(MENAFN- Gulf Times) The Home Ministry, which looks after law and order in Bangladesh, has been split into two divisions for efficient handling of security issues. The government issued a gazette notification to this effect yesterday.
The home ministry is split into two divisions: Public Security Division and Security Services Division. The former will have departments on police, Border Guard Bangladesh, Ansar, Coast Guard and investigation agencies of International Crimes Tribunal.
On the other hand, the Security Services Division will have departments on Directorate of Immigration and Passport, jails, fire service and civil defence, narcotics control and National Telecom Monitoring Centre.
A total of 493 officials and employees will be working in the two divisions. A total of 163 posts have been created in Public Security Division while 243 posts in Security Services Division.
The split of the Home Ministry was part of the government's move to create at least 10 divisions under five ministries as part of its efforts to accelerate the pace of work in the civil administration and accommodate additional officials at different tiers of bureaucracy.
The move would make room for promoting some top officials to the rank of secretary and also for expanding the Sheikh Hasina-led cabinet, said government sources.
The four other ministries that will have new divisions are education, health and family welfare, local government and rural development and co-operatives, and civil aviation and tourism ministries.
The home and the education ministries already got orders in this regard from the Prime Minister's Office. At present, seven of the 45 ministries have 16 divisions.
According to the PMO order, the education ministry will have three divisions — one for primary to higher secondary education, one for technical and madrasa education and another for higher education.
Abdus Sobhan Sikder, former secretary at the PMO, said, 'This move will not only speed up the pace of work of the civil administration but also help accommodate a large number of officials at different ministries. Once the divisions start functioning, it would be possible for the ministries to make decisions promptly, which would ultimately benefit people, he said.
'Every big ministry should have divisions for accelerating the pace of work, added Sikder. The civil bureaucracy is already turned top heavy due to wholesale promotions in the administration over the years.
There are 1,301 deputy secretaries against 830 posts; 908 joint secretaries against 350 posts and 416 additional secretaries against 120 posts in different ministries, said sources at the public administration ministry.
Besides, there are around 250 officers on special duty (OSD). Though they don't have any responsibilities, they get salaries and other benefits regularly. Now, several hundreds of the promoted officials are working as in-situ officials. An in-situ official is one who continues to hold the same office and perform the same duties even after being elevated to a higher position.
Government sources said the latest move to create divisions under the five ministries is aimed at promoting some senior officials to the rank of secretary and expanding the cabinet.
'This initiative has been taken so that some new lawmakers could be inducted in the cabinet. It will strengthen the party and bring dynamism to the government, said a senior minister.
The minister also referred to the appointment of Tarana Halim and Zunaid Ahmed Palak as state ministers at the two divisions under the posts, telecommunications and ICT ministry.
However, former cabinet secretary Ali Imam Majumder thinks decentralisation of power of the ministries, rather than the creation of divisions, would be more effective.
'There would be no need to create divisions if a ministry gives the responsibility for implementing decisions to its departments concerned, he said.
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