The government yesterday promoted 128 joint secretaries to the post of additional secretary. An official of the public administration ministry announced that officials from the ninth batch of the Bangladesh Civil Service (BCS) and also those officials of the 1982, 1084, 1985 and 1986 batches who had been left out were promoted as additional secretaries. With their inclusion, there are now 560 additional secretaries in the civil bureaucracy against a total of 111 posts. Following the promotions, the number of officials of the post of additional secretary has been increased compared to the number of officials of the rank of joint secretary (560 officials at present). The additional secretary (APD) of the public administration ministry, Yusuf Harun, said it would be difficult to give postings to the promoted officials as they are surplus against the duty of the post of additional secretary.

“All the officials who were promoted deserved promotions and the authorities gave the promotions on the basis of the existing rules,” he observed.

Sources disclosed that the authorities will promote over 300 officials from the posts of senior assistant secretary and deputy secretary to the posts of deputy secretary and joint secretary respectively