The council of advisers convened on Thursday (20 March), approving a series of reforms aimed at bolstering transparency in public procurement, rectifying legal barriers in property allocation, and facilitating public holidays.
Among the key decisions was an amendment to the Women and Child Repression Prevention Act, reinforcing protections under the law.
A significant overhaul of the Public Procurement Ordinance has also been introduced to curb syndicates and foster fair competition.
The provision that led to the automatic rejection of tender proposals quoting less than 10% of the estimated cost has been scrapped.
Moreover, the existing evaluation matrix, which favoured repeated contract allocation to specific firms, will be replaced with a new competency-based framework.
In a push towards digital transparency, the government has resolved to move from 65% to 100% online procurement processing.
In the realm of property laws, a longstanding issue regarding abandoned houses has been addressed.
Under the new amendment, allottees can now register these properties under their own names, a right previously denied to them.
Additionally, the government has declared 3 April as an extra public holiday for Eid to ease travel and logistical challenges for citizens.
In a further step towards inclusivity, an optional holiday has been approved for all ethnic communities in the Chittagong Hill Tracts on their respective cultural observance days.
