Published : 23 Aug 2026, 08:07 PM
Updated : 08 Sep 2026, 09:35 AM
Local Government, Rural Development and Co-operatives Minister Abdul Moyeen Khan has warned that action will be taken, following due process, against those involved in corruption and irregularities at the local government ministry during the Awami League government.
Moyeen issued the warning at a press conference after meeting officials of the Local Government Division at the Secretariat on Sunday, his first day in office after taking charge of the ministry.
“The BNP does not believe in the politics of revenge. However, action will be taken against corruption in accordance with the law and rules,” he said.
State Minister for Local Government, Rural Development and Co-operatives (LGRD) Mir Shahe Alam was also present.
Moyeen said the desired development had not reached poor and marginalised people because of “mismanagement” over the past 17 years.
“My main goal will be to meet the needs of poor people and ensure that government services reach them properly. At the same time, efforts will be made to make the local government ministry corruption-free and restore its old traditions,” he said.
He said Bangladesh has nearly 50 ministries, but the LGRD ministry is different because it works directly with the people.
“The local government system is an important part of the democratic system. If it functions properly, the overall management of the state will also become effective,” he said.
Moyeen said the entire country and the government would benefit if the ministry could deliver services to people properly.
Addressing officials, he said the government might be highly powerful, but that power did not belong to the government itself.
“The people are the source of this power,” he said, adding that the government must use the authority entrusted to it by the people through elections to take the country forward.
He added that affluent people could meet many of their own needs, while poor people depended more on government assistance and services, making it a top priority to ensure their rights and needs.
Moyeen also said the “mismanagement” of the past 17 years had undermined the rights of poor people and mentioned Prime Minister Tarique Rahman’s Family Card and Farmer Card initiatives to improve their lives.
Describing his new responsibility as a “great” one, he said he wanted to serve the country by engaging with people, standing alongside them and drawing on the experience of the state minister.
The minister also alleged that judicial independence had been “undermined” in the past, saying judges had not been able to write verdicts independently and that verdicts were written by the ministry.
“We want to make the local government ministry effective in delivering services to the people,” he said.
