Mass promotion on cards

The authorities have completed all procedural formalities to promote a large number of officials to remove the backlog, fill up vacancies and defuse frustration in the civil administration.

Sources at the Ministry of Establishment said they have prepared a list of several hundred officials for promotion to the posts of deputy secretary, joint secretary and secretary. The are now ready to place the list of officials, who have fulfilled promotion criteria, before the Superior Selection Board (SSB) meeting.

The SSB comprising senior secretaries and headed by the cabinet secretary will meet on getting green signal from the Prime Minister's Office (PMO).

The establishment ministry had earlier sent files of each of the officials with brief summaries to different intelligence agencies and the now defunct Anti-corruption Bureau to look into their service background. The ministry made the promotion list after getting the agencies' reports.

The government plans to fill up first the vacant posts of secretary and then go for promoting others, highly placed sources said.

Initially, a dozen additional secretaries, now heading different ministries as acting secretary, will be promoted. Some 20 additional secretaries are now serving as acting secretary.

The existing administrative set-up consists of 64 posts of secretary. Four of the secretaries are in regular service, 20 are acting as secretaries and the rest are on contract job.

PMO sources said the government already promoted over 1,000 officials of the civil administration in the last three years and many more will be promoted in the next few months in a move to remove the backlog.

The process of promotion of the eligible officials of all ranks is likely to start after the ensuing Saarc summit, they thought.

Around 500 officials will be promoted to the posts of secretary, additional secretary, joint secretary and deputy secretary in the next couple of months, the sources added.

Preliminary scrutiny of a list of "skilled, efficient and honest" officials has been completed. "Political allegiance also came up prominently in the scrutiny," one source said.

A number of officials allegedly involved in corruption and having anti-BNP track record were dropped from the promotion list, the source said seeking anonymity.

He also said the government speaks of promotion on the basis of efficiency and honesty, but in reality political allegiance got priority in cases of promotion, posting and appointment in the past.