Parban Chakma

The year 2024 presented new hopes for Bangladesh. New laws and ordinances were enacted, some old laws were revised as the spirit of reforming the state touched the legal landscape.

To promote multilingualism, to protect endangered languages, and to preserve linguistic diversity, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) declared 21st February as the “International Mother Language Day” back in 1999.

In view of the end of 2023, the write-up compiles certain landmark decisions that were handed down by the Supreme Court of Bangladesh last year.

Plastic waste disposal is a serious issue for Bangladesh with only a small portion of the nation’s annual plastic waste production – which is estimated to be 2 point 4 million tons – getting recycled.

Mobile Financial Services (MFS) generally refers to electronic money services provided against a particular mobile or cell phone number of a client (termed as mobile account), where the record of funds is stored on the electronic general ledger.

On 14 April 2023, the apex controlling body of football – Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) – sanctioned Abu Nayeem Shohag, General Secretary of Bangladesh Football Federation (BFF) for violating several provisions of the FIFA Code of Ethics (FCE) (2023 edition).

2022 has been a busy year with a plethora of new legislations enacted. The Jatiyo Sangsad ( ”Parliament”) enacted a total of 21 legislations and amendments regulating different sectors. A notable few have been discussed below for the readers.

Right to Information is one of the internationally recognised human rights. In 2009, we made a Right to Information Act to empower the

Given effect from 26 March 1971, the Proclamation along with the Laws Continuance Enforcement Order, 1971 played a huge role in restoring internal legal system and solidifying the creation of the new sovereign state.

Leaving no one behind: Indigenous peoples and the call for a new social contract” is the theme to celebrate this year’s International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples. Unfortunately, the government had decided to scrap quotas for class-I and Class-II jobs in Bangladesh in October 2018, following large scale protests in the country. The quota system was introduced through an executive order in 1972 and has been amended several times since. Before the abolition of the quota system in first and second-class government services, 5 per cent quota used to be allocated for the ethnic communities. Quota system was introduced to facilitate representation of a portion of ethnic minorities in government services.

In Chakma literature, Ranyaful refers to a kind of wildflower that grows without much care in the mountains. In Rangamati, a production house has started its journey under the name ‘Rannayful,’ to reintroduce and revive the ethnic crafts through their products.

Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT), is the only extensively hilly area in Bangladesh. Many indigenous communities have been living in this area from time immemorial.