Mass promotion in administration
Upgradation due, post not available
The government yesterday elevated 345 deputy secretaries to the rank of joint secretary in a large scale promotion in the civil administration.
The promotion was due but was made against no vacant posts. As many as 625 joint secretaries are already serving against the approved 250 posts. So, the newly promoted officials are not likely to get new posting.
Of the promoted officials, 60 were from the 1984 batch, 121 from the 1985 batch and 115 from the 1986 batch of Bangladesh Civil Service. Some left out officials of previous batches have also got their posts elevated.
The public administration ministry issued an order of promotion for 326 officials. The rest officials are on lien or on leave and their order would be issued once they report to their respective offices.
The Superior Selection Board headed by Cabinet Secretary Mohammad Mosharraf Hossain Bhuiyan had earlier evaluated performance of around 600 aspirants from different BCS batches.
Initially, there was a plan to promote 200 deputy secretaries, but the government changed the plan to elevate more officials.
“Incorporation of more officials is meant to make happy the deprived officials and to quell commotion in the civil bureaucracy ahead of the next parliamentary polls,” said a senior official of the Ministry of Public Administration.
In giving promotion, officials inclined to the ruling party and with strong lobbying have been considered. In this process some ineligible officials got their position elevated, while some eligible ones were left out.
At least 150 aspirants who were eligible for promotion were left out either on political ground or for not having strong lobbying, said the official who wished to remain unnamed.
However, Senior Secretary to the Ministry of Public Administration Abdus Sobhan Sikder said eligible officials who fulfilled all the criteria had been considered for promotion.
He claimed no officials were considered on political ground. “This time promotion was given in a fair way,” Sobhan, who is a member of the selection board, told The Daily Star.
But there are instances that some officials were not considered for promotion even though their names were on top of the merit list.
Sikder admitted that accommodating the promoted officials would be very difficult for them. “Since there is no vacant post, we have decided to keep them to their current offices,” he added.
This was the second round of promotion in the final year of the Awami League-led government. In the first phase, 182 senior assistant secretaries were promoted to the rank of deputy secretary on March 14 this year.
Sources say the civil administration would see another round of promotion in September-October in which a number of joint secretaries would be made additional secretaries.
“Some 200 joint secretaries will be considered for the post of additional secretary,” said the senior secretary.
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