Desk Report:
The 5th meeting of the Business Advisory Committee of the 13th National Parliament was held on Sunday (November 8, 2026) in the Cabinet Room of the National Parliament House. The meeting was presided over by the Speaker of the Bangladesh National Parliament, Hafiz Uddin Ahmad, Bir Bikram, MP, who also serves as the Chair of the Committee.
Committee member, Leader of the House, and Prime Minister Tareq Rahman, MP, participated in the meeting.
Other committee members who attended the meeting included the Leader of the Opposition, Dr. Md. Shafiqur Rahman, MP; Gayeshwar Chandra Roy, MP; Minister of Finance and Planning, Amir Khasru Mahmud Chowdhury, MP; Minister of Home Affairs, Salahuddin Ahmad, MP; Deputy Speaker of the National Parliament, Barrister Kaiser Kamal, MP; Chief Whip of the National Parliament, Md. Nurul Islam Moni, MP; Minister of Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs, Md. Asaduzzaman, MP; A. T. M. Azharul Islam, MP; and the Chief Whip of the Opposition, Md. Nahid Islam, MP.
The meeting focused on allocating time for the proceedings of the fourth session (the 4th session of 2026) of the 13th National Parliament and determining the duration of the session.
It was decided that the parliamentary sessions would commence daily at 4:20 PM, excluding public holidays (Fridays and Saturdays), and that the fourth session of the 13th National Parliament would conclude on November 18, 2026.
The Speaker was granted the authority to modify the schedule and working days of the session, should the need arise.
One government bill was identified for introduction during the fourth session of the 13th National Parliament. Additionally, three ordinances—promulgated in the interim between the third and fourth sessions of the 13th National Parliament—were noted, including the Public Procurement (Amendment) Ordinance, 2026. The Value Added Tax and Supplementary Duty (Amendment) Ordinance, 2026, and the Special Solar Power Installation Ordinance, 2026, have been promulgated and will be presented during the first sitting of the session.
For this session, a total of 3,751 questions have been received—174 addressed to the Prime Minister and 3,577 to other ministers. Additionally, 92 notices for calling attention (under Rule 71) and 281 notices for motions (under Rule 131) have been submitted.
During the meeting, Prime Minister Tarique Rahman proposed declaring the National Parliament (Jatiya Sangsad) complex a “smoke-free zone,” a proposal that was spontaneously welcomed by all present.
In response to an inquiry from the Prime Minister regarding the progress of the sound system installation, Parliament Secretary Barrister Md. Golam Sarwar Bhuiyan informed him that the system, being installed under the supervision of the Public Works Department, would be inaugurated tomorrow at 3:30 PM.
Regarding the progress of installing solar power panels at the National Parliament, the convener of the relevant sub-committee—Deputy Speaker Barrister Kaiser Kamal, MP—explained that the system would generate 7 megawatts of electricity. This would meet the Parliament’s power requirements during sessions (approximately 6 megawatts, with lower demand at other times), while any surplus electricity would be fed into the national grid.
The Prime Minister directed that the solar power generation system should include provisions for energy storage.
The Deputy Speaker also briefed the committee on the latest developments regarding the ‘e-Parliament’ initiative and the recruitment process for vacant positions within the National Parliament Secretariat.
Secretarial support for the meeting was provided by the Secretary of the Parliament Secretariat, Barrister Md. Golam Sarwar Bhuiyan. Senior officials from the Parliament Secretariat were also in attendance.
