Rowshan gets health, Menon telecom

Portfolios have been distributed among ministers of the election-time government.

Shamim Ahmedand Shahidul Islambdnews24.com
Published : 21 Nov 2013, 01:57 PM
Updated : 21 Nov 2013, 04:04 PM

The Cabinet Division published a gazette notification on the portfolio distribution on Thursday leaving out 30 ministers of the outgoing cabinet.

Jatiya Party presidium member Rowshan Ershad is the new Health Minister while Workers Party chief Rashed Khan Menon is the Posts and Telecommunications Minister.

The gazette notification has been published three days after six new ministers and two state ministers were sworn in on Monday.

Twenty-one ministers and state ministers of the previous cabinet, including Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, have remained in the new cabinet, taking the number of members to 29.

Hasina initiated the move to form an ‘all-party government’ to oversee the next Parliament polls, ruling out the Opposition’s demand for an election-time non-party caretaker government.

She urged the opposition BNP to join the government instead, but the party rejected her call, terming it ‘a farce’.

Among the new ministers, senior Awami League leaders Amir Hossain Amu secured Land and Disaster Management Ministries and Tofail Ahmed Industries, and Housing and Public Works Ministries, Jatiya Party leaders Anisul Islam Mahmud Water Resources Ministry and ABM Ruhul Amin Howlader the Civil Aviation and Tourism Ministry.

The two new state ministers, Mujibul Haque Chunnu got Youth and Sports Ministry and Salma Islam Woman and Children Affairs Ministry.
Portfolios of those who were in the previous cabinet and saved their berths remained almost unchanged.
Prime Minister Hasina kept charge of the Cabinet Division, Public Administration Ministry, Defence Ministry, and Armed Forces Division for herself.
Dinajpur MP AHM Mahmud and former Water Resources Minister Ramesh Chandra Sen have replaced Dipu Moni and Abdur Razzaque as the Foreign Minister and Food Minister respectively.
Railway Minister Mazibul Hoque has been given the additional charge of the Religious Affairs Ministry, while Abdul Latif Siddiqui has moved to Science and Technology Ministry from the Textiles and Jute Ministry.

Apart from his Expatriates' Welfare and Overseas Employment Ministry, Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain will head the Labour and Employment Ministry, as Rajiuddin Ahmed Raju has been relieved of his portfolio.

Information Minister Hasanul Haq Inu has been given the Cultural Affairs Ministry as the additional charge since Enamul Hoque Mustafa has lost his cabinet post.

Abul Maal Abdul Muhith, Matia Chowdhury and AK Khandker have remained in the Finance, Agriculture and Planning Ministries respectively. Commerce Minister GM Quader, Forest and Environment Minister Hasan Mahmud, Education Minister Nurul Islam Nahid and Shipping Minister Shajahan Khan could also save their portfolios.

State Minister for Home Affairs Shamsul Hoque Tuku, State Minister for Law Qamrul Islam, State Minister for Labour and Employment Begum Monnuzan Sufian, and State Minister for Chittagong Hill Tracts Affairs Dipankar Talukdar have remained in their portfolios.

Home Affairs Minister Muhiduddin Khan Alamgir and Law Minister Shafique Ahmed have been dropped, but the latter has been made Advisor to the Prime Minister.

State Minister Promod Mankin has moved to Social Welfare Ministry from the Cultural Affairs Ministry.