The number of the cabinet members of Sheikh Hasina’s government rose to 51 after the induction of two new ministers yesterday.
Abul Hassan Mahmud Ali, an MP from Dinajpur 4 constituency, was sworn in as a minister and Narsinghdi 1 MP Nazrul Islam Hiru as a state minister.
President Abdul Hamid administered the oath in presence of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina at Bangabhaban yesterday. Cabinet Secretary M Musharraf Hossain Bhuiyan conducted the swearing-in ceremony.
Mahmud Ali, who served as foreign minister for the interim government ahead of January 5 national poll, was given the foreign affairs ministry while Nazrul Islam Hiru was appointed as the state minister for water resources.
The government had to reshuffle the office of the water resources ministry. Deputy Minister for Water Resources Abdullah Al Islam Jacob had to leave the office of the ministry to accommodate the new state minister.
Jacob was made deputy minister for the environment and forest ministry.
Earlier, the 49-member cabinet of the new government was formed on January 12 after the January 5 national poll with three ministers from the main “opposition” Jatiya Party (Ershad) and three other ministers from Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal, Bangladesh Workers Party and Jatiya Party (JP).
The prime minister did not assign anybody as minister for the offices of home affairs and foreign affairs during the formation of the new government. Ruling party MPs Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal and Shahriar Alam were given the charge of the two ministries as state minister.
The cabinet division officials told the Dhaka Tribune that the ministry on Tuesday prepared to induct some more ministers into the cabinet.
They are ruling party MP Rafiqul Islam, Jatiya Party presidium member GM Kader and Secretary General ABM Ruhul Amin Hawlader. But finally the files were dropped as the prime minister did not give her consent to their induction.
The cabinet division sources said a home minister would soon be appointed. It is under consideration of the high-ups of the government.
