The prime minister, Sheikh Hasina, has asked the ministers, secretaries and public servants not to pile up files on their tables as she reminded that the present government did not come to power to while way time. ‘Don’t keep any file stuck-up anywhere,’ she said in her directive while presiding over Monday’s cabinet meeting at the Cabinet Division, in a bid to gear up what is often described as foot-dragging bureaucracy that holds back public function on motives.

Briefing reporters after the cabinet meeting, the press secretary to the prime minister, Abul Kalam Azad, said Hasina made it clear that she was engaged in utilising every moment of her life and asked the ministers, secretaries and public servants to follow suit. ‘We are here to serve the people of the country for their welfare and improve their fate,’ she said and asked the ministers and bureaucrats to do their respective work with more sincerity, dignity and responsibility. ‘I don’t want to waste a single moment. I want to spend the whole time for public welfare,’ the prime minister said, adding that her government is working hard to deliver the fruit of their labour at the doorstep of the people.

The cabinet took stock of the progress on the decisions taken in the last three months of the past year to weigh the administration’s performance. In the last three months there had been 50 cabinet meetings held where 317 decisions were taken. Of the total decisions, 238 have been implemented, 79 are under implementation, 89 acts were approved while parliament passed 66 bills, 13 bills are under consideration while another 10 under processing. The cabinet approved the draft Acid Control (Amendment) Act 2009. The law was formulated in 2002 and a 22-member Acid Control Council was formed thereafter. The Act was amended in 2007 through an ordinance while on February 11 it was amended further.

In its meeting the cabinet also approved the amended Private University Act 2009 to bring discipline in the mushrooming private universities in the country. The aim of the amended law is to ensure quality, eligibility and discipline regarding the appointment of teachers in the private universities. The Act was formulated in 1992 and amended in 1998. The press secretary said there were 51 approved private universities in the country. Of the total private universities, approval of 48 expired in 2009, and five of those have ‘no eligibility to run their academic activities legally’. The cabinet approved the decision to follow the rules of appoint of freedom fighters’ dependants directly to government offices, autonomous/semi-autonomous organisations and different corporations.

The prime minister stressed amending the decision further to include appointment of disabled freedom fighters and women’s quota in the decision. The council of ministers discussed the placed reports of Bangladesh representatives to the 3rd joint economic commission meetings with Turkey and UAE. Bangladesh Public-Private Partnership Policy and Guideline 2009 was not discussed in Monday’s meeting as the subject was withdrawn from the proceedings. Azad said in the joint economic commission the discussion points were: trade expansion, export of pharmaceuticals, air communications, manpower export and mitigation of the problems in this regard, business delegation exchange, investment, and participation in trade fairs.

-New Age