Several relatively small ministries, in terms of their size, activities and budgets, now have a minister, a state minister and an adviser. Some even have special assistants.
The Ministry of Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment is relatively small, yet it now has a minister, a state minister and an adviser with the rank of state minister. There is also a special assistant to the prime minister, with the rank of secretary, responsible for overseas employment in the Asia-Pacific region. His name is Md Shakirul Islam Khan.
Ariful Haque Chowdhury is the minister for Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment, while Nurul Haque is the state minister. Mahdi Amin is the prime minister’s adviser for the ministry. He is also responsible for three other ministries—Education, Primary and Mass Education, and Labour and Employment.
The Ministry of Chittagong Hill Tracts Affairs had remained without a full minister for more than two and a half months. Saching Prue Jerry, a representative of the hill communities, has now been made a full minister. Mir Mohammed Helal Uddin was already serving there as state minister. The ministry has traditionally been headed by representatives of ethnic minority communities. This time, however, a state minister from outside the hill communities has been appointed alongside the full minister. Mir Mohammed Helal Uddin is also serving as state minister for the Ministry of Land.
Kazi Shah Mofazzal Houssain Kaikobad was already serving as minister for Religious Affairs. Mohammad Shamim Kaiser has now been appointed state minister. Muslim clerics from Hefazat-e-Islam and other groups in the same ideological camp have already issued statements objecting to his appointment.
The ministries of Information and Broadcasting, Culture, Planning, as well as Primary and Mass Education also now have three levels of political leadership—a minister, a state minister and an adviser. The ministries of Health and Environment have ministers and state ministers as well as subject-specific special assistants.
