Ministers On 1st Working Day

Dense fog blanketed Dhaka on a chilly Sunday (January 14) morning, but the Secretariat was abuzz as the newly appointed ministers entered their offices for the first day of their terms.

Minister of Road Transport and Bridges Obaidul Quader, Minister of Forest, Environment and Climate Change Saber Hossain Chowdhury, Minister of Finance Abul Hassan Mahmud Ali, Minister of Health Dr Samanta Lal Sen, Minister of Agriculture Abdus Shahid, Minister of Youth and Sports Nazmul Hasan, Minister of State for Post, Telecommunication and Information Technology Zunaid Ahmed Palak, Minister of State for Information Mohammad Ali Arafat, Minister of State for Commerce Ahsanul Islam Titu were among the cabinet members in attendance.

The office personnel welcomed the new ministers and state ministers with flowers.

Road Transport Minister Obaidul Quader has been in charge of the same ministry since December 2011. The prime minister has again bestowed the same responsibility on him this time.

It is a ‘big challenge’ to maintain order and discipline on the streets, Quader said on his first day of the new term. “But Bangladesh will move forward, braving all challenges,” he said.

On his first day at work, Saber Hossain Chowdhury, who returned to the Secretariat after a long time, met office personnel and said he wanted to draft a 100-day plan within the next seven days to fulfil his election commitments.

“We need to prevent air pollution and conserve the forest. For sustainable development, we must protect the environment. I won’t tolerate any corruption or irregularities in this regard.”

Zunaid Ahmed Palak, who oversaw the information technology division in the last two terms became the state minister for the entire ministry this time. He met office personnel on his first day and shared a post about it on social media.

Officers welcomed State Minister for Information Mohammad Ali Arafat when he went to the office at 11:45 am. They briefed the new state minister about the ministry’s work.

State Minister for Commerce Ahsanul Islam Titu attended a briefing in his ministry on the first day. A crucial part of the Awami League election manifesto was to keep prices of essentials within the reasonable purchasing capacity of the people and he said he would do his best to ensure the commerce ministry plays its proper role in keeping that promise.

"We’ll ensure that the prices ease from the producer to consumer level. We’ll also focus on the supply chain so it runs smoothly.”

The Awami League formed the government for a fourth consecutive term after it won a landslide victory in the 12th national polls amid a boycott by the BNP.

A cabinet of 25 ministers and 11 state ministers led by Sheikh Hasina took their oaths of office on Thursday.

Sunday was their first working day following the weekend.