One month of power Interim government has faced a great crisis to give promotion in administrative sector. The administrative structure's crisis has not been resolved. Particularly in the Ministry of Public Administration, the list of demands is unceasing. While some are looking for a transfer, others are looking for a promotion.
Activists demand that for the previous 15 years, most of the appointment and promotions given politically. There has no administration's discipline. Since August 8, 471 public administration officials have been promoted since the interim government took power.
According to the Public Administration Ministry, there are no secretaries in seven ministries. There is a vacancy for a Secretary in the Planning Commission. The ministries and divisions without secretaries are the Civil Aviation and Tourism Ministry, Shipping Ministry, Planning Division, National parliament secretariat, Financial Institutions Division, Bangladesh Energy and Power Research Council, and Bangladesh Investment Development Authority (BIDA).
Tuesday public administration division issued 59 district DCs name. 50-60 officials of the deputy secretary rank, who could not become DC, started protest demanding cancelation of DCs promotion order. They continued protest till evening. The situation is such that the Public Administration Department has said that this notification will be canceled. Several officials, who took part in the discussion, said most of the DCs, who have been appointed, were in good positions in the previous Awami League government.
On the other hand, they were deprived earlier, they have been deprived this time too. Public Administration experts say this situation has not arisen in the last 50 years. They are blaming this on solidarity and incompetence. He said that the crisis will not end overnight. If there are structural reforms, there will be a fear of temporary relief. The first major promotion in public administration took place on August 13. On that day, 117 senior assistant secretaries were made deputy secretaries. Within a week, 223 deputy secretaries were made joint secretaries. On August 25, 131 officers were promoted from joint secretary to additional secretary. In all, the Interim Government has promoted 471 officials since August 8. In the last month, 24 officers have been promoted from senior assistant secretary to deputy secretary, then joint secretary, and eventually additional secretary.
Before August 5, they were senior assistant secretaries. Sources at the Public Administration Ministry said that along with the deprived people, some beneficiaries in the deprived category, controversial and corruption-accused officials have also been promoted.
Among the promoted officers, there are also persons against whom departmental cases were filed for their involvement in crimes.
Even the officials who are facing cases in the Anti-Corruption Commission have been promoted. The movement is going on at various government offices, including Petro Bangla, LGED, the office of the Comptroller and Auditor General. The employees are agitating against various demands.
As a result, the normal functioning of all the departments has been affected.
Ali Imam Majumder, an adviser to the Interim Government, said that it takes some time for the situation to return to normal after any uprising.
Former secretary AKM Abdul Awal Majumder said that those who have become additional secretaries from senior assistant secretaries in a short time should prove their worth. They now have to prove their worth through their work.
Sources said some officials who were beneficiaries of the previous government have also got important posts in the Interim Government. Two of them have become private secretaries (PS) to two advisers of the Interim Government. One of them is a BCS officer of the 24th batch. He was the private secretary to the former Prime Minister. He also served as the director of the Prime Minister's Office in the previous Government. This time, an adviser to the Interim Government has become a private secretary. This is being criticized by the officials of the past.
There is a different picture in other cadres, the officers of the administration cadre are getting promotions. This has created anger in education, information, agriculture, and other cadres. In such a situation, the officials of BCS 25 cadres excluding admin cadre have joined hands with various demands, including promotion. On 31 August, they announced an association called the Inter-Cadre Discrimination Resolution Council and held a press conference at Dhaka Reporters Unity.
Officials of the council say that promotion is given by creating supernumerary posts to give additional promotion to the admin post. Former cabinet secretary Mosharraf Hossain Bhuiyan said that a major change has taken place in the country through the uprising of the students and the people. In such a situation, traditional thinking should not be done to restore order in the public administration. Everyone's expectations have grown. However, it is not possible to fulfill all the demands together. You need to furnish it by the time.
