6 food ministers, secretaries in just 6 months
Graphics: Agamir Somoy
In just six months under BNP rule, the Ministry of Food has seen six ministers and secretaries - two ministers, two state ministers, and two secretaries - sparking concerns and questions regarding when the ministry will stabilize.
This rapid turnover has also extended to the Directorate General of Food, which saw three different director generals (DG).
The ministerial changes began when Mohammad Amin Ur Rashid (Haji Yasin) was made food minister under the technocrat quota, and Sultan Salahuddin Tuku was appointed as the state minister of Food.
Tuku lost his portfolio within 16 days, though he remained state minister of Fisheries and Livestock. Amin Ur Rashid also lost his post 20 days later, being reassigned as the minister of Agriculture and the Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock.
Following them, Abdul Bari was appointed as the state minister of Food, although he preferred working from the Ministry of Public Administration. In the absence of a full minister, the Food Planning and Monitoring Committee (FPMC) was reconstituted under Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmad.
On 23 August, Afroza Khanam Rita assumed the office of food minister, declaring on her first day, “Changes must be brought by increasing transparency, accountability, and efficiency in the work of the Ministry of Food. It must be ensured that the benefits of the government food programs reach the real beneficiaries. Transparency, accountability, efficiency, and the quality of service must also be increased for the welfare of the people.”
Administrative changes were similarly frequent. Food Secretary Firoz Sarkar was transferred to the Statistics and Informatics Division and replaced by Abu Taher Mo Masud Rana. The Directorate General of Food also had three DGs: the first was transferred 10 days after the BNP took office, followed by AHM Kamruzzaman holding additional charge, then Shah Abdul Alim Khan for 10 days, and finally Jashim Uddin Khan.
