Dhaka: The Cabinet Monday approved in principle the draft of the Bangladesh Film and Television Institute Act, 2012 aimed at flourishing the film industry and improving the TV programmes.

The approval was given at the regular cabinet meeting held at Bangladesh Secretariat with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in the chair.

After the meeting, Cabinet Secretary M Musharraf Hussain Bhuiyan briefed reporters.

He said the Cabinet okayed the draft taking the necessity of the law into consideration as well as the long-standing demand of the artists, filmmakers and other concerned for establishing a film institute in the country.

The cabinet secretary said the information ministry prepared the draft after consultation with all stakeholders and taking opinions of concerned ministries and departments through inter-ministerial meetings.

"The institute would play an important role in flourishing film industry as well as development of culture related to the television," he said.

Under the proposed law, he said, the institute would be an autonomous body which would be run by a governing board headed by a chairman. The information secretary or eminent cultural personality would be made its chairman, the cabinet secretary said.

Bhuiyan also said the institute will have an academic council to be headed by a joint secretary. The cabinet also endorsed the draft of the Islamic Arabic University Act, 2012 with an aim to give affiliation to 1,500 Fazil and Qamil madrasas across the country to bring qualitative change in  madrasa education.

The cabinet secretary said Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina announced to set up such a university in the country in April last year following the long-standing demand of Ulemas (religious leaders).

Bhuiyan said the university, being set up in the light of the national education policy, will be mainly an affiliating one.

The cabinet also gave nod in principle to the draft of the Hajj and Umrah Management Act, 2012 to efficiently handle hajj management.

" The cabinet asked the Religious Affairs Ministry to make the law more time- befitting after reviewing the related laws of other countries," Bhuiyan said.

Cabinet ministers, advisers to the PM and state ministers concerned attended the meeting while concerned secretaries were present.

Ends/AMA/19/11/12