‘Legal framework needed for stronger local government’

An international seminar in Dhaka has come up with the suggestion that Bangladesh should have a ‘local government legal framework’ to make the local government system stronger, said a statement.

Senior Correspondentbdnews24.com
Published : 10 Dec 2016, 03:21 PM
Updated : 10 Dec 2016, 03:21 PM

The proposed legal framework will cover all the units and tiers irrespective of urban and rural, and will have clear guideline for the local government machineries about its function, jurisdiction, taxation, finance, budget account, electoral process, and central-local and local-local relationship.

Speakers made the suggestion on the first day of the two-day seminar titled “Towards Effective, Accountable and Inclusive Local Government Institutions (LGIs): Learning from South Asia and Beyond” held at Department of Public Health Engineering (DPHE) on Saturday. 

The Local Government Division (LGD) of the Ministry of LGRD, with the support from National Institute of Local Government (NILG), Upazila Governance Project (UZGP) and Union Parishad Governance Project (UPGP) is organising the seminar.

Experts from India, Sri Lanka and the Philippines are also attending the seminar to share views and experiences of local government system of their own countries.

Local Government Secretary Abdul Malek inaugurated the seminar and said improving service delivery by local governments “is one of the main drivers of overall development of the country.”

He also reiterated government’s commitment to make the LGIs an “effective, efficient, accountable and inclusive entity”.

UNDP Country Director Sudipto Mukerjee and DANIDA Head of Cooperation in Bangladesh Peter Bøgh Jensen also spoke at the seminar.