Chief adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus of the new interim government of Bangladesh has distributed the responsibilities of various ministries among 13 advisers while keeping 27 ministries and divisions under him.
Cabinet secretary Md Mahbub Hossain issued a notification on Friday confirming the responsibilities of the advisers amid speculations over the tenure of the interim government.
Responding to a query after a meeting on Friday, an adviser, however, said that there was no need to be worried about the tenure of the newly formed government, while several advisers insisted that restoring law and order would be their immediate priority. 聽
Nobel laureate Yunus took the oath as the chief adviser of the interim government of Bangladesh along with 13 other advisers on Thursday, four days after long-time ruler Sheikh Hasina resigned and fled to India amid a student-led mass uprising.
Three other nominees for the position of adviser would take the oath later, as they were outside Dhaka, said cabinet secretary Md Mahbub Hossain, who conducted the oath ceremony.
Yunus kept cabinet division, defence ministry, armed forces division, education ministry, road transport and bridges ministry, food ministry, housing and public works ministry, land ministry, textiles and jute ministry, agriculture ministry, science and technology ministry, railways ministry, public administration ministry, power, energy and mineral resources ministry, shipping ministry, water resources ministry, women and children affairs ministry, disaster management and relief ministry, information and broadcasting ministry, expatriates鈥� welfare and overseas employment ministry, commerce ministry, labour and employment ministry, cultural affairs ministry, civil aviation and tourism ministry, liberation war affairs ministry, Chattogram Hill Tracts affairs ministry and primary and mass education ministry under him.
Saleh Uddin Ahmed has been given the responsibility of the finance and planning ministries; M Sakhawat Hossain has been given the home ministry, Asif Nazrul has been given the law, justice, and parliamentary affairs ministry, Adilur Rahman Khan has been given the industries ministry, AF Hassan Ariff has been given local government ministry, Touhid Hossain has been given foreign affairs ministry, Syeda Rizwana Hasan has been given the environment, forest, and climate change ministry, Sharmeen Murshid has been given the social welfare ministry, AFM Khalid Hossain has been given the religious affairs ministry, Farida Akhter has been given fisheries and livestock ministry, Nurjahan Begum has been given the health ministry, Nahid Islam has been given posts, telecommunications and information technology ministry and Asif Mahmud Sajib Bhuiyan has been given the youth and sports ministry.
The first meeting of the interim government was held at the state guest house Jamuna, while members of the new government paid homage to the martyrs of the language movement by placing wreaths at the Central Shaheed Minar and to the martyrs of the Liberation War by placing wreaths at the National Memorial.
Several advisers talked to the media after placing the wreath at the Central Shaheed Minar.
Most of them said restoring law and order in the country was the immediate priority of the newly formed interim government.
If the law and order situation becomes normal, everything else will fall into place, foreign adviser Touhid Hossain said, adding that the government wants to keep good ties with all countries.
鈥榃e have to maintain a balance in our relations with the big powers,鈥� he said, responding to a question over the foreign policy of the new government.
Finance and planning adviser Salehuddin Ahmed told reporters that the country鈥檚 economy had to be rejuvenated after restoring law and order.
鈥楾he pace and operations of our businesses have slowed down while there are various challenges in the economy, especially in the banking and financial sector,鈥� he said, adding that discipline of the financial sector as well as in the capital market would be restored.
Speaking to reporters after the first meeting of the new government, environment, forest, and climate change adviser Syeda Rizwana Hasan said that the government was prioritising restoring law and order and confidence in the business community.
She said that educational institutions in the country would reopen as soon as possible.
鈥榃e aim to open educational institutions as soon as possible. Currently, there are no traffic police on the roads, and students are managing traffic. Given this situation, we cannot commit to opening schools immediately. We will discuss with the teachers鈥� and make efforts to restore the educational environment while considering the law and order situation,鈥� she said.
She said that the government was working to find a way to involve students in the management of ministries under the new advisers.
She said that how this would be implemented and its structure would be determined later.
Responding to a question about the tenure of the interim government, she said, 鈥楾here is nothing to be worried about the tenure of the interim government. Taking a decision about tenure is not possible now if you [people] want reform. And if they did not want reform, then it is different,鈥� she said.
鈥楾his interim government is for making sure a journey of the country towards democracy. The government will take the time that is needed for the necessary preparation to start the journey,鈥� she said.聽
Nahid Islam said the primary goal of the interim government would be swiftly implementing the promise of rebuilding Bangladesh.
Asif Mahmud said that the activities of the students would continue on the streets.
鈥榃e will strive to create a beautiful Bangladesh through social reform and the reconstruction of the state. We will work to fully implement the demands of the students and the people,鈥� he said.
The chiefs of three armed forces, the inspector general of police, and various ministry secretaries were also present in the first meeting of the interim government.