764 deprived retired officials to get retrospective promotions: CA’s press secy
“For this, the government might have to incur a one-time expenditure of Tk42 crore and Tk4 crore per year for pension," the press secretary said
The government has decided to grant retrospective promotions to a total of 764 retired officials who were deprived during their tenure, Chief Adviser's Press Secretary Shafiqul Alam said today (24 December).
The decision was taken at a meeting of the Advisory Council of the interim government at the office of Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus.
Speaking at a press briefing after the meeting, Shafiqul Alam announced that the council approved a proposal to implement the recommendations of the committee constituted to alleviate the problems of retired government officials who were deprived of promotion.
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The recommendations include retrospectively promoting 119 retired officials to the post of secretary, 41 to Grade-1 officials with salaries equivalent to secretaries, 528 to additional secretaries, 72 to joint secretaries and four to deputy secretaries.
"For this, the government might have to incur a one-time expenditure of Tk42 crore and Tk4 crore per year for pension," the press secretary said.
In addition, the Ministry of Public Administration and Finance Division will take necessary action in this regard keeping the Cabinet Division informed.
The council on the day also granted its final approval for the draft of the Cybersecurity Ordinance 2024, which aims to establish a comprehensive legal framework for tackling cybersecurity challenges in Bangladesh.
Speaking at the regular press briefing, Shafiqul Alam said, "The government is trying to secure cyberspace for everyone, and the draft of the Cybersecurity Ordinance has already been finalised."
Earlier on 12 December, the Council granted its preliminary approval for the draft. Before final approval, the ordinance, presented by the Information and Communication Technology Division, was vetted by the Legislative and Parliamentary Affairs Division.
The Council also approved a proposal for establishing the July Uprising Memorial Museum at Ganabhaban, which was the official residence of the prime minister of Bangladesh. The Ministry of Cultural Affairs will implement this project.
Speaking about Sheikh Hasina's extradition from India, the press secretary said, "Work has begun on [extraditing] Hasina. The government is prioritising this. She established a kleptocracy [also referred to as thievocracy]. So, it is the government's responsibility to inform who else was in this with Sheikh Hasina."
On law-and-order situations, Shafiqul Alam said there have been many reports on these, which state that murder, mugging and robbery have increased in the country. "Many journalists are misunderstanding these. About 250 to 300 murders occur in the country every month. Last September there were 283 murder cases."
He also called for exercising caution while looking at the statistics at this time.
The press secretary said the interim government is trying to improve bilateral trade with South Korea. "The government is hopeful that South Korea will very soon become a new market for Bangladesh," he said, adding that South Korea's loan interest rate is very low.
Stating that the Chinese foreign adviser had a meeting with Chief Adviser Yunus in New York, Shafiul said they discussed whether a solar panel manufacturing facility could be built in Bangladesh or not. Many investors are coming to Bangladesh in light of that discussion, he said.
