179 Dy Secys promoted to JS

The government has promoted 179 Deputy Secretaries to the rank of Joint Secretary in the first major bureaucratic promotion in the civil administration since the BNP-led government assumed office in February 17 this year. 

The Ministry of Public Administration issued two separate notifications on Thursday announcing the promotions. Among the newly promoted officials, seven are currently serving in Bangladesh's diplomatic missions abroad. Following the promotions, all 179 officials have been attached to the Ministry of Public Administration as Special Officers on Duty (OSD). 

However, the ministry has not yet issued separate orders assigning them to new postings except the 7 serving in abroad. Their formal placements are expected to be announced in the coming days.

According to the notifications, the promoted officers were instructed to submit their joining reports directly to the Ministry of Public Administration or electronically via the ministry's designated email address. Officials whose workplaces have changed since the issuance of the promotion order have been asked to mention their current office and address while submitting their joining reports.

The ministry also stated that if any adverse or contradictory information regarding any promoted officer emerges later, the government reserves the right to amend or cancel the promotion order as necessary.

With the latest promotions, the number of Joint Secretaries in the administration has increased to 1,061.
Officials familiar with the process said the promotion exercise primarily considered officers from the 25th batch of the Bangladesh Civil Service (BCS) Administration Cadre, who had long awaited elevation to the next rank. In addition, several eligible officers from earlier BCS batches who had previously been overlooked were also included in the promotion list.

The promotion process has been carried out under the provisions of the Government Promotion Rules for Deputy Secretary, Joint Secretary, Additional Secretary and Secretary, 2002. Under the rules, 70 percent of Joint Secretary posts are reserved for officers from the BCS Administration Cadre, while the remaining 30 percent are allocated to eligible Deputy Secretaries from other BCS cadres.

According to regulations, an officer becomes eligible for promotion to JS after completing at least five years of service as a DS along with a minimum of 15 years of total service in the relevant cadre, or after serving at least three years as a Deputy Secretary with a minimum of 20 years of overall service.

The latest promotion is expected to address long-standing stagnation in career progression within the civil service and pave the way for further promotions to the ranks of Additional Secretary and Secretary as the government continues its administrative restructuring. Officials in the ministry indicated that a fresh round of postings and further promotion-related decisions may follow after the completion of the placement process for the newly promoted Joint Secretaries.