New policy for youth endorsed

The cabinet on Monday approved the draft of a new policy for youths with specific vision and target-based activities for welfare of country's youngsters under a national action plan.

"The new policy has given a clear guideline for a national action plan for the development of the youths, which was absent in the previous (youth) policy," cabinet secretary M Shafiul Alam told a media briefing emerging from the meeting with prime minister Sheikh Hasina in the chair.

The draft of the Jubo Niti (Youth Policy), 2017, he said would replace the existing one framed in 2003.

Alam said the policy suggested framing of specific action plans for welfare of unemployed youths, young females, young entrepreneurs, expatriate youths, rural youths, school dropout youths, illiterate youths, unskilled youths, youths with special needs, drug addict youths, transgender youths, homeless youths and youths suffering from epidemics.

The cabinet also approved drafts of two acts, the Marine Fisheries Act, 2017 and the Sheikh Hasina National Youth Development Institute Act, 2017, and two agreements for avoiding double taxation and tax evasion.

The Marine Fisheries Act, 2017 is the updates version of the existing Marine Fisheries Ordinance- 1983 which was declared null and void by the Supreme Court in 2010 with other laws promulgated during military regimes.

The new law authorised the government to create Mariculture Zone in the country's coastal or riverine areas for pisciculture and seaweed harvesting under approved methods.

The cabinet secretary said 'Shaikh Hasina National Youth Development Institute' would be a statuary body having authority to confer diploma and graduate and post-graduate degrees with the permission of the University Grant commission (UGC). The Institute will replace the existing 'Shaikh Hasina National Youth Development Kendra' and it will have an academic council headed by a director general for performing activities headed by a director general.

Registrar of the Institute will be the member secretary of the academic council.