BCS Written Bangladesh Affairs key terms

An article inserted by the Twelfth Amendment in 2011 declaring that the Constitution is the supreme law and that any law inconsistent with it is void. It also bars unconstitutional seizure of state power.

The principle, drawn from the Kesavananda Bharati case in India and echoed in Bangladeshi reasoning, that Parliament cannot amend the Constitution so as to destroy its fundamental identity and core features.

The provision allowing Parliament to amend the Constitution by a bill passed by not less than two-thirds of the total membership of Parliament, with additional majorities required for certain entrenched provisions.

The 2011 constitutional change that restored secularism and the 1972 principles, reintroduced provisions on free and fair elections and judicial independence, and inserted Article 7A after the appellate court struck down the Fifth Amendment.

A foundational state principle restored in 2011, meaning the state does not grant primacy to any religion, prohibits religious exploitation for political ends, and guarantees equal rights to followers of all faiths.

The group of enforceable civil and political guarantees, including equality before law, freedom of expression, protection of life and personal liberty, and remedies through writ petitions before the High Court Division.

The authority of the High Court Division under Article 102 to issue orders such as habeas corpus, mandamus, certiorari, prohibition and quo warranto against public authorities for unlawful action or failure to act.

The power of courts to examine whether laws, executive actions and administrative decisions conform to the Constitution and to declare invalid those that exceed constitutional limits or violate protected rights.

A constitutional arrangement, later repealed by the Fifteenth Amendment in 2011, under which a non-partisan interim administration conducted elections after a parliament was dissolved or its term ended.

An independent constitutional body responsible for preparing electoral rolls, conducting elections to Parliament and local bodies, and ensuring that polls are held freely and fairly under its supervision.

The voting principle giving every citizen aged eighteen or above the right to vote in national elections, subject to disqualifications set by law, without property, gender or literacy conditions.

The unicameral national legislature of Bangladesh, consisting of 350 members: 300 elected from single-member territorial constituencies and 50 seats reserved for women allocated by proportional representation among parties.

A permanent cross-party committee of the Jatiya Sangsad that scrutinises proposed legislation, examines ministry spending and policy, and reports recommendations back to the House for debate.

A parliamentary oversight body that examines audit reports of the Comptroller and Auditor General, reviews government expenditure for waste or irregularity, and summons officials to explain financial lapses.

An independent constitutional officer who audits all receipts and expenditure of the Republic, reports on the accounts of public bodies, and submits findings to the President for laying before Parliament.

The government's yearly investment plan, funded mainly from the national budget, that allocates resources to infrastructure, social sectors and other projects within the framework of the Five-Year Plan.

A rolling fiscal planning tool that sets expenditure ceilings and revenue projections for three years, helping ministries align annual budgets with strategic priorities and improve predictability in public spending.

The shortfall that arises when total government expenditure exceeds total revenue in a fiscal year, financed through domestic borrowing, external loans or grants and measured as a share of GDP.

A multi-stage indirect tax levied on the value added at each stage of production and distribution, collected by registered businesses and ultimately borne by the final consumer through higher prices.

The apex government agency under the finance ministry responsible for assessing and collecting taxes, customs duties and value added tax, and for framing tax policy recommendations.

A medium-term national development blueprint that sets macroeconomic targets, sectoral priorities and public investment allocations, prepared by the planning commission and approved by the national economic council.

The share of the population living below a defined consumption or income threshold, estimated from household surveys and used to track progress in reducing deprivation over time.

A composite measure combining life expectancy, schooling and per-capita income to rank countries on average achievement in health, education and living standards rather than income alone.

A measure that counts overlapping deprivations in health, education and living standards at the household level, revealing how many people are poor and the intensity of their deprivation.

Money sent home by citizens working abroad, recorded through formal banking channels, which supports household consumption, foreign exchange reserves and the balance of payments.

A systematic record of all economic transactions between residents and the rest of the world, covering trade in goods and services, income flows, transfers and changes in reserves.

The apparel manufacturing industry that dominates merchandise exports, employing a largely female workforce and shaping foreign exchange earnings, industrial policy and labour regulation.

A designated industrial enclave offering fiscal incentives, duty-free imports and streamlined procedures to firms producing mainly for foreign markets, intended to attract investment and generate employment.

A geographically delineated area with dedicated infrastructure and regulatory concessions, established to cluster industries, attract domestic and foreign investment and accelerate regional industrial growth.

A contractual arrangement in which government and private investors share the financing, construction, operation and risk of infrastructure or service projects over a defined concession period.

The provisional government of Bangladesh formed in April 1971 at Baidyanathtala in Meherpur, which led the Liberation War, issued the Proclamation of Independence and coordinated diplomacy and administration in exile.

The 1971 document read out at Mujibnagar that declared Bangladesh sovereign, affirmed the legal basis of the liberation struggle and constituted the provisional government's authority until independence was consolidated.

A public address at the Racecourse ground that called for non-cooperation, demanded transfer of power to elected representatives and effectively prepared the population for armed struggle.

The military crackdown launched on the night of 25 March 1971 in Dhaka and other cities, which involved mass arrests and killings and triggered the full-scale war of liberation.

The document signed at the Racecourse ground on 16 December 1971 by the Pakistan Eastern Command, formally ending hostilities and marking the emergence of Bangladesh as an independent state.

The armed struggle of 1971 through which Bangladesh won independence from Pakistan, combining guerrilla resistance, conventional operations and international diplomatic and humanitarian pressures.

The collective name for the freedom fighters of 1971, comprising members of the East Bengal Regiment and East Pakistan Rifles, paramilitary forces and civilian volunteers organised into sector-based units.

The eleven designated military commanders who led guerrilla operations in defined territorial sectors during 1971, coordinating training, supply and attacks against occupying forces.

International acknowledgment of the 1971 mass killings as genocide, pursued through parliamentary resolutions, diplomatic lobbying and documentation so that the historical record is preserved and justice sought.

A domestic court established to try persons accused of genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes and other international crimes committed during the 1971 liberation struggle.