Halt in recruitment hurts govt activities

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Senior civil servants yesterday said the stalemate in the recruitment process of civil servants through the Public Service Commission (PSC) is affecting government activities in various sectors.

In the year’s first monthly secretary-level meeting for reviewing the activities of the government, the top bureaucrats also expressed their concern over the civil servants being excessively engaged in preparation of routine reports on various activities of the government.

Cabinet Secretary Ali Imam Majumder chaired the meeting at Cabinet Division where three secretaries suggested a pay raise for the public servants to help them cope with spiralling prices of essentials.

A secretary said that a significant portion of their time is eaten up attending too many meetings and meeting queries of the IMED (Implementation, Monitoring and Evaluation Division), finance ministry, establishment ministry and the chief adviser’s office.

Kazi M Aminul Islam, secretary to the chief adviser’s office, asked the civil servants to brighten the image of the government and earn people’s appreciation through improved performance.

One of the secretaries told the meeting that the deadlock in the recruitment process is hurting the activities of the government in different sectors as no recruitment was done through the PSC after 2005, when 1,063 civil servants were recruited under the 26th BCS (Bangladesh Civil Service) examination.

Another secretary, referring to a 2004 proposal, said the retirement age of government employees should be raised to 60 from 57.

Establishment Secretary Abdus Salam Khan yesterday told The Daily Star that the recruitment of cadre service has been stalled due to a case pending before the court.

A writ petition was filed with the High Court on behalf of 110 examinees of the 27th BCS examination after the authorities cancelled the viva of the examination on May 30 last year due to alleged irregularities.

Following the petition, the High Court stayed the publishing of the result of the 27th BCS exam until the case is dissolved. The viva ended recently.

The government last month issued a circular, almost three years since the last one, for 28th BCS examination to fill up 1,720 posts under 27cadres.

When the secretaries were asked to verify wealth statements — a requirement set by the Anti-Corruption Commission — of employees under their respective ministries and departments, some of them expressed inability citing lack of expertise, said sources.

Finance Secretary Dr Mohammad Tareq said the economy is in good shape despite all adversities.

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