Cabinet okays Surplus Public Servants Absorption Bill 2014 draft

The Cabinet on Monday approved the draft of the ‘Surplus Public Servants Absorption Bill, 2014′, subject to the vetting of the Law Ministry, with a view to maintaining the continuity of the Public Servants Absorption Ordinance 1978. The approval was given at the regular weekly meeting of the Cabinet held at the Bangladesh Secretariat with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in the chair. Briefing newsmen after the meeting, Cabinet Secretary M Musharraf Hossain Bhuiyan said the Ministry of Public Administration has formulated the draft law as the ordinance was annulled by higher court. He said all the ordinances and laws promulgated and enacted during the two martial law regimes became null and void as the higher court declared illegal the fifth and seventh amendments to the Constitution. Later, the Parliament gave validity to all the ordinances and laws through two umbrella Acts and the Cabinet directed the concerned authorities to bring those laws, as deemed necessary, in Bangla making those time befitting. The Cabinet Secretary said the absorption of public servants usually happens due to administrative reorganization or change in organizational structure or any institution is dissolved due to public interest or there is no necessity of posts, then the public servants become surplus and come under the Ministry of Public Administration. The Ministry of Public Administration then absorbs those public servants in the same position. Asked about a media report in a national daily on Sunday about the crest and medal given during the Friends of Liberation War function, the Cabinet Secretary said that although the functions in phases were jointly organized by the Cabinet Division, Ministry of Liberation War Affairs and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Cabinet Division only looked after the citations of the awardees, guest lists and their distribution, and planning the seating arrangements. He denied making any comment on the matter, saying that the Ministry of Liberation War Affairs mainly looked into the procurement aspect while the decoration of the stage was looked after by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, according to a news agency.