Govt decision to raise trade cadre posts awaits execution

---

Naim-Ul-Karim
A Ministry of Commerce (MoC) decision to enhance the trade negotiation capability of government officials by increasing the number of posts in the trade cadre service still awaits execution 15 months after it was adopted, sources said.
An inter-ministerial meeting, headed by the then commerce minister, took the decision to raise the number of posts to 70 from existing 28, on the recommendation of the parliamentary standing committee on the Ministry of Commerce (MoC) in March 2006, a high official source of the MoC told the FE Thursday.
As per decision of the meeting, the MoC sent a proposal to the Ministry of Establishment (MoE) for taking necessary action but there has been no progress, sources said.
When asked about the implementation status, an official of the MoE seeking anonymity said the ministry is still studying the matter and it would then be sent to the Finance Division for their consent as incorporation of any posts involves money.
Sources said the government had taken the decision after experiencing Bangladesh delegation's weaknesses on various occasions during international trade deals specially that of the Doha round of World Trade Organisation.
When asked, secretary of the MoC Feroz Ahmed said, "We will again issue reminders to the establishment ministry to take step soon in this connection."
He, however, said they will require additional trade cadre officials for a separate department in the MoC, which would be dedicated to look after the 'consumer protection' act once it is passed.
They said the numbers of trade cadre's posts were reduced gradually to 28 from 116 since 1990.
The trade cadre was incorporated into civil service in 1980 with 100 posts, of which 33 were reserved for Bangladesh missions abroad.
Later, the number of posts was raised to 112 in 1982 and 116 in 1994. But with the dissolution of some departments in the ministry of commerce and abolitions of the posts at the commercial wings, the number came down to 66 in 1999.