The Public Administration Reform Commission has recommended reducing the number of ministers, state ministers, and deputy ministers in the government to 35. Along with this, the commission has also proposed reducing the number of secretaries. The number of cabinet secretaries, principal secretaries, and secretaries has been recommended to be reduced to 60, out of which 17 will be principal secretaries.
The full report of the Public Administration Reform Commission has made such recommendations. The complete reports of the six reform commissions, including public administration reform, were published on the website of the Cabinet Division on Saturday. Earlier, on Wednesday, the head of the commission, Abdul Muyeed Chowdhury, submitted the Public Administration Reform Commission’s report to the Chief Adviser of the interim government, Professor Muhammad Yunus.
The Public Administration Reform Commission has recommended major changes in the structure of public administration and governance. It has suggested creating four separate provinces from the existing four divisions and forming a ‘Capital City Government’ for Dhaka and its surrounding areas. Additionally, the commission has recommended reducing the number of ministries from 43 to 25 (or 27, including the President’s Secretariat and the Prime Minister’s Office), as well as restructuring the number of divisions.
According to the current constitution, the Prime Minister decides the number of ministers, state ministers, and deputy ministers. Under the previous Awami League government, the number of cabinet members was 44, while in the preceding term, it was 49. The Public Administration Reform Commission’s report has proposed having 23 ministers, including two technocrats. In addition, it has suggested appointing 12 state ministers and deputy ministers.
At present, there are 80 secretaries and officers of equivalent rank. Now, the Public Administration Reform Commission has recommended reducing this number to 60. While the number of cabinet secretaries will remain the same, the commission has suggested increasing the number of principal secretaries to 17. It has also proposed introducing a principal secretary position in ministries that have multiple divisions. Currently, there is only one post of principal secretary. In this regard, the commission’s report has stated that if ministries are reorganised, multiple divisions will be created. In ministries with multiple divisions, a principal secretary can be appointed alongside a secretary. In this case, the commission has recommended eliminating the existing post of ‘senior secretary.’
In addition to recommending a reduction in the number of ministries, the commission has also specified which ministries should be merged with others. According to the proposal, the President’s Secretariat will continue to function as it does now, with its personal and public divisions remaining intact. A principal secretary will be appointed to oversee these two divisions.
Currently, both the Armed Forces Division and the Cabinet Division operate under the Prime Minister’s Office. However, the commission has proposed keeping only the Cabinet Division under the Prime Minister’s Office while merging the Armed Forces Division with the Ministry of Defense. Despite this merger, the Prime Minister will retain charge of the Ministry of Defense. The commission has also proposed appointing a principal secretary and a military secretary in this ministry.
The commission has recommended that the Ministry of Public Administration remain under the Prime Minister’s jurisdiction. However, this ministry will also have a state minister and a secretary. Meanwhile, the Ministry of Finance will continue to function with its three existing divisions—Finance Division, Internal Resources Division, and Economic Relations Division. The proposal suggests appointing one minister and one state minister for the ministry, along with a principal finance secretary and three separate secretaries for the respective divisions.
The commission has further recommended merging several ministries to streamline governance. Under this proposal, the industries, commerce, and jute and textiles ministries will be consolidated into a single Ministry of Industries and Commerce.
Similarly, the road transport and bridges ministry and the railway ministry will be merged into a new communications ministry. The education ministry and the primary and mass education ministry will also be combined into a single education ministry. Within this unified ministry, there will be three separate divisions: primary education, madrasah and technical education, and secondary and higher education. The overall objective of these mergers is to reduce the number of ministries and enhance administrative efficiency.
Proposal for reorganising districts in administrative divisions
Currently, the country is divided into eight administrative divisions: Dhaka, Chattogram, Rajshahi, Khulna, Barisal, Sylhet, Rangpur, and Mymensingh. In addition to these, the commission has recommended the creation of two new divisions—Cumilla and Faridpur.
Alongside the formation of new divisions, the commission has proposed a reorganisation of districts under Dhaka and Chattogram divisions. Under this proposal, the Dhaka division will be redefined to include only six districts: Narsingdi, Gazipur, Munshiganj, Narayanganj, Manikganj, and Dhaka. Currently, Dhaka division consists of 13 districts.
Similarly, changes have been proposed for the Chattogram division, which presently consists of 11 districts. The commission has recommended reducing this number to five: Khagrachhari, Bandarban, Rangamati, Chattogram, and Cox’s Bazar.