The government is likely to take a decision to fill up the vacant posts in the cadre service from the merit lists if there is no candidate from among freedom fighters, their children and grandchildren, women and ethnic minorities in the merit list of the job quota, disclosed sources in the public administration ministry.
There are not enough candidates to fill up the 30 per cent quota for freedom fighters, their children and grandchildren, women and ethnic minorities in the cadres of the Bangladesh Civil Service (BCS).  
Since the quota is not getting filled up, the Bangladesh Public Service Commission (BPSC) has not appointed anyone against the freedom fighters’ quota category. This has, however, resulted in a number of positions lying vacant for the past few years.
Hence, the government is going to fill up the reserved posts from the national merit list of BSC qualifiers, if the required number of candidates is not available from the reserved category, the sources added.
The public administration ministry has already prepared a proposal in this respect. It is likely to be placed at the Cabinet meeting, to be held today.
According to the sources, there are at least 5,000 reserved posts of cadres of BCS exams that are lying vacant, as there is no candidate from the quota for freedom fighters.
A BPSC member told The Independent on condition of anonymity that they were not
getting qualified candidates in cadres of BCS examinations from among the freedom fighters, women and ethnic minorities quotas for the past few years.  
“That’s why we cannot fill up a number of posts of the cadres of BCS examination from the 32nd to 35th BCS examinations, given the government’s restrictions in this respect,” he said.
“Both sides—the candidates and the ministries—are being affected for this reason,” he added.
He said, “We have urged the authorities to take a decision so that we can appoint and fill up the posts of the cadres of BCS examination from the national merit lists if candidates are not available from the reserved categories. This has to be done in the greater interest of the country.”
He disclosed that they could not find any candidate for the posts reserved for freedom fighters, women and ethnic minorities in the past 20 years. “Candidates for the 30 per cent reserved posts for the children and grandchildren of freedom fighters, women and ethnic minorities are not available for the cadres of the BCS exams for the past seven years. We have urged the authorities, including the public administration ministry, several times to rationalise the quota system, especially for the reserved posts. But they are yet to respond,” he added.
State minister for the public administration ministry, Ismat Ara Sadique, told The Independent that the authorities have not found qualified candidates from the freedom fighters’ quota, and that is why a number of posts is lying vacant.
“We will place a proposal in this regard. We hope the Cabinet approves it,” she said.
“We will fill up the reserved posts from the national merit list of the BSC qualifiers if the required number of candidates of the freedom fighter quota is not available,” she added.
“We want to build a better administration in the country. For that, we need competent officials for the administration who will lead the country, to build a rich country by 2041,” she said.
Former Cabinet secretary Ali Imam Majumder had earlier said the quota should be reduced from the present 30 per cent to 5–10 per cent. “The country will benefit more if manpower is appointed on the basis of merit,” he added.