Restructuring for administrative efficiency

FE Team | Published: January 22, 2026 22:28:50

In a significant move aimed at streamlining administrative efficiency, the interim government has recently unveiled a set of restructuring decisions involving steps towards enhancing transparency, efficiency and accountability across key state institutions. Presided over by the Chief Adviser, the meeting of the National Implementation Committee on Administrative Reorganisation (NICAR) approved a total of 11 administrative measures as part of a broader reform agenda of the interim government.
Among the most consequential decisions was the bifurcation of the tax wing of the National Board of Revenue (NBR), dividing it into two separate entities: the Revenue Policy Division and the Revenue Management Division. Officials have stated that the two new divisions are expected to begin operations in February with preparatory work for the split nearing completion. The proposal, however, had not been without controversy. When it was first announced earlier, it triggered considerable unrest, including pen-down strikes by sections of NBR staff and officials. Now, with the NICAR's formal approval, the restructuring appears to be finally settled. While the decision may be welcomed as an administrative milestone, its success will ultimately depend on outcomes rather than intentions. The objective should not be confined merely to reducing workload or redistributing responsibilities, but to ensuring qualitative improvements in efficiency, professionalism and service delivery. Equally important is safeguarding the interests of taxpayers, for whom the tax authority must function as a facilitative mechanism rather than an added source of complexity or hardship.
Another important issue discussed at the NICAR meeting was the future structure of the Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP). Deliberations reportedly explored whether the DMP could be divided into multiple units-possibly along north-south lines or through other administrative configurations. Although no final decision has been reached, officials suggest that the idea remains under active consideration. Here again, the stated aim is to improve professional efficiency. Yet, experience suggests that structural fragmentation does not automatically translate into better service delivery. The earlier bifurcation of the Dhaka Municipal Corporation into two separate entities serves as a cautionary example, where the intended gains in efficiency largely remained unrealised. Beyond bifurcation, the restructuring initiative also includes mergers of certain administrative bodies. The NICAR approved the merger of the Public Security Division and the Security Services Division under the Ministry of Home Affairs, as well as the consolidation of the Health Services Division with the Health Education and Family Welfare Division under the Ministry of Health. These moves appear to signal an effort to reduce overlap and improve coordination between and among ministries.
Taken together, the scale and scope of the NICAR decisions underscore the interim government's attempt to reshape key institutions-not only to improve day-to-day governance, but also to signal a departure from entrenched administrative practices. Yet, as experience repeatedly reminds us, reform is judged not by its rhetoric or structural ambition, but by its tangible impact. In the end, it is not the intention behind these decisions, but their outcomes, that will determine whether the promise of reform is truly fulfilled.