(Apr. 2, 2008) On March 30, 2008, the Council of Advisers of the caretaker government of Bangladesh approved the National Identity Registration Authority Ordinance 2008. The ordinance establishes that the Home Ministry will serve as the control ministry for providing national identification cards. It also states that voter identity cards being provided by the Election Commission will be considered national identification cards. The ordinance includes penal provisions for providing false information in obtaining a card, or for carrying more than one card. Forging a national identification card can be penalized by up to seven years imprisonment and a fine.
The main functions of the registration authority will include setting up a national information database center, maintaining the database, receiving information and issuing cards, and coordinating with the local government regarding registration of birth and death. The head office of the authority will be located in Dhaka. The new law authorizes the Home Ministry to formulate rules and regulations in consultation with the government, but they must be published in the official gazette. (Home Ministry Gets the Job of Nat'l ID Cards, THE DAILY STAR, March 31, 2008, available at http://www.thedailystar.net/pf_story.php?nid=30088.)