2023 in Bangladesh explained

It will follow 1429 and 1430 Baṅgābda (Bengali Year).The year 2023 is the 52nd year of the independence of Bangladesh. It is also the fifth and last year of the fourth cabinet of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and last year of the presidency of Mohammad Abdul Hamid.

Incumbents

National

Former

!Legislature!Term!Speaker of the House!Deputy Speaker!Leader of the House!Deputy Leader of the House!Leader of the Opposition!Deputy Leader of the Opposition

Jatiya Sangasd

11th

Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury

Shamsul Hoque Tuku

Sheikh Hasina

Matia Chowdhury

Rowshan Ershad

Ghulam Muhammed Quader

• Chief Justice – Hasan Foez Siddique (23rd)
• Attorney General – Abu Mohammad Amin Uddin (16th)

Ministers

!Minister!Portfolio!Ref.

Sheikh Hasina Wazed		^[1]
Abul Kalam Mohammad Mozammel Huq	Ministry of Liberation War Affairs
Obaidul Quader	Ministry of Road Transport and Bridges
Muhammad Abdur Razzaque	Ministry of Agriculture
Asaduzzaman Khan	Ministry of Home Affairs
Mohammad Hasan Mahmud	Ministry of Information and Broadcasting
Anisul Huq	Ministry of Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs
Abu Hena Muhammad Mustafa Kamal	Ministry of Finance
Mohammad Tazul Islam
Dipu Moni	Ministry of Education
Abul Kalam Abdul Momen	Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Muhammad Abdul Mannan	Ministry of Planning
Nurul Majid Mahmud Humayun	Ministry of Industries
Golam Dastagir Gazi	Ministry of Textiles and Jute
Zahid Maleque	Ministry of Health and Family Welfare
Sadhan Chandra Majumder	Ministry of Food
Tipu Munshi	Ministry of Commerce
Nuruzzaman Ahmed	Ministry of Social Welfare
Shah Muhammad Rezaul Karim	Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock
Mohammad Shahab Uddin	Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change
Bir Bahadur Ushwe Sing	Ministry of Chittagong Hill Tracts Affairs
Saifuzzaman Chowdhury	Ministry of Land
Muhammad Nurul Islam Sujan	Ministry of Railways
Yeafesh Osman	Ministry of Science and Technology
Mustafa Jabbar
Imran Ahmad	Ministry of Expatriates' Welfare and Overseas Employment

Ministers of State

!State Minister!Portfolio!Ref.

Kamal Ahmed Mojumder	Ministry of Industries	^[2]
Muhammed Zahid Ahsan Russel	Ministry of Youth and Sports
Nasrul Hamid	Ministry of Power, Energy and Mineral Resources
Muhammad Ashraf Ali Khan Khasru	Ministry of Social Welfare
Begum Monnuzan Sufian	Ministry of Labour and Employment
Khalid Mahmud Chowdhury	Ministry of Shipping
Muhammed Zakir Hossain	Ministry of Primary and Mass Education
Mohammad Shahriar Alam	Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Zunaid Ahmed Palak
Farhad Hossain	Ministry of Public Administration
Shawpan Bhattacharjee
Zaheed Farooque	Ministry of Water Resources
Sharif Ahmed	Ministry of Housing and Public Works
Karim Muhammad Khalid	Ministry of Cultural Affairs
Mohammed Enamur Rahman	Ministry of Disaster Management and Relief
Mohammad Mahbub Ali	Ministry of Civil Aviation and Tourism
Fazilatun Nessa Indira	Ministry of Women and Children Affairs
Muhammed Faridul Haque Khan	Ministry of Religious Affairs
Shamsul Alam	Ministry of Planning

Deputy Ministers

!Deputy Minister!Portfolio!Ref.

Habibun Nahar	Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change	^[3]
Abul Kalam Mohammad Enamul Haque Shamim	Ministry of Water Resources
Mohibul Hassan Chowdhoury	Ministry of Education

