Cabinet expansion on cards

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is mulling over the expansion of the cabinet with new faces.

Multiple sources in the government and the ruling Awami League said the changes may happen by Saturday.

The reason it may happen before Saturday is because President Mohammed Shahabuddin, who has to administer the oath taking of new cabinet members, will be leaving for the UK and the UAE on Sunday for around 15 days, said several sources concerned.

Neither any minister, a state minister nor a deputy minister has been appointed to the Ministry of Labour and Employment and the Ministry of Cultural Affairs. In previous AL governments, two ministers were appointed to these ministries.

Besides, there are no ministers in the Ministry of Commerce, the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, and the Ministry of Posts, Telecommunications and Information Technology. These ministries only have state ministers.

On the other hand, the post of state minister remains vacant at the law ministry, home ministry, education ministry, planning ministry, land ministry, local government, rural development and co-operatives ministry, and foreign ministry.

Talking to journalists yesterday afternoon, Cabinet Secretary Md Mahbub Hossain, however, said he did not have any information about changes in the cabinet.

The cabinet was formed with the prime minister, 25 ministers, and 11 state ministers on January 11.