JP's Farazi to lead House committee on Public Accounts

A lawmaker from the main opposition Jatiya Party was made chief of the parliamentary standing committee on Public Accounts (PA), for the first time in the country's history.

The Jatiya Sangsad last night unanimously formed the parliamentary watchdog on PA, with JP lawmaker Rustam Ali Farazi as its chief.

The House yesterday also formed nine other parliamentary standing committees on different ministries, with two former heavyweight ministers dropped from Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's new cabinet as chief of two bodies.

Workers Party President Rashed Khan Menon, who was social welfare minister in Sheikh Hasina's immediate past cabinet, was made chief of parliamentary standing committee on the same ministry.

Another former minister Mostafizur Rahman was made chief of parliamentary standing committee on primary and mass education ministry. He led the ministry in Sheikh Hasina's last government from 2014 to 2018.

Sources in the parliament secretariat yesterday confirmed to The Daily Star that no MP from the opposition was made chairman of a PA committee in the country's parliamentary history. It is considered one of the most significant and important parliamentary standing committees.

According to rules of procedure of parliament, the committee on Public Accounts will examine accounts showing appropriation of sums granted by the House for government expenditure; annual finance accounts of the government and such other accounts laid before the House as it may think fit.

AL lawmaker Mohiuddin Khan Alamgir was the chief of the committee in the 2014 parliament.

The other committees formed yesterday are on following ministries: Road Transport and Bridges, headed by Ekabbor Hossain; Water Resources, headed by Romesh Chandra Sen; Disaster Management and Relief, headed by AB Tajul Islam; Power, led by Whip Shahiduzzaman Sarkar; Youth and Sports, headed by Abdullah Al Islam Jacob; Civil Aviation, headed by RAM Obaidul Muktadir Chowdury; and the Estimate Committee headed by Abdus Shahid. All of them are AL  MPs.