Govt declares 11 Feb a public holiday
Staff Reporter :
The government has declared 11 February a public holiday and announced an additional holiday on 10 February for workers in industrial areas to facilitate participation in the upcoming parliamentary election.
Briefing the media at the Foreign Service Academy in the capital on Thursday, Chief Adviser’s Press Secretary Shafiqul Alam said that 12 February, the election day, would remain a public holiday as announced earlier.
He added that the Advisory Council approved the new holiday decisions at its cabinet meeting earlier in the day, allowing industrial workers to enjoy three consecutive days off.
“Our government has only 21 days left before the election. There were a substantial number of agendas at today’s cabinet meeting, which lasted nearly three hours,” he said, noting that 13 major issues were discussed.
The weekly meeting of the Advisory Council was held at the Chief Adviser’s Office (CAO) and chaired by Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus.
According to the press secretary, the Council approved 11 agenda items, while two draft ordinances were sent back for further review.
Among the ordinances receiving final approval were the Bangladesh Private Export Processing Zones Act (Repeal) Ordinance, 2026, the Negotiable Instruments (Amendment) Ordinance, 2026, the Bangladesh House Building Finance Corporation (Amendment) Ordinance, 2026, the Gambling Prevention Ordinance, 2026, the Dhaka Central University Ordinance, 2026, the Private Educational Institutions Teachers and Employees Retirement Benefits Board Ordinance, 2026, and the Private Educational Institutions Teachers and Employees Welfare Trust Ordinance, 2026.
The Advisory Council also approved the draft Right to Information Ordinance, 2026, along with the draft Mutual Legal Assistance (MLA) Treaty between Bangladesh and Malaysia, a proposal to sign the Bangladesh-Japan Economic Partnership Agreement (BJEPA), and the National Poultry Development Policy, 2026.
However, the drafts of the Money Laundering Prevention (Amendment) Ordinance, 2026, and the Bangladesh National Qualifications Framework (BNQF) Policy, 2026, were returned for further review, Shafiqul Alam said.
The press secretary added that the additional public holiday on 11 February was approved to ensure smooth law and order management and greater voter participation ahead of the polls.
Chief Adviser’s Senior Assistant Press Secretary Foyez Ahammad was also present at the briefing.