The government on Tuesday increased the percentage of recruitment based on merit to 93 per cent in all entry posts in government, semi government, autonomous, semi-autonomous, statutory authorities and different corporations’ jobs.
The public administration ministry issued a gazette notification for jobs from 9th Grade to 20th Grade on the day amid the countrywide student protests for quota reform and violence that killed more than 150 people across the country and injured hundreds in eight days.
The Appellate Division on July 21 scrapped the High Court verdict on quota in government job and ordered a 7 per cent quota — 5 per cent for the children of freedom fighters, martyrs freedom fighters and Biranganas, 1 per cent for national minorities, and 1 per cent for people with disabilities and third genders.
The quota for women and backward districts were scrapped in the new gazette notification.
At a press conference on Tuesday, law minister Anisul Huq said that the government had implemented the Appellate Division verdict.
‘We have no power to change a coma, full stop, semi-colon of the Appellate Division verdict,’ he said, adding, ‘as we do not have that right, as the way verdict has been delivered we followed it that way.’Ìý
The public administration minister Farhad Hossain, education minister Mohibul Hassan Chowdhoury and state minister for information Mohammad A Arafat were also present at the press conference held at the law minister’s residence in the capital.
Until 2018, 56 per cent of government jobs were reserved for candidates from various quotas—30 per cent for freedom fighters’ children and grandchildren, 10 per cent for women, 10 per cent for people of underdeveloped districts, 5 per cent for members of national minorities, and 1 per cent for physically challenged people.
The Tuesday’s gazette notification read that – the quota system has been fixed in different government organisations with an aim to ensure the policy of equity and representation of people of backward section in the services of the republic.
It also read that if eligible candidates are not available in any quota then the positions will be filled up from the merit list.
All circulars/gazette notifications/orders/instructions in this regard, including the circular dated on October 4, 2018 by the public administration ministry, have been scraped and this order will be in effect immediately, it added.
The High Court in an order on June 5 asked the government to restore the freedom fighters’ quota, triggering a protest that turned violent after protesting students were attacked by ruling party student wing Bangladesh Chhatra League on July 15.
The protests forced the government to request the Appellate Division to bring forward the date of a hearing on two petitions – one filed by the cabinet secretary and other by two Dhaka University students – on the matter to July 21 from August 7.
The Appellate Division verdict reads that, ‘the government, if necessary, can cancel, amend or reform the quotas fixed by the court.’
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