Baharam Khan

Says reform commission report, identifies politicisation as key reason for decline in efficiency

The Public Administrative Reform Commission is set to propose declaring Cumilla and Faridpur as divisions and reducing the sizes of Dhaka and Chattogram divisions.

The Public Administration Reform Commission is likely to recommend abolishing the zila parishad and strengthening the upazila parishad.

The Police Headquarters has recommended suspending the recruitment process for all 310 police cadre posts from the 44th to 47th Bangladesh Civil Service (BCS) examinations.

Nahid Islam, adviser to the interim government, spoke with The Daily Star on the nation's key challenges and the way forward.

For government employees, voluntary retirement with pension benefits currently requires 25 years of service. The Public Administration Reform Commission is set to recommend lowering the requirement to 15 years.

The Anti-Corruption Commission is seeking information about government officials and staffers, judges and employees of courts, and elected public representatives who have dual citizenship in violation of service rules.

The interim government may lift the ban on exports of fragrant rice to increase revenue and address the long-standing demand of the country’s business community to boost trade and enhance export earnings.

The production of aromatic rice has nearly doubled in Bangladesh over the past seven years, with farmers showing interest in growing the grain in order to profit from its higher prices compared to traditional parboiled rice.

10.23 lakh tonnes of aromatic rice was produced in FY24, up from 5.79 lakh tonnes in FY18

The commission is likely to recommend reducing the number of ministries and divisions to 30

The interim government is set to import seven lakh tonnes of rice, the highest in the last seven fiscal years, as it looks to shore up its depleting food grain stock and ease the cost of living crisis for the low- and fixed-income people battered by the prolonged high inflation.

The interim government has expanded the Open Market Sales (OMS) programme across the country to help families cope with inflation, as retail prices of kitchen essentials continue to soar in the local market.

The government yesterday issued a stern warning to the officials of 26 cadres, stating that disciplinary action will be taken for violating the Government Servants (Conduct) Rules-1979.

After the administration reform commission recently revealed recommendations it was considering, protests by officials of the admin and 25 other cadres have significantly intensified, affecting their work.

Top government officials are at odds over promotions, positions and associated privileges, with a section announcing a pen-down strike to press home their demands.

After the interim government took over, the number of officials in the upper echelon of the civil administration has become over three times the posts.

They fear that such a move would weaken their cadre strength

A designated committee drew up a list of 764 retired bureaucrats for retrospective promotions yesterday.

The Electoral Reform Commission asked 30 returning officers and assistant returning officers to attend a meeting today to gather information on alleged irregularities in the previous three national polls held under the previous Awami League government.