There are 3,58,125 vacant posts in various ministries, divisions and directorates of the government. State Minister for Public Administration Farhad Hossain on Wednesday said responding to a tabled question from ruling party MP elected from Mymensingh Kazim Uddin Ahmed at parliament. Farhad said that according to the latest published statistics of civil officers and staff-2021 book (published in June, 2022) from the Ministry of Public Administration, there are 3,58,125  vacant posts in various ministries/departments/directorates/departments and government offices under the government. Read more: Bill incorporating max 10 years’ jail for leaking PSC exam questions passed in parliament Among them, 43,336 posts of first class officers, 40,561  second class, 1,51, 548 of the third class and 1,22,680 fourth class. Out of these, 1,929 have been appointed through the 40th BCS and 3,966 assistant surgeons have been appointed through the 42nd Special BCS (Health) cadre. He said that the 41st BCS oral exam is ongoing, the 43rd BSS written exam answer sheet evaluation is going on and  44th written exam ended on January 11. The junior minister said that the probable date of the 45th BCS preliminary test is scheduled in the second week of March. He said that the appointment to the vacant posts in government offices is an ongoing process.

State Minister for Public Administration Farhad Hossain on Wednesday said the new office timings for the government and autonomous offices is not permanent. “This schedule will remain in force until further notice,” said the state minister at the Secretariat in a deal signing ceremony between Sunlife Insurance Company and Bangladesh Secretariat Reporters Forum (BSRF). He said the day time is very long now. “We want to use the daylight.” Farhad said this schedule will be readjusted later. The new timings (8am-3pm), effective from Wednesday, meant the offices will start early by an hour. The officers and employees have welcomed this initiative spontaneously joining work as per the new schedule, he said. Read:Office timing rescheduled for 8:00am to 3:00pm to save electricity Regarding the conflict between the timings of offices and schools, Farhad said private offices and financial institutions are operating from 9 am. “But the situation we have observed today is tolerable and the government’s decision is correct.” In the new timings, the workflow at the offices will be increased, he said. There will be no pending work and no disruption in services, hoped the state minister. BSRF general secretary Masudul Hoque presided over the event along with the organisation’s president Tapan Biswas. On Monday, the government rearranged the office timings from 8:00am to 3:00pm for all the government and autonomous offices and from 9:00am to 4:00pm for all banks in a bid to save electricity amid short supply. Besides, there would be two weekly holidays in the educational institutions, Cabinet Secretariat Khandker Anwarul Islam said after a Cabinet meeting. In the meeting, the Cabinet asked the power, energy and mineral resources ministry to ensure the uninterrupted electricity supply in the rural areas from midnight to dawn for the next 10-15 days so that the irrigation is not hampered.

A total of 392,117 posts are now vacant under different ministries, State Minister for Public Administration Farhad Hossain said Thursday. He made the disclosure while replying to a query from Awami League lawmaker Benjir Ahmed at the parliament. Replying to another question from ruling party lawmaker Ali Azam, the state minister said the public administration ministry recommended the recruitment of 41,566 candidates for cadre posts through Bangladesh Civil Service (BCS) examinations from 2010. Also Read: Fatima made new Finance Secretary, Sharifa ERD secretary During this time, 5,143 candidates were recommended for non-cadre first-class posts and 7,161 for second-class posts (10th -12th grades), said Farhad.

State Minister for Public Administration Farhad Hossain on Tuesday said the government has no plan to raise the age limit for entering government job.The state minister said this while replying to a tabled question from ruling Awami League MP Habibe Millat ( Sirajganj-2).Explaining the much talked about issue, the minister said that raising the age limit for entering services would make the recruitment test more competitive and create frustration among those below 30 years of age.Farhad said in the past there was huge session jams in various educational institutions including universities but now it can be said that there is no significant session jam. Also read: Entering govt jobs: Farhad says no chance to relax age limit“As a result, students usually get SSC degree in 16 years, HSC in 18 years, and post graduate degree in 23/24 years. The maximum age limit for general candidates to enter the job is 30 years, so even after obtaining a master's degree, they have at least 6/7 years to apply for the job,” the state minister said.In addition, Farhad said that if a candidate within 30 years of age applies for the job, even if it takes 1/2 years to complete the recruitment process, it is not counted.He said the number of vacancies has come down naturally as the retirement age has been raised from 57 to 59 recently. Also read: Job seekers block city roads demanding extension of age limit for govt job“In this context, if the age limit for entry into the job is increased, the number of job seekers for different positions will increase at a huge rate. This can lead to more competition in recruitment. This can lead to frustration among candidates under the age of 30, even if those who are above 30 years of age will get the opportunity to apply for getting job,” the state minister also said.

