Bangladesh’s Cabinet has approved the public holiday schedule for 2027, with government employees set to receive 22 effective holidays excluding weekly days off. The Cabinet also approved draft legislation on special solar power installations and amendments to the country’s public procurement law.

The holiday schedule was approved at the Cabinet’s 26th meeting, chaired by Prime Minister Tarique Rahman at the Secretariat on Monday. The Cabinet Division confirmed the decisions in a press release issued after the meeting.

At an evening briefing at the Secretariat, Cabinet Secretary Nasimul Gani said the proposed calendar includes 15 days of general holidays for national occasions and major religious festivals celebrated by different communities. Four of those days will fall on weekly holidays—two Fridays and two Saturdays.

Another 14 days of government holidays will be granted through executive orders, including Bengali New Year and major religious festivals. Three of these days will coincide with weekly holidays—one Friday and two Saturdays.

As a result, seven of the proposed 29 holiday days will overlap with weekly holidays, leaving 22 effective days off.

Government employees will also be allowed to take up to three optional holidays annually to observe religious festivals according to their respective faiths. In addition, government employees from small ethnic communities working in the Chittagong Hill Tracts and other parts of the country will be entitled to two optional holidays to celebrate their principal social festivals, including Baisabi or similar occasions.

Draft Law Approved to Expand Solar Power Installations

The Cabinet also approved the draft ‘Special Solar Power Installation Act, 2026’, aimed at accelerating the expansion of special solar power installation programmes.

The draft, prepared by the Power Division, received final approval subject to vetting by the Legislative and Parliamentary Affairs Division.

The government has already issued the Special Solar Power Installation Ordinance, 2026, to speed up the implementation of these initiatives. Under Article 93 of the Constitution, a presidential ordinance must be placed before Parliament at its first sitting. The new bill has therefore been drafted to convert the ordinance into an Act through parliamentary approval.

New Provisions Proposed for Public Procurement

The Cabinet also gave policy and final approval to the draft ‘Public Procurement (Second Amendment) Act, 2026’, intended to strengthen transparency, accountability, equal treatment and open competition in government procurement.

The draft was prepared by the Implementation Monitoring and Evaluation Division (IMED) and approved subject to vetting by the Legislative and Parliamentary Affairs Division.

The proposed amendments seek to protect domestic industries, increase competition and expand participation opportunities for different categories of bidders. Special provisions have been proposed for new entrepreneurs, micro and small businesses, women bidders and disadvantaged bidders.

The draft also proposes modernising procedures under the open tendering method, expanding the use of limited tendering to ensure a more balanced distribution of resources, and clarifying provisions related to professional misconduct. It also includes an alternative procurement mechanism for urgent national requirements.

According to a Cabinet Division press release, the Public Procurement Act, 2006, which provides the main legal framework for government procurement, has been amended six times so far. The latest changes were introduced through the Public Procurement (Amendment) Ordinance, 2026, issued on September 21.

The draft amendment has been published on the websites of the Bangladesh Public Procurement Authority (BPPA) and IMED for public consultation. Under Article 93 of the Constitution, the bill will be placed before Parliament at its next session to turn the ordinance into law.