Events

January

• 2–5 January – Cold wave starts to sweep Bangladesh, mainly in the northern and western parts of the country. As the average temperature drops more than recent years, sufferings for common people increase.^{[4] [5] [6] [7]}
• 3 January – Md. Mahbub Hossain gets appointed as the 24th Cabinet Secretary of Bangladesh after his predecessor Kabir Bin Anwar went into Post Retirement Leave serving for the shortest period of time as Cabinet Secretary of Bangladesh.^{[8] [9]}
• 4 January – By-election held in Gaibandha-5 parliamentary constituency to elect the MP for the vacant seat after being postponed by the Election Commission (EC) for 'mass irregularities', Awami League (AL)-backed candidate Mahmud Hasan Ripon wins in a landslide margin amid low voter-turnout due to cold wave.^[10]
• 6 January – The main stage of Chhatra League (BSL)'s (AL's student wing) diamond jubilee (75th anniversary) program collapses due to overcrowding while AL's general-secretary Obaidul Quader was giving his speech, injuring 5.^[11] The incident becomes a troll-topic and circulates in social media platforms,^[12] while opposition politicians warn the ruling party of 'collapsing from their power', indicating to the incident.^[13]
• 14 January – US Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs Donald Lu visits Bangladesh as part of his South Asia trip.^[14] In the highest ranking US official visit since the US sanction over Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) in 2021, topics like democracy, election, labor and human rights issues is discussed among top officials. Lu expresses his satisfaction over the tremendous progress of RAB in the matter of reducing extrajudicial killings (The Daily Star).^[15]
• 15 January – Veteran AL politician Begum Matia Chowdhury gets appointed and welcomed as the Deputy Leader of the House by Members of the Parliament as the post was vacant for months following the death of Syeda Sajeda Chowdhury.^[16]
• 19 January – Country's first ever posthumous organ transplantation takes place on BSMMU. Two kidneys and two corneas of 20-year-old Sarah Islam who was declared brain dead, are transplanted to four individual patients.^{[17] [18]}
• 25 January – Pallabi Metro Station under the MRT Line-6 opens for commuters, becoming the third metro station of Dhaka Metro Rail to open.^[19]

February

• 1 February – By-elections are held in six constituencies which felt vacant after the resignation of Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) lawmakers. AL-backed candidates win in every constituencies except one amid "voter-drought".^[20]
• 2 February –
  • Prime Minister inaugurates the construction of the first underground railway project in the country, part of Dhaka Metro Rail.^[21]
  • Bangladesh receives the first installment of an IMF loan.^[22]
• 9 February – Ishwardi–Rooppur line and Rooppur railway station was established.
• 13 February – 2023 Bangladeshi presidential election: Shahabuddin Chuppu is declared the winner, being the only candidate.^[23]
• 14–22 February – Tagore sculpture controversy
• 18 February – Uttara Center metro station opened.
• 19 February – 2023 Gulshan fire.

March

• 1 March – Mirpur 10 metro station opened.
• 4 March – Six people are killed and several others are injured in a fire and subsequent explosion at an oxygen plant in Sitakunda.^[24]
• 5 March – 2023 Kutupalong refugee camp fire: More than 2,000 shelters are destroyed in a fire in the world's largest refugee camp.^[25]
• 7 March – 2023 Gulistan explosion: At least 18 people are killed and more than 140 others are injured by an explosion at a commercial seven-story building in Gulistan, Dhaka.^[26]
• 19 March – At least 19 people are killed and 25 others are injured when their bus falls into a ditch in Madaripur District, Dhaka Division.^[27]
• 29 March – White House debate competition hoax
• 31 March – Uttara South metro station and Shewrapara metro station opened.

April

• 4 April – 2023 Dhaka Bangabazar fire

May

• 15 May: Prolific Bangladesh national cricket team win in the One Day International cricket series win against Ireland 2–0.^{[28] [29]}

June

• 7 June: Fifteen people are killed in a crash between a bus and a truck in Dakshin Surma Upazila, Sylhet District.^[30]
• 29 June: The highest grossing Bangladeshi film of all-time Priyotoma was released.^{[31] [32]}

July

• 16 July: Contractual rail workers cause 4 hour long mass blockade of all rail routes to the capital Dhaka city demanding permanency of their jobs.^[33]
• 30 July: Boxer Mohammad Alamin 'The Bull' emerged victorious by Technical Knockout against his Thai counterpart, bringing glory to Bangladesh with his remarkable performance in the ring by completing the 4-round bout within the first round as the Evolution Fight Series concluded.^{[34] [35]}

August

• 17 August: Introduction of the Universal Pension.

