Make sure policemen get good treatment

Stating that Covid-19 pandemic was badly affecting the police department, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina yesterday instructed the authorities to give priority to the treatment of police members.

Speaking at a cabinet meeting at the Gono Bhaban, she also suggested expanding the treatment facilities for Covid-19 patients, said meeting sources.

This was the first cabinet meeting after about a month. Only three ministers -- Finance Minister AHM Mustafa Kamal, Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan and Law Minister Anisul Huq -- attended the meeting, with the PM in the chair.

The previous cabinet meeting was held on April 6.

Talking to The Daily Star after yesterday's meeting, the law minister said the PM expressed satisfaction at the handling of the coronavirus situation by different government organisations.

She said the Covid-19 pandemic was seriously affecting the police department as a growing number of cops were getting infected with coronavirus while carrying out their duties.

"So, there should be adequate arrangements to admit infected police personnel to hospitals," Anisul said quoting Hasina as saying.

The PM also informed the meeting that the government was taking measures to boost isolation facilities for Covid-19 patients.

According to statistics of the Police Headquarters, 90 policemen were infected with Covid-19 across the country in 24 hours till 2:30pm yesterday.

The total number of infected policemen reached 1,285 at 2:30pm yesterday. Of them, six have died and 93 recovered so far.

Besides, 1,089 others were placed in isolation after they showed coronavirus-like symptoms and 2,689, who came in close contact with those infected, have been kept in quarantine, shows the PHQ data.

ORDINANCES APPROVED

Yesterday, the cabinet approved an ordinance allowing courts to hold trails digitally using the information technology in view of the coronavirus pandemic.

It also gave the final approval to "The Value Added Tax and Supplementary Duty (amendment) Act, 2020" and "The Income-tax Amendment Ordinance, 2020," reports BSS.

"It is necessary to formulate a legal framework to continue the trial process in courts digitally or through videoconferencing using information technology as the backlog of cases is getting larger due to the nationwide shutdown over the coronavirus pandemic," Cabinet Secretary Khandker Anwarul Islam told a news briefing at his Secretariat office after the cabinet meeting.

"So, the cabinet has finally approved the Information Technology Usage Ordinance by the Court, 2020," he said.

Once the ordinance comes into force, trials can be held digitally without the physical presence of lawyers and their clients in courts.

The cabinet secretary said the ordinance was brought to the cabinet for its approval as the public and private organisations, with some exceptions, have been shut for the last one month due to Covid-19 situation.

Due to the shutdown, the litigants have long been deprived of getting justice and the backlog of cases is getting larger, he added.

Anwarul said the Income-tax (amendment) Ordinance, 2020 seeks to allow the taxpayers to pay their taxes without any penalty and interest for their failure to pay taxes in due time. They could not do so as all the official activities of the income tax department remained suspended since March 26 over the coronavirus pandemic.

The top bureaucrat said the cabinet also gave the go-ahead to the Value Added Tax and Supplementary Duty (amendment) Act, 2020 to allow the Board of Revenue to extend the time limit for submission of VAT return without penalty and interest in case of any natural disaster, pandemic and emergency situation.