The cabinet yesterday approved the Citizenship (Amendment) Act 2009 with a provision to award citizenship to children of any Bangladeshi woman married to a foreigner.
As per the clause 5 of the 1951 citizenship act, only children of a Bangladeshi man married to a foreign woman was eligible to get citizenship of Bangladesh.
Under the amended law now, children of a Bangladeshi woman married to a foreigner will be entitled to obtain Bangladeshi citizenship.
The cabinet with Prime Minister (PM) Sheikh Hasina in the chair also approved two other acts --Barisal Metropolitan Police Act 2009 and Sylhet Metropolitan Police Act 2009--in line with other divisional police acts.
Besides, the cabinet approved a proposal for ratification of the signed Bangladesh-Russia Consular Convention.
"The clause 5 of the 1951 citizenship act only children of a Bangladeshi man married to a foreign woman was eligible to get citizenship of Bangladesh has been amended in the cabinet," said the PM's press secretary Abul Kalam Azad while briefing reporters after the meeting.
Azad said the Citizenship Amendment Act, the proposed Barisal Metropolitan Police and Sylhet Metropolitan Police Acts were tabled on January 25, at the first sitting of the first session of the 9th national assembly and would be passed in the parliament soon.
A proposed amendment to the Acid Control Act was also raised at the meeting. The cabinet has asked agencies concerned to review the amendment and present the findings at its next meeting. The PM told the meeting that strong measures and laws are needed to prevent heinous acid attacks.
Hasina has directed the cabinet to bring amendments to the act through incorporation of some provisions so that punitive actions could be taken against acid throwers, meeting sources said.
She also asked the cabinet to form an acid control council with major participation of women to review the amendments and place the act in the next cabinet meeting by bringing changes in its recommendations after discussion with experts working on prevention of such acid violence.
Ministers, advisers to the PM and state ministers, secretaries to the ministries concerned attended the meeting at the cabinet division of the Bangladesh Secretariat.