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Admin to turn top-heavy

Govt moves to promote 700 more in already crowded 3 top notches

M Abul Kalam Azad
Despite having no vacancies for the posts of deputy secretary, joint secretary and additional secretary, the government is set to promote a large number of officials in the civil administration in the three
ranks to defuse growing discontent.
Officials concerned have said around 700 officials will be promoted to the posts within a week as part of a government move to make them happy ahead of the next parliamentary polls. A summary on the matter will be sent to the prime minister in a day or two for approval.
However, most of the promoted officers will discharge their duties as before, since the number of officers has already exceeded those approved in the formal structure of the civil administration.
They might be kept “in situ" (meaning the designation of an officer will be elevated, not his or her portfolio) as none will retire in the next two years, thanks to an extension of the retirement age to 59 years from 57, said the officials.
Now there are about 1,500 deputy secretaries against 830 approved posts, 500 joint secretaries against 250 approved posts and 148 additional secretaries against 108 approved posts.
However, Cabinet Secretary Muhammad Musharraf Hossain Bhuiyan does not see any problem with it. “We have already got a mechanism to promote the officers and reshuffle their positions,” he told The Daily Star, without giving any details.
He said the government was going for their promotion that had remained due for quite awhile.
Wishing anonymity, a senior official at the public administration ministry said, “The government is
considering promotion of nearly 700 officials at a time. Of them, 80 joint secretaries will be promoted to additional secretaries, more than 250 deputy secretaries to joint secretaries and 350 senior assistant secretaries to deputy secretaries.”
The Superior Selection Board (SSB), a body of seven secretaries with the cabinet secretary at the head, has almost finalised a list of officers to be recommended for promotion.
It was in a dilemma over the officers' promotion as the two-year extension of the civil servants' service age blocked their retirement.
The SSB held a series of meetings in the last couple of weeks to find a mechanism for promoting them. They wrapped up evaluating the records of the officers who deserve promotion last week.
It has almost finalised the lists of senior assistant secretaries, deputy secretaries and joint secretaries whose promotions are due.
Many officials at the Secretariat said they would be disappointed if they found themselves in the same position after being promoted.
Some officials at the public administration ministry said the government would be in another dilemma over giving the promoted officers their new portfolios.