The top of the civil administration is likely to experience a massive reshuffle shortly as some of the secretaries have already gone into post retirement leave (PRL) and some are waiting to start their retirement within this month.
The public administration ministry has already filled up some offices of the secretaries by posting some additional secretaries to the vacancies.
The public administration ministry yesterday posted three additional secretaries as acting secretary to fill up the offices of three important ministries and institutions.
Of them, Cabinet Division’s Additional Secretary Khandkar Md. Iftekhar Haidar was made Rector of Bangladesh Public Administration Training Centre with the status of acting secretary.
He will replace BPATC Rector AZM Shafiqul Alam, who will start his PRL from February 24. The ministry has already approved his PRL.
Directorate of Social Welfare Director General Nasima Begum was appointed acting secretary of the social welfare ministry. Social welfare Secretary Suraiya Begum was transferred to Privatisation Commission as a member.
Director General of Family Planning AKM Amir Hossain was appointed acting secretary of the science and technology ministry. Former secretary of the science and technology Rafiqul Islam retired from his service on December 31. The office was vacant till yesterday.
Earlier, the government approved the contractual appointment of Agriculture Secretary SM Nazmul Islam and Internal Resources Division Secretary and National Board of Revenue Chairman Ghulam Hossain for one year.
SM Nazmul Islam retired from his service on December 30 and NBR Chairman Ghulam Hossain was supposed to start his PRL from January 8.
According to the public administration ministry officials, parliament secretariat’s Senior Secretary Ashraful Moqbul, who retired on December 31, also got a contractual appointment from the secretariat on January 2.
The contractual appointment of Prime Minister’s Secretary Molla Waheeduzzaman will end on January 17. Local Government Secretary Abu Alam Md. Shahid Khan will also retire on the same day.
Prime Minister’s Principal Secretary Shaikh Md. Wahid Uz Zaman, Land Secretary Mokhlesur Rahman and OSD Secretary Nurul Haque will retire on March 7.
According to the ministry officials, though the high officials were trying to get contractual appointment to extend their service periods by managing government high ups, the civil administration will experience a fresh reshuffle shortly immediate after the new government takes its oath.
The offices of the secretaries would be changed and they would be assigned to new offices. Some additional secretaries, who are qualified for promotion, would be assigned as acting secretaries in the very beginning of the government, they said.
Public Administration Ministry’s Senior Secretary Abdus Sobhan Sikder told the Dhaka Tribune: “The public administration ministry has already begun filling up the vacancies. We are working to fill up the offices which will vacate soon. We have prepared the lists of officers for posting them in those vacancies.”
Some officers will be transferred according to promotion and transfer rules of the ministry. “We will follow the rules strictly,” he added.
When asked about the chance of contractual appointment, he said, “We have already issued some contractual appointment orders. We may issue more contracts, if the prime minister’s office gives consent.”
Public servants got two years of additional service period when the government extended the retirement age of the public servants to 59 from 57 years in December 2011.