Bangabandhu Poverty Alleviation and Rural Development Academy Act, 2012. (Act No. 14 of 2012).

This Act, consisting of 22 sections, creates the Bangabandhu Poverty Alleviation and Rural Development Academy (BAPARD). The Academy is established to fulfill the objectives of this Act. The Academy shall be a statutory body, having permanent continuity and a common seal and have the power to acquire, possess, and transfer both the movable and immovable property.
The functions of the academy shall be as follows: a) work as a center of excellence for research in national and international areas for rural development and poverty reduction and act as one of the focal points of the government for poverty alleviation; b) conduct activities as a training and research institute at the national level for rural development and poverty alleviation; c) train the officers and employees of various government and non-government organizations engaged in rural development and poverty alleviation, conducting workshops, seminars, etc.; d) train self-employment opportunities through small and marginal farmers, unemployed men and women, and youth, to conduct training on various earning activities of agriculture and non-agricultural sector; e) conduct technical research on socio-economic issues of agriculture, education, coastal and tidal areas for rural development and poverty alleviation; f) provide necessary counseling and services to government and other related organizations; g) assist and supervise the research work of local and foreign students engaged in higher education in rural development and poverty reduction; h) conduct Post Graduate Diploma Course in Rural Development and Poverty Alleviation; i) working jointly with national, regional and international associations in poverty alleviation; j) undertake research on child labour disbursement in agricultural work and to bring the mainstream of education of agricultural child workers; k) Research for the social security of rural poor women, overall empowerment of women; l) assist government policy makers in the formulation of rural development and poverty alleviation policies; etc.