As five-day conference of Deputy Commissioners (DCs) is going to take place in capital Dhaka in July, discussion is going round and round in the administration circle about government’s directives. This will be the first DCs conference after assumption of Sheikh Hasina-led Awami League government office for the three consecutive terms.
The conference will take place within July 20. This year DCs conference will be extended from three days to five days. The cabinet division has already finalised the duration of the conference, sources said. The deputy commissioners will be asked to expedite the ongoing development programmes, sources in the public administration ministry said.
Besides, the deputy commissioners will also be given special assignment to work hard in order to implement the government’s policy and ensure government service at the door step of the grassroots people across the country. Apart from ongoing various development and mega projects, as the government wants to implement its electoral pledges like ‘My village, my town: expansion of modern urban amenities in rural areas’, ‘city and town plan, planned development’, ‘Sustainable and inclusive development, ‘Prosperous Bangladesh’, ‘Women empowerment’, ‘Poverty alleviation and reducing discrimination’, and ‘Communication’, the deputy commissioners will also have to more responsible and industries to do so, sources added.
According to public administration ministry sources, the deputy commissioners are bound to take report on government officials from different agencies for promotion. The deputy commissioners will place the issue before the prime minister during the conference and request her to free them from other agencies’ report for the promotion of government officials.
They will also seek government decision in this regard, sources added. Apart from the president and prime minister, chief justice, speaker of the national parliament will also take part in the conference. However, what directives and advices will be given by the chief Justice and speaker of the national parliament have not been known yet.
Besides, ministers, advisors, state-ministers, deputy ministers and senior secretaries of all ministries and divisions will also take part in the conference.
According to cabinet division, describing militancy, terrorism, corruption and narcotics as curse of society, the deputy commissioners will be given instructionsto put up resistance unitedly against these menaces.
The deputy commissioners will also be asked to urge all including parents, guardians, teachers, public representatives, ulema-mashaekh (religious scholars) and imam and muezzins to build up resistance in unison against militancy, terrorism and narcotics and create mass awareness against these social vices at their respective districts.
The government will also order the deputy commissioners to take effective measures in order to stop humiliation in getting government services at the grassroots level. The deputy commissioners will also have to remain alert so that people will not be deprived of getting government services. Besides, they will have to work together with public representatives at their respective districts in order to establish good governance at the grassroots level.
Apart from these, the deputy commissioners will also have to strengthen the rural economy in a bid to create new jobs and avenues. They will have to make youths living in remote villages understand, they (youth) do not need to go to the city for jobs, sources said. A total of a total 29 sessions will be held during the conference, according to public administration ministry.
The conference will also discuss a large number of proposals which will be submitted by deputy commissioners during the event. The conference 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 and maintaining law and order of the country.
The DCs will submit their proposals to the government with a view to getting necessary guidelines from the government. The deputy commissioners will participate in the conference and get an opportunity to convey 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 helps 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.