The Public Administration Reform Commission has made a number of recommendations aimed at ensuring better governance, including the formation of two new divisions, reorganizing four divisions into four provinces, and reducing the number of ministries and directorates.
The commission also recommended establishing a capital metropolitan government—similar to New Delhi’s model—encompassing Dhaka metropolis, Tongi, Keraniganj, Savar, and Narayanganj.
Yesterday, Abdul Muyeed Chowdhury, chief of the commission, presented its report to Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus at the State Guest House Jamuna.
The report proposed changing the titles of the Deputy Commissioner, Upazila Nirbahi Officer, and Additional Deputy Commissioner, as well as revising their job descriptions to improve service delivery.
In October, the Cabinet Division issued a notification forming six reform commissions, including those on constitutional, electoral system, anti-corruption, and police reforms.
Reports from the Constitutional, Electoral System, Anti-Corruption Commission, and Police Reform Commissions were submitted to the Chief Adviser on January 15.
Two new divisions: Comilla and Faridpur
The Reform Commission, in its report, proposed the formation of two new administrative divisions—Comilla and Faridpur. Currently, there are a total of eight administrative divisions in the country. The demand for the formation of the Comilla and Faridpur divisions has existed for a long time, considering geographical and transportation advantages.
Reducing the number of ministries
The Public Administration Reform Commission has proposed reducing the number of ministries and divisions to 25 from 40, aiming to ensure better governance. According to the report, the commission recommended categorizing all ministries into five similar clusters: Statutory Administration; Finance, Industry, and Trade; Physical Infrastructure and Communication; Agriculture and Environment; and Human Resources and Social Development.
It also recommended splitting the existing ICT and Telecommunication Ministry, attaching the Telecommunication Ministry to the Science and Technology Ministry, and eliminating corruption in public services, as bribery, favoritism, and nepotism hinder the service delivery process.
The report said that all necessary measures must be taken to eliminate corruption in public service. To ensure an efficient and impartial public service, political bias and partisan considerations must be avoided.
Renaming the posts of DCs and UNOs
The report proposed changing the title of the Deputy Commissioner to "District Magistrate and District Commissioner" and the title of the Upazila Nirbahi Officer to "Upazila Commissioner."
It also suggests changing the title of the Additional Deputy Commissioner (Revenue) to "Additional District Commissioner (Land Management)." The proposal recommends granting the District Commissioner the authority to accept cases.
In the role of District Magistrate for CR (Court Registrar) cases, the District Commissioner should have the authority to accept cases based on the nature of the complaint. He can instruct an upazila officer or local distinguished individuals to investigate or mediate the complaint.
If the complaint is found valid in the preliminary investigation, the police will be instructed to take the case forward through the legal process. The commission believes this will make it easier for the general public to file cases.
Additionally, resolving minor disputes outside the court would reduce the unnecessary burden on the judicial system. However, the complainant would not be able to take the same issue to court again. The commission suggests seeking the Supreme Court’s advice before implementing this proposal.
Establishment of upazila magistrate courts
The commission has also recommended re-establishing civil and criminal magistrate courts at the upazila level. It believes this will significantly benefit the general public and suggests seeking the Supreme Court’s advice on this matter.
Separate immigration officer
The commission has suggested creating a new force to handle immigration work at airports. Currently, a branch of the police acts as the immigration officer, but the commission recommended forming a separate immigration officer unit for better service.
Reorganizing four divisions
The commission also proposed reorganizing four old divisions into four provinces to boost decentralization. Additionally, the report suggested establishing a capital metropolitan government—similar to New Delhi’s model—encompassing Dhaka metropolis, Tongi, Keraniganj, Savar, and Narayanganj. The commission also approved dissolving the existing Zila Parishad and transferring its responsibilities to the proposed state government. The report recommended strengthening the activities and responsibilities of municipalities, upazila parishads, and union parishads.
Superior executive service
The commission proposed forming a Superior Executive Service (SES) comprising all BCS cadre officers of the secretariat from Deputy Secretary to Additional Secretary. Secretary posts for the ministries and divisions would be awarded through a competitive SES exam. If any BCS officer fails to pass the SES exam two consecutive times, he or she will not be eligible for further promotion. In addition, the commission suggested forming a Secretary Recruitment Cabinet Committee led by a minister.
More Principal Secretaries, Scrapping Senior Secretary
The commission recommended creating more than one Principal Secretary post to oversee large ministries where several secretaries are needed. It also proposed scrapping the existing Senior Secretary post. In the current system, only one Principal Secretary works at the Prime Minister’s Office, and the ousted Awami League had established the post of Senior Secretary, which ranks above Secretary.
Discouraging military officer appointments in Civil Service
The commission suggested not appointing military officers to civil service positions on deputation, though this is an existing trend in Bangladesh. Currently, many Army, Navy, and Air Force officers work in top and mid-level positions in several government offices. However, the commission recommended deploying retired armed forces officers in civil services instead of serving officers.
Time of retirement
The commission proposed that any government officer should be allowed to retire after 15 years of service. It also suggested banning the current practice of forced retirement after 25 years of service.
Independent commission against pro-Hasina bureaucrats
To make public administration officers more accountable, the commission suggested guidelines including the formation of an independent investigative commission to verify the activities of bureaucrats who aided the ousted government in election rigging, money laundering, and the massacre during the July-August Mass Uprising. The commission stated that these actions have defamed the bureaucracy.
Participation in political activities
The commission recommended banning government officers from participating in any political activities. It also suggested ending the police verification process in the recruitment of civil service positions to reduce the politicization of government jobs.
PS/APS of ministers
The commission suggested that government officers should not be recruited as PS (Private Secretary) and APS (Additional Private Secretary) for Ministers and State Ministers, as they sometimes face problems after a regime change. Instead, the commission recommended recruiting PS/APS for ministers from outside the current pool of government officers.