Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is going to reshuffle her cabinet very soon, and a bunch of new faces may be added to several ministries.
Asking to remain anonymous, some top-level government sources told Dhaka Tribune that the prime minister had evaluated a report on the cabinet’s performance over the past 20 months, and she is going to make some changes to important ministries.
According to the sources, questions have risen from various quarters regarding the activities of several ministries and departments during the Covid-19 pandemic. The Ministry of Health has been heavily discussed.
Health Minister Zahid Maleque may be discharged from the cabinet. State Minister for Disaster Management and Relief, Dr Md Enamur Rahman, may be promoted to minister and get charge of the Health Ministry, while Major General (retd) Nasir Uddin, member of parliament of Jessore-2, may enter the cabinet as the state minister for health, the top government sources said.
Dr Enamur and Nasir are both medical doctors by profession.
Ruhul Amin Madani, lawmaker from Mymensingh-7, may be made state minister for the Religious Affairs Ministry. This post fell vacant with the recent death of State Minister for Religious Affairs, Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah, due to Covid-19.
Apart from this, there are indications of changes in some other important ministries due to the current global situation. Changes in four or five other ministries are highly likely, the sources added.
Senior Awami League leaders such as Amir Hossain Amu, Tofail Ahmed, and Matia Chowdhury, may be brought back to the cabinet.
Amir Hossain Amu may be appointed minister for the Disaster Management and Relief Ministry, while Tofail Ahmed and Matia Chowdhury may take the Commerce Ministry and Agriculture Ministry respectively, where they previously served as ministers.
Agriculture Minister Dr Abdur Razzaque is likely to be moved to the Ministry of Food. Dr Razzaque was the food minister during the ninth parliament.
Concurrently, Commerce Minister Tipu Munshi and Food Minister Sadhan Chandra Majumder are likely to be replaced as well, according to the sources.
Sources also said that, Deputy Minister for Water Resources, AKM Enamul Haque Shamim, and Deputy Minister for Education, Mohibul Hasan Chowdhury, may be promoted to state minister.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina formed the current 47-member cabinet on January 6, 2019, after the ruling party won their third consecutive term in the polls on December 30, 2018. Of the members of the cabinet, 27 were first-time members.
The first change in the cabinet came within four months, with the appointment of State Minister for Health, Murad Hasan, as state minister for information.
Afterwards, Imran Ahmed was appointed minister from being state minister for the Expatriate Welfare and Overseas Employment Ministry, and Fazilatun Nessa Indira was made the State Minister for the Women and Children Affairs Ministry.
Subsequently, Housing and Public Works Minister SM Rezaul Karim was given charge of the Fisheries and Livestock Ministry, State Minister for Social Welfare Sharif Ahmed was made state minister for public works, and State Minister for Fisheries, Ashraf Ali Khan, was made state minister of social welfare in February.
