Dhaka: The government has formed a new 20-member committee of the National Implementation Committee on Administrative Reorganization (NICAR) with Prime Minister Tarique Rahman at the helm. Cabinet division officials announced that a gazette was issued on March 4, establishing the high-level decision-making body, which comprises key ministers holding important portfolios such as local government, finance, home, law, industries, and public administration.
According to Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha, NICAR is tasked with reviewing and providing final approval for the creation and reorganization of the country’s administrative units. This includes the establishment or renaming of government structures and forming local government bodies like new city corporations and municipalities.
The ministers and state ministers named as NICAR’s new members include Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, the Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives Minister; Amir Khasru Mahmood Chowdhury, the Finance and Planning Minister; Salahuddin Ahmad, the Home Affairs Minister; Abdul Muktadir, the Industries Textile and Jute and Commerce Minister; Asaduzzaman, the Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs Minister; and Md Abdul Bar, the State Minister for the Public Administration Ministry.
The other members of NICAR are officials such as the cabinet secretary, the principal secretary to the Prime Minister’s Office, and the secretaries of various departments, including public administration, land, home, finance, legislative and parliamentary affairs, coordination and reforms of the cabinet division, law and justice division, local government, and a member of the infrastructure division of the planning commission. Additional secretaries from other ministries or divisions may also be included if necessary.
The gazette indicates that the committee has the flexibility to co-opt new members as needed, and the cabinet division will provide secretarial support to the committee. This new gazette also nullifies a previous gazette issued on May 7, 2025, without elaborating on its contents.