September

• 28 September: 2023 dengue outbreak in Bangladesh: Nearly 1,000 people have died of dengue fever in Bangladesh in recent weeks, in the country's most severe outbreak of the disease so far.^[36]

October

• 23 October: 2023 Dhaka rail collision - A cargo train hits a passenger train in Bhairab, killing at least 15 people and wounding many more.^[37]
• 28 October: Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina inaugurates the Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Tunnel.^[38]
• 29 October: Bangladesh Nationalist Party secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir and at least 164 party members are charged with the murder of a police officer during recent election-related demonstrations.^[39]

November

• 7 November: Bangladesh increases the minimum wage for garment workers by nearly 56% to ৳12,500 (US$113) per month, a move trade unions find insufficient against their demand for a ৳23,000 ($208) threshold amid rising costs of living and inflation.^[40]
• 15 November: The Bangladesh Election Commission announces that parliamentary elections will occur on 7 January next year, following weeks of violent protests by supporters of the opposition.^[41]

December

• 17 December: Bangladesh U-19 Cricket Team wins the 2023 ACC Under-19 Asia Cup defeating United Arab Emirates U-19 Cricket Team in the final.^[42]

Deaths

January

• 2 January – Mubasshar Hussein, architect, educationist, sports organizer and freedom fighter (b. 1943)^[43]
• 7 January – Habib Ullah Khan, politician and diplomat, minister of information (1970s), minister of jute (1980s), member of parliament (1979–1982) (b. 1935)^[44]
• 11 January – Mohammad Enamul Haque Zoj Miah, member of the Jatiya Sangsad (1986–1991) (b. 1939).^[45]
• 12 January –
  • Muhammad Delwar Hossain, Bargunaiya politician, member of the Jatiya Sangsad (2001–2006) (b. 1955)^[46]
  • Mozammel Haque, BNP politician, member of the Jatiya Sangsad (2001–2006) (b. 1955/1956)^[47]
• 26 January – Mufti Shahidul Islam, Islamist politician, member of the Jatiya Sangsad (2002–2006) (b. 1960)^[48]
• 30 January – Shamsul Alam Pramanik, BNP politician, member of the Jatiya Sangsad (1996–2006) (b. 1952)

February

• 6 February – Moslem Uddin Ahmad, AL politician, member of the Jatiya Sangsad (2020–2023) (b. 1948)
• 13 February – Reza Ali, businessman, AL politician, member of the Jatiya Sangsad (2009–2014) (b. 1940)^[49]
• 19 February – Nazmul Huda, barrister and politician, minister of information (1991–1996) and communication (2001–2006), member of the Jatiya Sangsad (1991–2008) (b. 1943)

March

• 21 March – Shamim Sikder, sculptor and professor at Dhaka University (b. 1952)
• 29 March – Nur-e-Alam Siddique, AL politician and businessman, war-time student leader known as one of the "Four Caliphs of Bangabandhu" (b. 1944)

April

• 5 April – Rokia Afzal Rahman, entrepreneur, first female bank manager in Bangladesh, adviser of the Caretaker Government (2001) (b. 1941)
• 11 April – Zafrullah Chowdhury, freedom fighter, public health and political activist, founder of Gonoshasthaya Kendra (b. 1941)

See also

2023

• 2023 elections in Bangladesh

Country overviews

• History of Bangladesh
• Outline of Bangladesh
• Government of Bangladesh
• Politics of Bangladesh
• Timeline of Bangladeshi history
• Years in Bangladesh
• Fire accident in Bangladesh

