Promotions are coming in a big way at two important administrative levels at the fag end of the Awami League-led government.
The Superior Selection Board has sat in a few meetings, with the Cabinet Secretary in the chair, to promote officers to the posts of Additional Secretary and Deputy Secretary.
The latest meeting was held on Wednesday.
“Information and data are being collected for the promotion,” Senior Secretary to the Minsitry of Public Administration Abdus Sobhan Sikder said, speaking to bdnews24.com, before the meeting.
“Preparations are on to promote the senior assistant secretaries to deputy secretaries and joint secretaries to additional secretaries.”
He said no-one will be made Joint Secretary anew since many were elevated to the post a few times before.
The next election is due by Jan 24.
Once the election schedule is announced, the Awami League, even in power, cannot take any policy decision outside of its routine work.
Over 250 officials will be promoted ahead of the next election, say officials at the Ministry of Public Administration.
The officials, earlier overlooked for promotion despite being loyal to the Awami League-led alliance, will get the upper hand this time, they told bdnews24.com.
Deputy Commissioners (DCs) will be later appointed from those promoted to Deputy Secretary. DCs usually are returning officers during the election.
As per the Prime Minister’s offer, the all-party government will be formed at the end of third week of Nov or the beginning of the fourth, Communications Minister Obaidul Quader has already said.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina had on Sept 2 said at a Cabinet meeting that the government would not take any important decision even if remained in office.
Cabinet Secretary M Musharraf Hossain Bhuyian, however, says they will not decide in principle about any bigger administrative change before the formation of the all-party government.
They will just do their routine work, he adds.
Taking it for granted that the election-time government will not take any important decisions, this government is promoting the civil servants before the formation of the election-time government.
Chief Election Commissioner Kazi Rakibuddin Ahmad has hinted that the election schedule might be announced by later this month.
The relevant ministries and offices will be under the Election Commission after the election schedule is announced and until the next elected government takes office,
“Changes can be brought to the administration only if the Election Commission wants after the schedule is announced,” Sobhan Sikdar said, speaking to bdnews24.com.
Officials at the Ministry of Public Administration say 2528 officials had been promoted until last Sept since this government took office.
Seventy-two Deputy secretaries were promoted to joint secretaries on Sept 10. Earlier in July, 345 deputy secretaries were promoted to joint secretaries.
Then, 204 senior assistant secretaries were promoted in March last.
By promotion, 78 civil servants have become secretaries, 293 additional secretaries, 1091 joint secretaries and 1066 deputy secretaries during this government.
As many as 617 civil servants have been promoted this year. Of them, 17 were made secretaries, 401 joint secretaries and 199 deputy secretaries.
As per the information of the Ministry of Public Administration until Nov 5, 72 civil servants have been promoted to secretaries against 57 endorsed posts.
Of them, Md Ebadat Ali, Mohammad Mahbubur Rahman, Md Nurul Haque and Md Mosharraf Hossain Bhuiyan have been made officers on special duty or OSD.
And there are 239 additional secretaries against 108 approved posts, 1016 joint secretaries against 430 approved posts and 1318 deputy secretaries against 830 endorsed posts.
Besides those, there are 2340 senior assistant secretaries against 1443 endorsed posts, 1035 assistant secretaries against 1870 endorsed posts.
Source: Bd news24