on Feb 15.
The Consensus Commission, with Ali Riaz as vice-president, is holding dialogues with political parties and other relevant stakeholders to formulate a National Charter.
The commission received a six-month deadline to establish a national consensus and issue the charter, which would pave the way for reforms and the parliamentary polls, set for, as Yunus said during his speech, the first half of April.
Yunus highlighted some of the key reform recommendations he asked to be implemented.
He said, “The Law and Justice Division has already implemented a total of 33 important recommendations. Notable among these is the amendment and restructuring of the International Crimes (Tribunals) Act to bring the law in line with international standards.”
Highlighting the formulation and promulgation of the Supreme Court Judges Appointment Ordinance, 2025 as per the proposal of the Judicial Reforms Commission, Yunus said: “Under this, for the first time in the history of Bangladesh, an opportunity has been created to appoint judges to the Supreme Court through a public notification.”
On the amendment to the Code of Civil Procedure, he said, “As a result, the plaintiff will no longer have to physically go to court day after day. We believe that this amendment will reduce the time taken before each civil case is resolved by half.”
Yunus mentioned the renaming of different institutions and infrastructure as part of the reform, reports bdnews24.com.
He said, “More than 1,000 infrastructures and institutions in the country were named after the parents, siblings, and relatives of the fugitive [former] prime minister [Sheikh Hasina]. These included cantonments, air bases, naval ships, mega bridges, roads, facilities, schools, colleges, universities, hospitals, research centres, and many more. Their names have been changed.”
On the amendment to the Women and Children Repression Prevention Act and the Powers of Attorney Act, he said: “Now, if you have a No Visa Required sticker in your old passport or if you have a birth certificate, you can execute a power of attorney from abroad. Legal aid activities will be expanded widely in the next two months.
“Currently, an average of 35,000 cases are settled annually, our goal is to increase this to 200,000 cases. Arrangements are being made to exclude those against whom there is no basis for cases within 48 hours of filing the case."
Mentioning that the interim government was doing its “best” to pull the nation out of the “culture of looting”, he said: "You all know a lot of looting took place in the guise of development over the past 16 years. Mega projects have become mega robbery projects."
He also shed light on how different development projects were re-evaluated soon after the interim government took charge. “Fraudulent expenses have been shown in almost all projects.
“Just in five departments - Road Transport and Highways Department, Bridges Division, railway ministry, Power Division, Energy and Mineral Resources Division - expenditure has been reduced by Tk 463.08 billion."
“With this money, all arrears in the energy sector have been settled and reduced to zero.”
Yunus underlined paying off foreign loans to get out of debt burdens as a priority for the government.
"We have to prioritise boosting investment in the country and creating new jobs. Otherwise, it will not be possible to take this country to the place we want to take it."
Noting the “full support” of all political parties and the public in the government’s plans for investment and employment, he said: "The widespread interest and curiosity among all is inspiring us."
"After discussions with stakeholders, 30 key reforms have been prioritised to improve the investment environment and 18 recommendations have already been implemented."
