The Cabinet today approved the final drafts of the Special Solar Power Installation Act, 2026 and the Public Procurement (Second Amendment) Act, 2026.
It also approved the proposed list of public holidays for 2027 and the draft of a Mutual Legal Assistance (MLA) Agreement on Criminal Matters between Bangladesh and Hong Kong.
The approvals came at the 26th Cabinet meeting held at the Cabinet Division of the Bangladesh Secretariat, with Prime Minister Tarique Rahman in the chair, Cabinet Secretary Nasimul Ghani told a press briefing at the Press Information Department following the meeting.
He said the Special Solar Power Ordinance, 2026, was promulgated under Article 93(1) of the Constitution to expedite the expansion of special solar power installation activities.
Explaining the rationale for the draft law, Nasimul Ghani said an ordinance promulgated under Article 93(1) of the Constitution must be placed before Parliament at its first meeting following the promulgation, as stipulated in Article 93(2).
Subject to vetting by the Legislative and Parliamentary Affairs Division, it will be placed before Parliament as a bill for passage into law, he said.
Regarding the Public Procurement (Second Amendment) Act, 2026, the Cabinet Secretary said the Public Procurement Act, 2006 had undergone six amendments so far to ensure transparency, accountability and open competition in public procurement.
The latest amendment was made through the Public Procurement (Amendment) Ordinance, 2026, promulgated on September 21 this year.
The proposed amendments include provisions to protect domestic industries, provide special facilities for micro and small women entrepreneurs and disadvantaged tenderers, modernise the open tendering method, expand the use of the limited tendering method for equitable distribution of resources and clarify provisions relating to professional misconduct.
The Cabinet also approved a proposal for 29 public holidays in 2027, including 15 general holidays and 14 holidays through executive orders.
Of the general holidays, four will fall on weekly holidays-two Fridays and two Saturdays. Three of the holidays through executive orders will also coincide with weekly holidays-one Friday and two Saturdays.
Government employees will be allowed to take up to three optional holidays annually on religious occasions. Besides, employees belonging to ethnic communities working in different parts of the country, including the Chittagong Hill Tracts, will get two optional holidays to celebrate Boisabi, their key social festival.
Excluding the seven weekly holidays coinciding with public holidays, the country will have 22 effective public holidays in 2027.
The Cabinet also approved the draft of a Mutual Legal Assistance Agreement on Criminal Matters between Bangladesh and Hong Kong, a Special Administrative Region of China.
The agreement will facilitate the exchange of information on criminal matters, the apprehension of offenders and other forms of legal cooperation between the two sides.
