Dissatisfaction is rising among a section of additional secretaries for alleged favouritism shown towards admin cadre officials for the posts of acting secretary and secretary-in-charge. The disgruntled additional secretaries claimed that the authorities concerned were not considering bureaucrats from other cadres for these higher posts in different ministries and divisions. They said no official other than the admin cadre was posted as acting secretary or secretary-in-charge recently from the BCS batches of 1984 and 1985.

“So far, 38 additional secretaries from the 1985 batch and 31 officials from the 1984 batch have been posted as acting secretary or secretary-in-charge from the admin cadre, but none from the other cadres,” an additional secretary told The Independent on condition of anonymity yesterday.

“Around 30 per cent of officials from other cadres are working in different ministries and divisions from the post of deputy secretary and above. But the authorities concerned have always posted a number of officials from the admin cadre as acting secretary or secretary-in-charge,” he said.

“We are very much capable of doing the

duties of acting secretary or secretary-in-charge. “We hope that the authorities concerned will select acting secretary or secretary-in-charge from the other cadres as well,” he added.

On the other hand, an addition secretary from the admin cadre said the authorities posted officials as acting secretary or secretary-in-charge on the basis of their performance.

“There are no quotas for postings as acting secretary or secretary-in-charge from the admin or other cadres. It depends on their (authorities) choice,” he said.

“Earlier, the authorities had also appointed some officials from the other cadres to the post of secretary,” he added. The secretary to the Prime Minister’s Office, Sajjadul Hassan, said the authorities never treated senior officials from the post of deputy secretary to above in the bureaucracy as different cadre officials.

“The authorities post senior officials as acting secretary or secretary-in-charge on the basis of capability and performance and not on the basis of their cadre,” Hassan said.

“As far as I know, some secretaries are working in different ministries and divisions from other cadres, especially from the audit and information cadre,” he said. “We will discuss the matter with the authorities concerned soon,” he added.

Sources in the public administration ministry said there were a total of 541 officials, including 71 from other cadres, from the BCS batch of 1985. Of these, 38 officials have been posted as secretary so far.

Moreover, 31 officials from the 1984 batch and five from the 1982 batch have become secretaries.

According to the public administration ministry, 1,382,393 employees were working in different government offices including different ministries and divisions. Of them, 149,000 are working as class-1 officials.