Mass promotion in bureaucracy

In a wholesale promotion in the civil administration, the government yesterday promoted 873 officials to higher positions.

Of them, 231 joint secretaries were made additional secretaries, 299 deputy secretaries were elevated to the rank of joint secretary and 343 senior assistant secretaries to the rank of deputy secretary.

The mass promotion came just over a year after the Awami League-backed grand alliance government assumed office through the January 5 national polls last year.

The public administration ministry issued separate gazettes last night in this regard upon getting approval of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who is in charge of the ministry.

According to officials at the secretariat, excessive promotion has already made the civil administration top-heavy. Posting and transfer of officials have become very difficult as no vacancy is left in the civil bureaucracy.

Such wholesale promotions, which have been going on for several years, are also responsible for making many officials OSDs (officer on special duty).

On March 24, the public administration ministry sent a summary to the PM seeking her nod for the promotions. The summary contained the names of the promotees.

There are 1,280 deputy secretaries against 830 approved posts, 869 joint secretaries against 350 posts and 229 additional secretaries against 120 posts.

The Superior Selection Board, headed by Cabinet Secretary M Musharraf Hossain Bhuiyan, went through the service records of the officials to prepare a list of the potential promotees.

Sources in the public administration ministry said an official is usually promoted to a higher post when it falls vacant.

Since there is no vacant post, majority of the promoted officials will continue in their current offices. Many officials who got promotion last year are still discharging duties in their previous offices.

Gazettes were issued yesterday for promoting 836 officials. Notifications about 37 others would be issued later as they are on leave.