The interim government, led by Nobel Laureate Muhammad Yunus, is set to appoint new deputy commissioners across all districts in Bangladesh. A new fit list has been prepared, prioritising those who were previously overlooked for promotion during the Awami League government’s tenure.

The fit list, developed by the Ministry of Public Administration, includes over 600 officials from the BCS 24th, 25th, and 27th batches, who have been deprived of promotions in the past 15-16 years. The interim government aims to address these long-standing grievances by considering these officials for the DC roles.

A high-ranking official confirmed that the previous fit list created under the Awami League government is not being considered. Instead, the new list focuses on officials with extensive field administration experience who were previously sidelined due to political reasons.

Many of these officials were labeled as supporters of opposition parties, leading to negative intelligence reports that blocked their promotions.

In light of this, the government has relaxed the criteria for DC appointments to give these officials a fair chance. The committee, led by the cabinet secretary, has made special provisions to ensure that these deserving officers are appointed as DCs.

The new policy allows officials who have been in the BCS administration cadre for at least one year as deputy secretary and have a minimum of two years of experience in specific roles, such as deputy director or additional deputy commissioner, to be eligible for the DC positions.

They must also have a satisfactory disciplinary record over the past five years and demonstrate proficiency in project management, ICT, and both Bangla and English.

Despite their qualifications, many of these officers were denied DC positions under the previous government. The decision to relax the policy and create a new fit list reflects the interim government’s commitment to addressing these past injustices.

The process of appointing new DCs began on Saturday, with interviews of 60 officials from the BCS 24th batch conducted under the supervision of cabinet secretary Md Mahbub Hossain. Interviews will continue over the next three days, involving more officials from the 24th batch and beyond.

Several deputy secretaries from various ministries and departments have been shortlisted for the DC positions. The interviews include officials from the Ministry of Agriculture, the Ministry of Power, the Ministry of Finance, and the Anti-Corruption Commission, among others.

In a related development, approximately 200 joint secretaries from the 9th to 13th BCS batches, who were also deprived of promotions, are set to be promoted to additional secretary. The recommendation for these promotions was sent to the chief adviser’s office on Saturday, with an official notification expected by Sunday or Monday.

However, it has been reported that certain officials who previously served in key roles within the prime minister’s office will not be considered for the DC appointments, as per directives from higher authorities.