Armed Forces Day will be observed on Friday, November 21, with due respect and enthusiasm across the country. Various programs will take place nationwide to mark the occasion. The day’s events will begin with special Fazr prayers and supplications at all army, navy, and air force base mosques, seeking the welfare and prosperity of the country, the advancement of the armed forces, and the blessings for the souls of the martyrs who sacrificed their lives during the Liberation War.

On this occasion, President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, Md. Shahabuddin, and Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus have issued separate messages. According to a press release from the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), to honor the members of the armed forces who sacrificed their lives in the 1971 Liberation War, the President and the Chief Adviser will lay floral wreaths tomorrow morning at the Eternal Flame at Dhaka Cantonment.

Following this, the Army Chief General Waker-uz-Zaman, Navy Chief Admiral Mohammad Nazmul Hasan, and Air Chief Marshal Hasan Mahmud Khan will also lay floral wreaths on behalf of their respective services.

The Chief Adviser will exchange greetings with the three service chiefs at his designated office in the Armed Forces Division at Dhaka Cantonment and spend some time in courtesy meetings. Subsequently, the service chiefs will also pay a courtesy call on the President at Bangabhaban.

On the occasion, the Chief Adviser will host a reception at the Army Multipurpose Complex, Dhaka Cantonment, for selected gallantry award-winning freedom fighters and their heirs. During the event, the Chief Adviser will present commemorative gifts and exchange greetings with 101 selected gallantry award recipients and their heirs, in the presence of senior officials.

A reception program will also be organized in the afternoon at Senakunja, Dhaka Cantonment, where distinguished guests will attend.

Besides Dhaka, receptions will be held at military bases in Barishal, Cox’s Bazar, Bogura, Sylhet, Ghatail, Chattogram, Comilla, Jessore, Rangpur, and Khulna, organized by the respective area headquarters.

Across the country, outside Dhaka, various programs will also be held at army garrisons, navy, and air force bases to mark the day. Navy ships, specially decorated in Dhaka, Khulna, Chandpur, Barishal, and Chattogram, will remain anchored at nearby jetties for public viewing until sunset.

To highlight the significance of Armed Forces Day, Bangladesh Television will broadcast a special program, ‘Bisesh Onirban’, following the 8:00 PM Bangla news on Thursday. Bangladesh Betar will air ‘Bisesh Durbar’ on the evening of November 21.

The ‘Bisesh Onirban’ program produced for television will also be broadcast later on private TV channels. Special inserts will be published in national newspapers, and various educational institutions run by the armed forces will hold essay and drawing competitions in observance of the day.

The Office of the Controller General of Accounts (CGA) has issued a directive making it mandatory to deduct income tax at source from the monthly salaries of government officers and employees whose basic pay exceeds the specified threshold. The circular was released on Monday.

According to the letter from the CGA’s Additional Accounts and Procedures Division, under the Income Tax Act, 2023, male government officials and employees with a monthly basic salary of Tk26,785 or more, and female officials and employees earning Tk30,357 or more, have crossed the tax-free income limit. As a result, income tax must be deducted at source when preparing their salary bills.

The circular also stated that, under Treasury Rules S R 125, the responsibility for deducting income tax and other applicable charges from salary bills rests with the respective drawing and disbursing officers (DDOs).

All Chief Accounts and Finance Officers, Divisional and District Accounts Controllers, Upazila Accounts Officers, and other relevant offices nationwide have been instructed to take the necessary steps to implement this directive.

The instruction was sent to the Finance Division through the secretary, with specific attention to the joint secretary (budget-1).

The directive refers to a semi-official letter issued by the Internal Resources Division and the National Board of Revenue (NBR) on October 7, which provided clear guidelines on deducting income tax at source from government salaries.