DHAKA: The Cabinet Division has finalized the proposal for re-baptizing and extending the scope of work of the Ministry of Establishment through redefining its activities.

A competent source said the proposal might be approved in the cabinet meeting sometime during the rest of the current year.

The source also informed that three alternative names have so far been proposed for the Establishment Ministry at the secretary committee on administrative development. These are: Public Employees Management Affairs Ministry, Civil Service Affairs Ministry, and Pu+blic Administration Ministry.

“One of the three names would be finalized in the cabinet meeting,” the source said.

Apart from renaming the ministry, vision, mission and values of the ministry have been redefined in order to face the challenge of the 21st century.

Ensuring transparent and accountable public service with skilled and professional manpower will be the vision of the ministry. Besides, the ministry will play a role in building an accountable public administration.

The proposal stated that area of work, services, efficiency, professionalism, honesty, sensitivity and accountability of the ministry have to be enhanced following the recommendation of the secretary-level committee.

Ministry, departments and field-level officers and employees should work for the people.

The Establishment Ministry used to work as a general administrative branch of the Home Ministry before 1962. This branch had got the status of ‘service and general administration office’ in 1962. After the independence of the country, it had work as Establishment Department from 1972 to 1975.

The department was upgraded to Establishment Ministry following recommendations of the ‘Enam committee’ in 1982.

It was a longstanding demand of the public administration officials to change the name of the ministry as confusion looms over about its function at home an abroad.

The name of the Establishment Ministry does not conform to the work of the ministry, so do other ministries, officials think.

Considering the demands, the grand alliance government started work for renaming the ministry shortly after assuming power.

BDST: 1825 HRS. SEPT 03, 2010