Chief Adviser Dr Muhammad Yunus has announced that police verification will no longer be required for obtaining a passport.
“Why should police verification be necessary for a passport? This is a basic right. We have enacted a law—police verification will no longer be required. This message must reach the villages. People are unnecessarily harassed over such matters. Harassment seems to have become our norm. If the government is synonymous with harassment, that must change," he said.
He made these comments during the inaugural speech of the three-day DC Conference at the Chief Adviser’s Office in Tejgaon on Sunday.
Addressing bureaucratic hurdles, Dr Yunus highlighted the difficulties citizens face in obtaining essential documents.
He said: "If someone needs a passport later in life, they are required to provide a birth certificate. But in the past, who registered births? No one knows. Yet, if money is offered, a birth certificate magically appears. If it can be issued for a fee, why not without one? Why can’t we fix this system? This is a fundamental right. The government cannot excuse its failure to provide such a basic service.
"The process exists, so we must implement it properly. People should be able to obtain a birth certificate at any age. Without it, they can’t get a National ID (NID), and without an NID, they can’t get a passport. I don’t expect this to be resolved overnight, but we must at least take the first step.”
The chief adviser also instructed DCs to take proactive measures to improve primary education.
