Cabinet Clears Draft Bill to Shift NID Registration from EC to Home Ministry

The Cabinet on Monday gave the final approval to the draft of National Identity Registration Act, 2023 – to transfer the national identity registration operation from the Election Commission to the Security Services Division, Ministry of Home Affairs, reports UNB.

The approval came from the Cabinet meeting chaired by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina at her office here in the city.

“As per the proposed law, the NID registration operation will be under the Security Services Division of the Home Ministry. Immediately after the birth, any national would have the right to get a birth certificate or a unique number, which would remain unchangeable,” said Cabinet Secretary Md Mahbub Hossain while briefing reporters at Bangladesh Secretariat after the meeting.

The Election Commission will prepare the voter lists with the nationals aged above 18 years, he said replying to a question.

However, the proposed law would not be effective immediately after passage in the parliament. Rather the government would fix a date for its effectiveness, said the cabinet secretary.

The EC currently conducts the national identity registration operation and issues the national identity cards against citizens aged 18 or above, since 2007, as per the National Identity Registration Act, 2010.

The Cabinet also cleared the drafts of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Agriculture University, Shariatpur Act-2023, Thakurgaon University Act-2023, Bangladesh Institute of Management Act-2023 and Sylhet Development Authority Act-2023.

The meeting approved in principle the draft of Bangladesh Economic Zone (2nd amendment) Act-2023 and National Foundation for Development of Disabled Persons Act-2023.

Besides, the Cabinet cleared the ratification proposal for the Hong Kong International Convention for the Safe and Environmentally Sound Recycling of Ships, 2009.