State celebration of national days related to Sheikh Mujib family discontinued

The government has taken a final decision that certain national days previously observed, including the birth and death anniversaries of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and his family, will no longer be celebrated at the state level. This information was provided in a notification issued by the Cabinet Division on March 11. The current BNP-led government has adopted this policy following the previous interim government's stance.

The notification has published a list of 89 national and international days to be observed, which does not include days related to members of the Sheikh family introduced during the Awami League government. It is noteworthy that March 17 was previously observed as Sheikh Mujibur Rahman's birth anniversary and August 15 as National Mourning Day, which will no longer be effective.

In its new decision, the government has declared August 5 as 'July Uprising Day' and July 16 as 'July Martyrs Day'. July 16 has been introduced to honour the sacrifice of Abu Sayed, a student killed in the anti-discrimination student movement in Rangpur. Additionally, Lalon Shah's death anniversary has been included as an 'A' category day with great importance for the first time.

According to the new directive from the Cabinet Division, all days in the country have been classified into three categories based on importance: A, B and C. Seventeen days have been placed in the 'A' category, 37 days in the 'B' category, and 35 days in the 'C' category. The status of Insurance Day remains unchanged in the 'A' category. For 'B' category days, a maximum of Tk 50,000 may be spent from government funds, with possible participation from ministers or the Prime Minister. 'C' category days will be observed on a limited scale within specific sectors, with no special government allocation.

Ministries and departments have been instructed to practice austerity to save state resources and avoid unnecessary celebrations. The notification stated that government institutions must refrain from observing irrelevant or repetitive days. Instead of lavish arrangements, it has been advised to celebrate days through seminars, symposiums and media discussions. Additionally, for major events like Armed Forces Day or National Education Week, concerned ministries must obtain prior permission from the Prime Minister. These changes have been made primarily to systematically manage state celebrations based on timeliness.