Notes and References

1. Web site: Hon'ble Ministers . 3 January 2023 . . en.
2. Web site: Hon'ble Ministers of State . 3 January 2023 . . en.
3. Web site: Hon'ble Deputy Ministers . 3 January 2023 . . en.
4. News: 2 January 2023 . Mild cold wave sweeps parts of Bangladesh . 8 January 2023 . . en.
5. News: 2 January 2023 . Mild cold wave sweeps parts of Bangladesh . 7 January 2023 . . en.
6. News: 5 January 2023 . Winter chill intensifies as wild cold wave grips parts of Bangladesh . 7 January 2023 . . en.
7. News: 5 January 2023 . Cold wave grips parts of Bangladesh . 7 January 2023 . . en.
8. News: 3 January 2023 . Mahbub Hossain made new cabinet secretary . 3 January 2023 . . en.
9. News: 3 January 2023 . bn:মন্ত্রিপরিষদ সচিব পদে নিয়োগ পেয়ে যা বললেন মাহবুব হোসেন . What Mahbub Hossain said after being appointed as Cabinet Secretary . https://www.jugantor.com/national/others/631232/মন্ত্রিপরিষদ-সচিব-পদে-নিয়োগ-পেয়ে-যা-বললেন-মাহবুব-হোসেন . 3 January 2023 . . bn.
10. News: 5 January 2023 . Awami League candidate Ripon wins Gaibandha-5 by-election . 7 January 2023 . . en.
11. News: 6 January 2023 . bn:ওবায়দুল কাদের বক্তব্য দিচ্ছিলেন, ভেঙে পড়ল মঞ্চ . Obaidul Quader was giving his speech, and the stage collapsed . https://www.prothomalo.com/politics/iqce9n3kpu . 12 January 2023 . . bn.
12. News: Roy . Anupam Debasish . 9 January 2023 . When too many crowd, the stage breaks down . 12 January 2023 . . en.
13. News: 8 January 2023 . bn:সরকারের ক্ষমতার মঞ্চ অন্যায়ের ভারে ভেঙে পড়বে : রব . Government's platform of power will collapse in the weight of injustice: Rab . https://www.dailynayadiganta.com/last-page/718787/সরকারের-ক্ষমতার-মঞ্চ-অন্যায়ের-ভারে-ভেঙে-পড়বে-রব . 12 January 2023 . . bn.
14. Web site: 10 January 2023 . Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs Lu's travel to India and Bangladesh . 20 January 2023 . US Department of State.
15. News: 17 January 2023 . What's the outcome of Donald Lu's visit? . 21 January 2023 . . Opinion . en.
16. Web site: 15 January 2023 . bn:সংসদ উপনেতা মতিয়া চৌধুরীকে বরণ করে নিলো সংসদ . Parliament welcomes Deputy Leader of the House Matia Chowdhury . https://www.banglainsider.com/news_details/133830 . 26 January 2023 . banglainsider.com . bn.
17. News: 19 January 2023 . Sarah, young girl who paves way for posthumous organ donation in country . 26 January 2023 . . en.
18. News: 19 January 2023 . Bangladesh's first kidney transplant from dead donor a success . 26 January 2023 . . en.
19. News: 25 January 2023 . Metro rail's Pallabi station opens to commuters . 26 January 2023 . . en.
20. News: Hossain . Anowar . 5 February 2023 . bn:আ. লীগকে পাশে না পেয়ে ১৪ দলের শরিকদের অনেক প্রশ্ন . 14 Party's allies have many questions as they don't get A. League on their side . https://www.prothomalo.com/politics/6b5un7g0ha . 15 April 2023 . . bn.
21. News: Construction of underground metro rail opens . New Age . 9 June 2024.
22. News: IMF approves $689m second tranche loan for Bangladesh . The Business Standard . 13 December 2023.
23. News: Rahman . Saidur . 22 December 2022 . bn:ফেব্রুয়ারিতে নতুন রাষ্ট্রপতি নির্বাচন . New president election in February . https://www.ittefaq.com.bd/625213/%E0%A6%AB%E0%A7%87%E0%A6%AC%E0%A7%8D%E0%A6%B0%E0%A7%81%E0%A7%9F%E0%A6%BE%E0%A6%B0%E0%A6%BF%E0%A6%A4%E0%A7%87-%E0%A6%A8%E0%A6%A4%E0%A7%81%E0%A6%A8-%E0%A6%B0%E0%A6%BE%E0%A6%B7%E0%A7%8D%E0%A6%9F%E0%A7%8D%E0%A6%B0%E0%A6%AA%E0%A6%A4%E0%A6%BF-%E0%A6%A8%E0%A6%BF%E0%A6%B0%E0%A7%8D%E0%A6%AC%E0%A6%BE%E0%A6%9A%E0%A6%A8 . 2 January 2023 . . bn.
24. News: 4 March 2023 . At least six killed in blast at oxygen plant in Bangladesh . en . Reuters . 6 March 2023.
