Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is scheduled to inaugurate today a five-day conference of deputy commissioners (DCs) of all the districts in the capital. After the inaugural session, the prime minister will join an open-discussion with the deputy commissioners. The DC conference will kick-start at 10am at the Shapla Hall of Prime Minister's Office. The conference is scheduled to end on July 18. Already, the cabinet division has completed all necessary preparations to this end. It will be attended by ministers, advisers, state ministers, deputy ministers and secretaries, a success.
This will be the first DC conference after Sheikh Hasina-led Awami League government assumed office for third consecutive time. At the conference, the deputy commissioners will place various problems of their respective districts before President Md Abdul Hamid and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. The DCs this year will have a scope to exchange views with Speaker Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury, and Chief Justice Syed Mahmud Hossain.
The conference, extended from three days to five days this year, is held every year to discuss the ways of the execution of different policies, guidelines, priorities of the government as well as the proposal of field-level officials for smooth and effective functioning of the government as well as maintaining law and order of the country.
The DCs will submit their proposals for necessary guidelines from the government. Ministers, advisers, state ministers, deputy ministers and secretaries will attend different sessions and issue directives to the deputy commissioners and divisional commissioners. Working sessions will be held at the conference room of the Cabinet Division at the secretariat, chaired by the cabinet secretary.
Sources said a total of 333 proposals would be placed at 29 sessions of this year’s DC conference. Maintaining law and order, resolving land-related problems, strengthening activities of local government institutions, disaster management, implementation of poverty alleviation programmes and social safety net programmes are some of the key issues to be discussed in the conference.
On July 15, the DCs will attend six working sessions with ministers and secretaries of 19 ministries and divisions. The DCs will call on President Md Abdul Hamid in the evening on that day. On July 16, five sessions will be held with ministers and secretaries of 12 ministries and divisions. The DCs will call on the Chief Justice Syed Mahmud Hossain in the afternoon on that day.
Eight sessions will be held on July 17. Meetings will be held with ministers and secretaries of 19 ministries and divisions. On the concluding day on July 18, four sessions will be held with four ministries and divisions. The conference will end with DCs calling on Jatiya Sangsad Speaker Dr Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury.
According to the cabinet division, the conference to be participated by 54 ministries, and departments will hold 29 sessions. Of them, 24 would be working sessions with different ministries.
A number of 333 proposals would be placed by different district and divisional commissioners at the conference. The cabinet division organises the DC conference each year, aimed to gear up grassroots administration, accelerate development activities of the government, analyze and evaluate the government’s policy execution at grassroots level and hold direct views-exchange meeting between the government’s policymakers and DCs.
The issues relating to progress of countrywide ongoing development, and other issues like terrorism and militancy could dominate the conference. According to sources, strategies to enhance quality of public services at lesser cost and time on the part of people was selected as the prime issue of the conference where the DCs would interact with all cabinet members.
The conference is expected to come up with an integrated policy guideline equipping the district administrations with directives in overcoming their challenges in delivering services involving legal, administrative and financial affairs. The deputy commissioners will participate in the conference and get an opportunity to discuss field level problems and potentials directly to the highest policy making level.
In a nutshell, this conference is a bridge between the field-level officers – the DCs – and the top government bodies which help the overall progress of the government’s work at district level. The DCs are also heads of the law and order committees in the districts and they act during elections as district magistrates, playing a pivotal role during both the local and the national elections under the supervision of the Election Commission.