A total of 93 percent merit quota is being followed in the recruitment to 1st class and 2nd class government jobs in line with a circular issued in July 2024, State Minister for Public Administration Md Abdul Bari told Parliament on Thursday.
“Quota system is being followed in the recruitment to the first and second class government jobs,” he said, while replying to a scripted question from opposition Jamaat lawmaker Md Nurul Islam (Chapainawabganj-3).
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The Minister said according to a gazette notification issued by the Ministry of Public Administration on July 23, 2024, 93 percent of positions are filled based on merit, 5 percent are reserved for children of freedom fighters, martyred freedom fighters and Birangonas (war heroine), 1 percent for ethnic minorities, and 1 percent for persons with disabilities and third gender persons.
Replying to another scripted question from treasury bench lawmaker Md Shamsur Rahman Simul Biswas (Pabna-5), Abdul Bari said 12 officers of the BCS administration cadre were forced into retirement, 39 were dismissed from service, and 564 were made officers on special duty (OSD) in the 16 past years during the previous Awami League government regime.
He also said allegations of corruption and politicisation in BCS cadre recruitment during the previous Awami League government are currently under investigation by the Anti-Corruption Commission and other law enforcement agencies.
“Legal action will be taken based on the investigation reports and recommendations,” he added.
Responding to a tabled starred question from ruling party lawmaker Sarwar Jamal Nizam (Chattogram-13, the state minister said the total number of vacant posts in all the ministries and government offices stands at 468,220, according to the latest Statistics of Public Servants 2024 published based on updated manpower data as of December 31, 2023.
Of these, 68,884 posts fall under 1st–9th grades, 129,166 under 10th–12th grades, 146,799 under 13th–16th grades and 115,235 under grades 17th–20th. Besides, there are 8,136 vacant posts under honorary, fixed-pay and contractual categories.
The minister said short-, medium-, and long-term action plans—spanning six months, one year, and five years—have already been formulated to fill the vacancies in the government services. Under the six-month plan, recruitment to 2,879 posts under the Public Administration Ministry will be completed, while 4,459 posts are expected to be filled within one year.
He added that the Public Administration Ministry has also sent letters to other ministries and divisions seeking updated information on recruitment progress and vacant posts to ensure the transparent and prompt recruitment of nearly 500,000 government employees as outlined in the action plan.