Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina yesterday asked the new cabinet to work with sincerity and honesty to fulfill the expectations of people who have voted the Awami League to power again with a huge mandate.

“The cabinet will work with sincerity and honesty. Every work has to be done with sincerity...this has to be kept in mind,” she said at the maiden cabinet meeting of her new government at her office, reports UNB.

Hasina, also the AL chief, said there were responsibilities and duties of the government towards the people who sent the AL to power for a third consecutive term. “We are here to perform that duty. The power of honesty is limitless...we've been able to prove that several times.”

She said the country would advance if the cabinet worked with sincerity and honesty.

Meanwhile, Cabinet Secretary Mohammad Shafiul Alam yesterday said the one percent quota in government jobs for the differently-abled people has been kept unchanged, reports our staff correspondent.

“The cabinet didn't discuss the issue [quota]. For your information, I would like to say that the legal provision in this regard has not been cancelled. It's because a law cannot be overridden by issuing an administrative order,” he told reporters while briefing them on the meeting at the secretariat.

Speaking at the meeting, the PM said the dream of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman was to bring smiles to the faces of distressed people. “That's also our aim. We will work with that desire...we'll fulfil that desire. We will build Bangladesh as a country that will be free from hunger and poverty.”

Hasina said the development works initiated by the previous AL government had to be taken forward in future.

The AL won the December 30 parliamentary election with an absolute majority.

PRESIDENT'S JS SPEECH CLEARED

Cabinet Secretary Shafiul said the cabinet approved President Abdul Hamid's draft speech, to be delivered at the inaugural session of the 11th parliament on January 30.

He said the full speech of some 75,000 words would be placed in the House, but the president would read out a short version of it having about 6,000 words.

The speech would focus on the country's overall scenario, including economic development activities and measures taken by the government to establish good governance and implement the Vision 2021 and the Vision 2041, he added.

The cabinet also gave the go-ahead to three draft bills -- the Brick Manufacturing and Brick Kilns Establishment (control) (amendment) Bill-2018, the National Social Welfare Association Bill-2018 and the Chittagong Hill Tracts (land acquisition) Regulation (amendment) Bill-2019.

About the brick kiln bill, Shafiul said the cabinet earlier had cleared the draft bill and an ordinance was promulgated. The bill was brought again in amendment format in the cabinet meeting due to legal obligations.

Referring to the social welfare bill, he said there would be a Board of Governance, to be headed by the social welfare minister, for the Social Welfare Association. The state minister for social welfare will be its vice chairman.

Alongside some other government officials, a noted social activist would be nominated by the government from each district as member of the board. Of the district-level social activists, at least 20 must be women.

Besides, the government will nominate five noted personalities from famous social activists, social researchers, writers and teachers as the members of the board.

About the CHT land acquisition bill, the cabinet secretary said it had been formulated to remove disparity between the plain-land districts and the CHT region over having compensations against land acquisition.

According to the draft bill, 300 percent of the market price of a piece of land will be given to its owner as compensation in case of land acquisition in the CHT area like that of plain land.

On December 20 last year, an ordinance was promulgated increasing the compensation to 300 percent from 15 percent.

The cabinet also approved in principle the draft of Bangladesh Industrial Technical Assistance Centre (BITAC) Bill-2018 for bringing the organisation under a legal framework.

As per the draft law, there will be a board of directors to run the centre. The industries secretary will be the chairman of the 11-member board.

The cabinet also cleared the draft of the National Action Plan on the Affairs of Disabled Persons in line with the Persons with Disabilities Rights and Protection Act-2013 and the Persons with Disabilities Rights and Protection Rules-2015.

In the action plan, there is a guideline for increasing the accessibility of persons with disabilities in all infrastructures and transport.

The cabinet also adopted a condolence motion at the death of former AL general secretary Syed Ashraful Islam.

Ashraful passed away at a hospital in Thailand on January 3.