The Bangladesh Film Artistes’ Welfare Trust Bill, 2021 aiming to ensure the welfare of actors and actresses as well as provide financial support to insolvent and ailing artistes was passed in the Jatiya Sangsad (JS) on Saturday.
Information and Broadcasting Minister Dr Hassan Mahmud Dr Mohammad Hasan Mahmud proposed to pass the bill and the House endorsed it through voice votes.
In the process of passing the bill, Kazi Firoz Rashid, Rustam Ali Faraji, Mujibul Haque, Peer Fazlur Rahman, Shamim Haider Patwari and Begum Raushan Ara Mannan of Jatiya Party and Harunur Rashid and Mosharraf Hossain of BNP took part in the discussion. The parliament approved some of their proposals.
The bill specifies the establishment of trust, office of the trust, management and administration, functions of the trust, appointment and responsibilities of the managing director of the trust, appointment of employees, funding, accounting and auditing, decentralization of power, authority to make rules and regulations and other related matters.
There will be a 13-member board, headed by the information minister, as its chairman to run the trust while a managing director will be there to act as the executive chief of the trust. The tenure of the members will be three years from their appointment date.
The office of the trust will be in Dhaka. It will hold at least one meeting after every four months. The trust can receive grants and loans for its operation with prior permission.
