The Bangla Academy, the apex cultural body dedicated to research and maintain standards of the Bangla language, is set to operate on a law that will be written in Bangla, for the first time since it was established on December 3, 1955.
The parliamentary standing committee on the ministry of cultural affairs on Tuesday submitted its report on the Bangla Academy Bill-2013, recommending its enactment.
The bill to expand the use of Bangla in everyday life was tabled in the House on Wednesday by Cultural Affairs Minister Abul Kamal Azad. It is expected to be voted into law in the next parliament session that is likely to sit in early September. The proposed law also mandates for the Bangla Academy to impart training on Bangla to government officials.
In 1987, parliament enacted a law for the mandatory use of Bangla in all spheres of life, but implementation remains elusive due to inaction by authorities.
In 1957, the provincial government of then East Pakistan passed the Bengali Academy Act, in English to give the institution a solid foundation. In 1960, the Bengali Academy (amendment) Ordinance was promulgated, also in English, to establish government control over it.
Since the birth of Bangladesh, the Bangla Academy Order-1972 and the Bangla Academy Ordinance-1978 were promulgated, both in English.
On Tuesday two laws - the Societies Registration (amendment) Bill-2013 and the Partnership (amendment) Bill-2013 - were passed in parliament.
The House enacted the partnership law, which increases government fees for various services, by voice vote in the absence of opposition lawmakers, and the registration law hikes government fees for societies to be registered, as defined in the schedule of the original act passed in 1860.
