The government has issued a gazette notification specifying who will perform parliamentary duties for ministries or divisions in the 13th Jatiya Sangsad (JS) if the responsible minister is absent, report agencies.
According to the notification, if Prime Minister Tarique Rahman is absent, LGRD Minister Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir will handle parliamentary affairs related to the Prime Minister's Office. Meanwhile, Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed will take charge of the Ministry of Defence, the Cabinet Division and the Armed Forces Division in parliament.
The Cabinet Division issued the notification on Tuesday, stating that until further orders, the functions of ministries and divisions in the 13th JS will be carried out as per the list made by the government. This means that during question-answer sessions, motions, bills or other parliamentary activities, if the designated minister is absent, the responsibility will be carried out by an assigned alternative minister or a state minister.
The notification separately assigns alternates for offices under the prime minister.
Currently, Fakhrul serves as minister for local government, rural development and cooperatives, while Salahuddin holds the portfolio of home affairs.
It further states that if Fakhrul is absent, State Minister Mir Shahe Alam will perform parliamentary duties for the Ministry of Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives.
Similarly, if the designated minister for the offices of the president, the Bangladesh Parliament Secretariat and the Election Commission Secretariat are absent, those parliamentary duties will be carried out by Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Md Asaduzzaman.
Separate arrangements have also been made for the finance and planning ministries. In the current government, Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury is in charge of these ministries. The gazette says that if he is absent, the designated alternative will take over, and in special circumstances, the home minister may also handle parliamentary questions and related matters for those ministries.
The notification includes a special provision stating that if both the designated and alternate ministers are absent, Khosru -and in his absence, Salahuddin -will perform parliamentary duties, including answering questions and handling other proceedings as an additional responsibility.
If Education and Primary and Mass Education Minister Dr ANM Ehsanul Hoque Milon is absent, State Minister for Primary and Mass Education Bobby Hajjaj will assume his responsibilities.
State Minister Aninda Islam Amit will also act as an alternative for Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Iqbal Hassan Mahmood.
In the absence of Minister for Railways and Road Transport Shaikh Rabiul Alam, State Minister Habibur Rashid will carry out the relevant duties.
State Minister Md. Razib Ahsan will serve as the alternative for the Ministry of Shipping and Bridges Division.
Moreover, in the absence of Minister for Posts, Telecommunications and Information Technology and Science and Technology Faqir Mahbub Anam, State Minister for Information and Broadcasting Yeaser Khan Choudhury will perform the duties.
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