Dhaka – The Cabinet on Monday approved in principle the draft of ‘The Dowry Prohibition Bill, 2017’ incorporating tougher punishment of maximum 14 years of rigorous imprisonment and fine for provoking any bride to commit suicide.The draft law will also have a provision of maximum punishment of life term or up to 12 years’ imprisonment along with additional fine if any grave injury is caused to any bride by the bridegroom side for dowry.The approval came from the regular weekly meeting of the Cabinet held at Bangladesh Secretariat with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in the chair.Briefing reporters after the meeting, Cabinet Secretary Mohammad Shafiul Alam said the draft law has been framed integrating the previous Dowry Prohibition Act of 1980 and its subsequent amended versions were made later.According to the draft law, Shafiul Alam said, the bridegroom side, including parents of the bridegroom, will have to face minimum one year and maximum five years of jail or up to Tk 50,000 as fine or both for demanding dowry.Besides, he said, one will be sentenced to one year’s jail or be fined maximum Tk 50,000 for filing a case with false allegation of demanding dowry or be punished by both.Meanwhile, the government has decided to establish two more universities — Bangamata Sheikh Fazilatunnesa Mujib Science and Technology University in Jamalpur and Sheikh Hasina University in Netrakona. According to the cabinet decision, Shafiul Alam said, the existing Bangamata Sheikh Fazilatunnesa Mujib Fisheries College in Melandaha of Jamalpur district will be upgraded to a Science and Technology University while Sheikh Hasina University will be a new one and to be named after Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina as per the demand of local people.The cabinet also approved in principle the draft of ‘The Integrated Small-scale Irrigation Policy, 2017’ aimed at ensuring development of surface water and under groundwater resources as well as efficient use of water.The Cabinet was also apprised about the Quarterly report (October-December) 2016 on the implementation of the cabinet decisions.The Cabinet meeting also approved the draft of the agreement to be signed with India titled ‘Inter-Agency Agreement between Global Centre for Nuclear Energy Partnership (GCNEP), Department of Atomic Energy, Government of India and Bangladesh Atomic Energy Commission (BAEC), Ministry of Science and Technology, Government of Bangladesh on Cooperation regarding Nuclear Power Plant Project in Bangladesh’.The meeting approved another draft agreement to be signed with India titled ‘Arrangement between the Atomic Energy Regulatory Board (AERB) of the Government of India and Bangladesh Atomic Energy Regulatory Authority (BAERA), the government of Bangladesh for the Exchange of Technical Information and Cooperation in the Regulation of Nuclear Safety and Radiation Protection’At the beginning of the meeting, an obituary reference was unanimously adopted by the Cabinet at the death of Mahfuzul Bari, one of the accused in the historic Agartala Conspiracy Case and a close associate of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.Ministers and State Ministers, and Secretaries concerned were present.UNB
