Govt identifying officials who backed 'fascist' regime

FE Report
State Minister for Public Administration Md Abdul Bari told parliament on Tuesday that the government is identifying public officials who worked to prolong the tenure of the country's previous 'fascist' regime and plans to take legal action against them.
Responding to a question from lawmaker Anwarul Islam during the question-and-answer session of the second session of the 13th Jatiya Sangsad, the state minister said several government investigative agencies had already begun identifying the officials concerned.
The parliamentary sitting was chaired by Speaker Hafiz Uddin Ahmed.
Responding to a separate question from lawmaker Abdul Karim on maintaining discipline and ethical standards among field-level officials, Abdul Bari said those found guilty of ethical misconduct are placed under temporary suspension and subjected to appropriate administrative action.
He said departmental proceedings are initiated against such officials where warranted, and records of disciplinary action are maintained in their personal files. These records are taken into account in subsequent decisions on promotions and postings.
To strengthen ethical standards in the civil service, the state minister said the Discipline and Investigation Wing of the Ministry of Public Administration had trained 180 officials through the offices of six divisional commissioners during the 2025-26 fiscal year. The government plans to organise eight additional training programmes this year. He added that anti-corruption, ethics and professional conduct have been incorporated as core components of all mandatory civil service training programmes.
During the parliamentary session, the state minister also presented updated figures on vacancies in the public service.
Responding to a question from lawmaker Selimuzzaman, he said 1,464,350 officials and employees are currently serving in government positions, while 521,922 posts remain vacant.
He also provided an update on staffing at senior administrative levels. Of the 69 sanctioned posts of Secretary and Senior Secretary, 67 are currently filled. There are 378 officials serving against 368 sanctioned posts of Additional Secretary, 893 officials against 1,116 sanctioned posts of Joint Secretary, and 2,940 officials against 2,245 sanctioned posts of Deputy Secretary.
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