The public-private partnerships (PPPs) are being recognised as a prospective source for financing climate actions in Bangladesh, State Minister for Public Administration Farhad Hossain said Tuesday. "Mobilising PPPs for addressing 'loss and damage' of climate change in Bangladesh offers a promising way forward," he said. Farhad was addressing a COP26 side event titled "Public private partnership approach to climate finance in Bangladesh" at Bangladesh Pavilion in Scotland's Glasgow. As an early adopter and advocate of climate change adaptation policy, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina continues to be a great example as world leaders seek to take action on climate change as part of the Sustainable Development Goals, the state minister said. READ: Entering govt jobs: Farhad says no chance to relax age limit Sheikh Hasina put forward a five-point proposal at the V20 Climate Vulnerable Finance Summit as the President of Climate Vulnerable Forum (CVF), calling upon the developed countries to reduce their carbon emissions drastically. Farhad said the CVF has also initiated a new programme "Mujib Climate Prosperity Plan – Decade 2030" to move from climate vulnerability to climate resilience and turn climate resilience into climate prosperity. The Bangladesh government is focusing on the development of solar and wind power to boost renewable energy generation in the country according to the key strategic focus of Perspective Plan 2041, he said. READ: Rules don’t permit to address govt officials as sir or madam: Farhad "We are preparing the National Adaptation Plan and have finalised the interim nationally determined contributions (NDC)," the state minister added. He said the NDC calls for undertaking a number of mitigation actions that will help limit the country's greenhouse gas emissions, playing a key role in realising its shift towards a low-carbon, climate-resilient economy.

State Minister for Public Administration Farhad Hossain on Tuesday told Parliament that the government has no plan to raise the maximum age limit for taking up government jobs. Defending the government’s stance, he said if the age limit is raised, the competition will intensify creating a frustration among the jobseekers aged below 30 amid the low vacant posts. “Right now the government has no plan to raise the age limit for entering the government services,” said the state minister replying to a tabled question from BNP MP Mosharof Hosen (Bogura-4). Also read: Rules don’t permit to address govt officials as sir or madam: Farhad Farhad said now there is no serious session jams in different educational institutes, including universities, as in the past when a student normally completed SSC at the age of 16 years, HSC at 18 years and graduation at 23-24 years. The students get some 6-7 years in hand to apply for government jobs, he said.

Legal action will be taken if any industrial factory is found open amid the strict lockdown imposed to prevent the spread of coronavirus, State Minister for Public Administration Farhad Hossain said on Monday. He was speaking to journalists after the cabinet meeting on Monday. Read:UNO breaks up picnic organised in brazen breach of lockdown The state minister said all government-private offices should be closed except for the factories involved in the production and processing of food products, the preservation of rawhide and the pharmaceutical industry. He said "I am monitoring the industrial mills whether they are open or not. And if we find any evidence, legal action will be taken against those who are running factories." Moreover, Farhad said the government has so far no plan to open garment factories. The state minister further said, "When people are roaming on the streets for the sake of work, we are actually trying to check the veracity of what they are saying." Read: Lockdown returns; most streets in Dhaka fall silent When asked about the implementation of strict lockdown, he said, "Since we have shut down the garment and export-oriented industries, the movement of workers has decreased. There are many other reasons why people are coming out unnecessarily and they have to face the law enforcers." In addition, people are able to move freely for emergency services such as hospital service. Asked if the prime minister had given any instructions in the cabinet meeting, the state minister said issues on the worsened Covid situation have been discussed. Read:Lockdown Day 3: Banks reopen, 587 arrested, Tk 12.7 lakh fined "We have issued the notification strictly," he said. The current restrictions came into force on July 23 and will continue till Aug. 5 midnight, unless extended again.

The government at the moment is not considering general holidays like last year to tackle the transmission of coronavirus, State Minister for Public Administration Farhad Hossain said Monday. “There has neither been any such decision nor discussion [on the issue],” he told reporters at the Secretariat, replying to a question. Also read:Coronavirus: Govt not extending general holidays Bangladesh on Monday recorded its highest-ever daily coronavirus infection (5,181) and 45 deaths. The infection rate has been upward for a number of days now. The government has issued 18 directives to curb the transmission. “We’ll follow these directives for two weeks and see how things turn out. We’ll issue further directives later,” he said. Also read:General holidays only in coronavirus 'Red Zones': State Minister State Minister Hossain said it is possible to prevent Covid-19 if everyone properly follows the health guidelines – wearing masks, maintaining physical distance and washing hands. “Many people haven’t been infected as they’re careful. It’s proven that we can control the coronavirus [situation] if we remain alert,” he said.

State Minister for Public Administration Farhad Hossain on Saturday suggested that Bangladesh should take proper preparations to face future challenges as the world is rapidly changing with time.

State Minister for Public Administration Farhad Hossain on Tuesday emphasised on ensuring safe food to improve the living standards of the people of the country and build a prosperous nation.