The passed bills are The Armed Police Battalions (Amendment) Act, 2003, The Bangladesh Flag Vessels (Amendment) Act, 2003, and The Bangladesh Standards and Testing Institution (Amendment) Act, 2003.

The passage of 'The Armed Police Battalions (Amendment) Act, 2003' will allow the government to form the RAB in line with the already working 23 Rapid Action Teams (RAT).

The RAB will be formed with an eye to improving law and order.

Armed personnel and officers in the RAB will be drawn from the army, navy, air force and police.

The Armed Police Battalions Ordinance, 1979 is amended to give the RAT an institutional shape with the nomenclature, RAB, under the existing Armed Police Battalion (APBn).

It is stated in the bill that as it was not possible to keep the law and order situation normal with the regular police force, the government formed as many as 23 Rapid Action Teams by employing selected officers from the regular police force.

As the scope of work of these teams (each comprising 12 policemen) expanded, the government felt it necessary to give the specially trained law enforcing team an institutional shape.

The bill says all Rapid Action Battalions should be under the direct control and superintendence of an officer not below the rank of deputy inspector general (DIG) of police or an equivalent in any other force.

It'll enable the government to order the RAB to investigate any offence at any time.

The commanding officer of a RAB will have the authority to investigate an offence or direct a subordinate officer to investigate, and the investigating officer will follow the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1898, or any other law depending on the nature of the offence.

As per the bill, upon completion of investigation a RAB investigator will submit the report to the officer-in-charge (OC) of the Police Station concerned and the latter (OC) will forward the same to court within 48 hours.

The RAB members will be able to exercise the powers and functions of a police officer under the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1898.

The passage of The Bangladesh Flag Vessels (Amendment) Act, 2003 will create a level playing field for both local and foreign ship operators as it will suspend for two years the rule that currently forces the foreign flag vessels to take waiver certificates for loading and unloading cargoes at Bangladesh ports.

With its passage vessels registered in Bangladesh would no longer enjoy priority over foreign-registered vessels in carrying cargoes from seaports in Bangladesh.

The third bill The Bangladesh Standards and Testing Institution (Amendment) Act, 2003 has raised imprisonment term from six months to two years and fine from Tk 15,000 to Tk 50,000 for trade mark fraudulence.

It also gives legal coverage for abolition of the Department of Agricultural Marketing and Grading and helps reshape the Council of Bangladesh Standard and Testing Institution (BSTI).