Cabinet sees expansion with three new ministers, one state minister


FE Team | Published: January 02, 2018 18:43:56 | Updated: January 03, 2018 13:22:20


President Md Abdul Hamid is administering the oath of three new ministers on Tuesday at Bangabhaban. -Focus Bangla Photo

State Minister Narayan Chandra Chanda, lawmaker AKM Shahjahan Kamal, and noted IT professional Mustafa Jabbar have taken oath as new members of the cabinet.

Meanwhile, lawmaker from Rajbari-1 constituency Kazi Keramat Ali took oath as state minister at a simple ceremony at Bangbhaban in Dhaka on Tuesday.

President Md Abdul Hamid administered the oath exercising the power bestowed upon him as per the constitution.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, cabinet members and lawmakers were present, among others.

However, the new ministers and the state minister are yet to be given portfolios.

The Cabinet Secretary said a notification on the distribution of portfolios will be issued on Wednesday, says UNB. 

With this reshuffle, the cabinet has turned into a 53-member one. There are 34 ministers, 17 state ministers and two deputy ministers.

Narayon Chandra was made State Minister for Fisheries and Livestock after Awami League formed the present government through the January-5 election in 2014.

Meanwhile, Fisheries and Livestock Minister Muhammed Sayedul Hoque passed away on December 16 last.

AKM Shahjahan Kamal was elected MP twice - first in 1973 and then in 2014 -- from Laxmipur.

Born on August 12, 1949, Mustafa Jabbar is the President of Bangladesh Association of Software and Information Services (BASIS).

He is best known for being the creator of software Bijoy, and he published the Bijoy first Bengali key board in 1988.

He was sworn in as a technocrat minister as he is not an MP.

Kazi Keramat Ali was elected MP from Rajbari-1 constituency in 1992, 1996, 2008 and 2014.

The cabinet was last expanded on July 12, 2015 when three ministers - Nurul Islam BSc, Asaduzzaman Khan and Yeafesh Osman -- and two state ministers -- Nuruzzaman Ahmed, an MP from Lalmonirhat-2 constituency, and Tarana Halim, an MP from reserved women seat, were worn in.

Of them, State Minister for Home Affairs Asaduzzaman Khan and State Minister for Science and Technology Yeafesh Osman had been elevated to the rank of ministers.

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