25. News: 6 March 2023 . Bangladesh investigates huge fire at world's largest refugee camp . en-GB . BBC News . 6 March 2023.
26. News: 18 Killed in Bangladesh Building Explosion, Dozens Injured . 8 March 2023 . VOA . 7 March 2023 . en.
27. News: Bangladesh: 19 killed, 25 injured after bus skids off road and falls into 30-foot ditch . 5 April 2023 . WION . en-us.
28. News: https://www.dbcnews.tv/articles/110519?fbclid=IwAR1CXhkKnWA7TaymTKT3x-0MsIA4Ts6VkXa7iRaV0jWddns2gkvCchYR6cQ . bn:ইংল্যান্ডে নিজের শেষ ম্যাচ খেলে ফেলেছেন তামিম! . DBC News . bn.
29. Web site: Bangladesh vs Ireland Scorecard 2020-2022/23 | Cricket Scorecard.
30. News: Truck-bus collision claims 15 lives in Bangladesh . 8 June 2023 . The New Indian Express.
31. News: 21 August 2023 . bn:সিডনি-লন্ডনেও রাজত্ব করছে 'প্রিয়তমা' . https://www.channelionline.com/priyotma-london-sydney/ . 23 August 2023 . Channel i . bn-BD.
32. News: 22 August 2023 . bn:'প্রিয়তমা' ব্লকবাস্টার, নির্মাতাকে প্রযোজকের গাড়ি উপহার . https://www.channelionline.com/new-car-as-a-gift-for-priyotomas-success/ . 23 August 2023 . Channel i . bn-BD.
33. News: https://bangla.bdnews24.com/bangladesh/que00nnjwc . bn:অবরোধ তুলেছেন শ্রমিকরা, চার ঘণ্টা পর ঢাকার সঙ্গে সারাদেশের ট্রেন চালু . bdnews24.com . bn.
34. News: Al Amin's triumph brings glory to Bangladesh as Evolution Fight Series concludes . 30 July 2023 . The Business Standard . 6 August 2023.
35. News: Boxer Alamin brings glory for the country . Dhaka . UNB . 30 July 2023 . The Daily Star . 6 August 2023.
36. News: 28 September 2023 . Bangladesh: Nearly 1,000 people die of dengue in severe outbreak . en-GB . BBC News . 29 September 2023.
37. News: 23 October 2023 . At least 15 killed and many injured when 2 trains collide in central Bangladesh . 23 October 2023 . AP News . en.
38. News: In pictures: Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Tunnel . The Daily Star . 28 October 2023.
39. News: Agence France-Presse . 29 October 2023 . Bangladesh charges opposition party leadership with murder . 30 October 2023 . Daily Tribune . en-US.
40. News: Bangladesh Increases Garment Workers Minimum Pay By 56%: Report . 7 November 2023 . NDTV.
41. News: Bangladesh to hold parliamentary elections on January 7 . 16 November 2023 . Al Jazeera . en.
42. Web site: B'desh U19 beat UAE U19, B'desh U19 won by 195 runs . 17 December 2023 .
43. News: 2 January 2023 . Architect Mubasshar Hussein no more . 2 January 2023 . . en.
44. News: 9 January 2023 . Ex-minister Habib Ullah Khan dies . 15 January 2023 . . en.
45. News: 12 January 2023 . bn:দুইবারের এমপি জজ মিয়া মারা গেলেন উপহারের ঘরে . Two-times MP Zoj Miah dies in donated house . https://www.somoynews.tv/news/2023-01-12/%E0%A6%A6%E0%A7%81%E0%A6%87-%E0%A6%AC%E0%A6%BE%E0%A6%B0%E0%A7%87%E0%A6%B0-%E0%A6%8F%E0%A6%AE%E0%A6%AA%E0%A6%BF-%E0%A6%9C%E0%A6%9C-%E0%A6%AE%E0%A6%BF%E0%A6%AF%E0%A6%BC%E0%A6%BE-%E0%A6%AE%E0%A6%BE%E0%A6%B0%E0%A6%BE-%E0%A6%97%E0%A7%87%E0%A6%B2%E0%A7%87%E0%A6%A8-%E0%A6%89%E0%A6%AA%E0%A6%B9%E0%A6%BE%E0%A6%B0%E0%A7%87%E0%A6%B0-%E0%A6%98%E0%A6%B0%E0%A7%87 . 12 January 2023 . . bn.
46. News: 12 January 2023 . bn:সাবেক সংসদ সদস্য দেলোয়ার হোসেনের মৃত্যুতে বরগুনায় শোকের ছায়া . Barguna mourns the death of former member of parliament Delwar Hossain . https://www.prothomalo.com/bangladesh/district/esomfwd7q6 . 12 January 2023 . . bn.
47. News: 13 January 2023 . bn:নাটোরের সাবেক এমপি মোজাম্মেল হক আর নেই . Natore's former MP Mozammel Haque no more . https://www.kalerkantho.com/online/country-news/2023/01/13/1226137 . 14 January 2023 . Kaler Kantho.
48. News: Al-Markazul Islami founder Mufti Shahidul Islam buried . The Daily Observer . 27 January 2023.
49. News: 13 February 2023 . Veteran politician Reza Ali passes away . 13 February 2023 . The Daily Star . en.