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Published : 15 Apr 2026, 04:38 PM
Liberation War Affairs Minister Ahmed Azam Khan has told parliament that Bangladesh currently has 198,037 recognised freedom fighters from the 1971 Liberation War, based on the integrated list preserved in the ministry’s Management Information System (MIS).
He provided the figure on Wednesday during the question-answer session in response to a question from MP AM Mahbub Uddin Khokon. The sitting was chaired by Speaker Hafiz Uddin Ahmad.
The minister also said the government has no plan at present to raise the honorarium allowance for freedom fighters.
Replying to a supplementary question from Chuadanga-2 MP Md Nurul Amin, he said there was also no government plan to build separate health complexes for freedom fighters at the Upazila level.
Azam said each freedom fighter currently receives an annual medical allowance of Tk 4,000. If a freedom fighter falls ill and is admitted to a recognised hospital, the ministry reimburses the treatment cost upon receiving the bill, he added.
He said a three-storey freedom fighters’ complex building with a five-storey foundation has already been built at Jibannagar Upazila headquarters under the ministry’s Upazila Freedom Fighters Complex Building Construction project.
Under the “Construction of Housing for Insolvent Freedom Fighters (1st Revised)” project, 24 insolvent freedom fighter families in Jibannagar had also been provided with 732-square-foot “Bir Nibas” homes by March 2026, he said.
842 Complaints over ‘Fake Freedom Fighters’
Responding to another question, the minister said that if allegations are raised against any gazetted freedom fighter, the matter is investigated and verified through hearings by a subcommittee formed with members of the Jatiya Muktijoddha Council (JAMUKA).
If the person is found not to be a freedom fighter, a recommendation is made to remove their name from the list, he said.
Azam told parliament that 842 complaints alleging inclusion of non-freedom fighters had been submitted to JAMUKA since August 2024.
After verification and investigation, the gazette notifications, Lal Mukti Barta entries or Indian list references of 481 people had been cancelled, he said.
Since the formation of JAMUKA, recommendations have been made through 103 meetings to cancel the gazette notifications of 6,465 people, the minister added.
‘No Scope’ to Sell Fertiliser Above Official Price
In response to a question on the agriculture ministry from opposition MP Mujibur Rahman, Agriculture Minister Mohammad Aminur Rashid said no complaints had been received against Bangladesh Chemical Industries Corporation (BCIC) dealers over selling fertiliser above the government-fixed price.
He said fertiliser sales are carried out in the presence of Sub-Assistant Agricultural Officers at every dealer point, while official price lists are displayed prominently.
According to the minister, farmers are being verified and their names, addresses and mobile phone numbers are being recorded in cash memos. During inspections, those details and the price charged are also checked.
“There is no opportunity to sell fertiliser at higher prices,” he said.
Replying to another question from Rajbari-2, he said 505 air-flow machines had been supplied and installed in Pangsha Upazila for preserving onions, while 260 had been installed in Kalukhali and 495 in Baliakandi.
He said a project titled “Modernisation and Marketing of Onion and Garlic Preservation through Airflow Method” was now under review. If approved, the government plans to install 8,000 air-flow machines in onion- and garlic-producing areas, including Rajbari.
In response to a supplementary question, the minister said 25 to 30 percent of locally produced onions are wasted because of poor preservation facilities. Under the new system, onions can be stored for eight to nine months, reducing wastage to 2 to 4 percent.
Land Ministry Takes 11 Anti-Corruption Steps
Land Minister Md Mizanur Rahman Minu told parliament that 11 specific steps had been taken to curb corruption and broker syndicates in land offices.
Replying to a question from National Citizen Party (NCP) member Akhter Hossen, he said services such as e-namjari and the 16122 hotline had been introduced to reduce irregularities in the land sector.
He said efforts were also under way to bring land acquisition, lease and settlement systems under software-based management.
Once that digital transition is completed, opportunities for corruption in the land sector could be reduced to “almost zero”, he said.
In response to another question, the minister said 17 drives had been conducted in Bagmara Upazila of Rajshahi to prevent illegal pond excavation on arable land.
Six mobile courts filed cases, collected Tk 500 in fines and sentenced five people to one month of rigorous imprisonment, he added.
No Climate Trust Fund Project in Chapainawabganj
Replying to a question from Chapainawabganj-3 MP Nurul Islam Bulbul on the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Minister Abdullah Al Mamun said no project in Chapainawabganj was currently being financed from the Climate Trust Fund.
He said, however, that two foreign-funded projects were under way there.
One of them, titled “Ecosystem-based Approaches to Adaptation in the Drought-Prone Barind Tract and Haor Wetland Area”, is being implemented from July 2019 to June 2027 at an estimated cost of Tk 579.8 million.
The project includes canal and pond re-excavation, afforestation, rainwater harvesting, nursery establishment, homestead tree plantation, agricultural gardening, spice cultivation, fish farming and local training programmes in Nachole and Gomastapur, he said.
The minister added that, if found feasible, a proposal could be taken up under the Climate Trust Fund to establish a large-scale surface water treatment plant using water from the Padma and Mahananda rivers.
Tourism Master Plan in the Works
Replying to questions from MPs for Nilphamari-1 and Moulvibazar-2, Civil Aviation and Tourism Minister Afroza Khanam said a master plan was being prepared for the country’s potential tourist destinations.
Once it is finalised, decisions will be taken on what kind of infrastructure should be developed in those areas, she said.
On Kulaura, the minister said Moulvibazar was rich in tourism potential.
“Since Kulaura is a major gateway and a meeting point of hills and haors, it can be considered a tourist hub,” she said.
