DHAKA, Mar 9, (V7N) – Prime Minister Tarique Rahman today directed authorities to strengthen and streamline the country’s Zakat management system to make it more effective and organized.

The directive came at a meeting on Zakat management held at the Cabinet Division in the Bangladesh Secretariat, confirmed Deputy Press Secretary Md Zahidul Islam Rony. The meeting was attended by Religious Affairs Minister Kazi Shah Mofazzal Houssain (Kaikobad), ministry secretary Munshi Alauddin Al Azad, and As‑Sunnah Foundation Chairman Shaykh Ahmadullah.

Rony said the meeting followed the Prime Minister’s remarks at an iftar programme on March 7, where he noted that a proper Zakat management system could play a significant role in eliminating poverty within 10 to 15 years. Today’s discussions focused on how an effective system could contribute to poverty alleviation.

The meeting decided to reconstitute the Zakat Board and recommended forming a committee headed by the Religious Affairs Minister, with members including Baitul Mukarram National Mosque’s Khatib Allama Mufti Abdul Malek, Shaykh Ahmadullah, leading Islamic economists and scholars. The Ministry of Religious Affairs will propose names for the full committee within ten days.

The committee will soon submit recommendations to the Prime Minister regarding Zakat management and the reconstitution of the Board. Rony emphasized that the initiative reflects the government’s commitment to harnessing Zakat as a tool for social justice and poverty reduction.

END/AJ/RH