Bureaucracy in Bangladesh

Defining Civil Service

• Civil servants are "appointed" by decision of
an authorized public institution in accordance
with the civil service law. A decision by a
representative of the State to "appoint" a civil
servant must conform with established rules
that structure the hiring process.
(World Bank)

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 Defining Civil Service Contd.

 The civil service means a

professional body of neutral
experts in administration
dedicated to serve without regard
to its own gains or without
reference to party political views or
class interests.
(Rai and Singh 1979:26)

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 Constitutional roots of Bangladesh Civil
Service
 Civil Service or Civil Servants are not mentioned in the
Constitution of Bangladesh
 Article 152 (1) mentions ‘Public Officers’
 “Public officer” means a person holding or acting in any
office of emolument in the service of the Republic
 “The Service of the Republic” means any service, post or
office whether in Civil or military capacity, in respect of
the Government of Bangladesh, & any other service
declared by law to a service of the Republic”

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 Constitutional root… Contd.

 Article 21(2) of Bangladesh Constitution, Duties of

Public Servants has been used as:
‘Every person in the service of the republic has a duty to
strive at all times to serve the people’.
 In part of IX of the constitution from Article 133 to 141
under the title of the Services of Bangladesh some
concepts and instructions have been stipulated.
 Article 61-63 indicates to Defence Services of the
Republic.
 Article 115 & 116A indicates to Judicial Services

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Functions of Civil Service
 Historical Roots of Modern
Bureaucracy
• Mercantile Phase (1600-1765): During this phase, the civil service
of the East India Company was a purely mercantile service. It was
advanced and guided by commercial interests of the Company.
• Quasi Public Corporation (1765-1833): This phase was marked by
the ascendance of the Company to a quasi-political and
administrative body having territorial power while holding the
commercial character side by side.
• Public Administration under the Company (1833-1858): The civil
service, during this phase, became a purely administrative body
relinquishing all sorts of commercial interests. At this stage, the
service became a public service in its true sense.
• Public Administration under the Crown (1858-1947): The conflict
between the Company and the imperial interests that was cropped
up in the previous phase resolved in this phase by transferring the
civil service under the Crown’s control and abolishing the Company.
 Historic legacy of Bangladesh Civil Service
A. Civil Service in British India (1757-1947)
 The British took over Dewani from Mughal Emperor
in 1765.
 Lord Warren Hastings laid the foundations of civil
service and Charles Cornwallis (1786-93)
reformed, modernized and rationalized it. Hence,
Charles Cornwallis is known as the 'Father of Civil
Service in India'. He introduced Covenanted Civil
Services (higher civil services) and Uncovenanted
Civil Services (lower civil services).

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 Historic legacy… Contd.

 Imperial Civil service

 From 1858, after the demise of the East India
Company's rule in India, the British civil service
took on its administrative responsibilities.
 In 1887 on the basis of Aitchison Commission
Indian Civil Servant (ICS) was reshaped
 The competitive examination for entry to the
civil service were introduced.
 Age fixed-21-24, Total Marks-1900,
 Two years training in England
 ICS (1858-1947)
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• Montagu-Chelmsford Report appeared in the summer of 1918,
aiming at introducing partial responsible government in the
provinces of British India. In view of the magnificent war services of
the people of India, the Lucknow communal concordat of 1916, and
the increasing pressure of the Indian nationalists to remedy the
inadequacy of the reforms of 1909,
• SECRETARY OF STATE FOR INDIA, Edwin Montagu (1917-1922) made a
momentous declaration in the House of Commons on 20 August
1917 stating that the policy of the British government was to
increase the number of Indians in every branch of the
administration, and the gradual development of self-governing
institutions with a view to the progressive realisation of responsible
government in India as an integral part of the British Empire.
• Action was taken in favour of holding simultaneous ICS
examination in London and New Delhi in 1922.
• 25 % of superior posts to be filled by Indians.
 To see the British Civil Service (ICS) in
action watch the following video
• https://www.youtube.com/watc
h?v=mIpZtLaurZI
• Many of these functions are still carried on
in BCS, but not all, as the civil service has
changed over time, e.g. Judicial functions
are now carried out by Judiciary from
November 2007, but BCS still remains
powerful instrument of the state for
implementing policies of the government…
 B. Civil Service in Pakistan (1947-1970)
 After 1947Pakistan Civil Service took the legacy of ICS
 No major change in functions & responsibilities
 The Civil Service was divided into two categories
-Central (all Pakistan) services
-Provincial
 The number of central (all Pakistan) cadres was 12
 The number of Provincial services was 13
 In case of all provinces the number of provincial
service was more or less same

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 Civil Services in Pakistan … Contd.
Names of Central Services of Pakistan
Civil Service divided into two main categories:
i. Central (all Pakistan) Services ii. Provincial Services
 Central (all Pakistan) Services
 Central Superior Services (12)
1. Civil Service of Pakistan ( CSP)
2. Pakistan Foreign Service (PFS)
3. Police Service of Pakistan (PSP)
4. Pakistan Audit & Accounts Service (PA&AS)
5. Pakistan Military & Railway Accounts Service
Cont...
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 Civil Services in Pakistan … Contd.
Name of Central Services of Pakistan

6. Pakistan Customs & Excise Service (PC&ES)

7. Central Secretariat Service (CSS)
8. Pakistan Postal Service (PPS)
9. Central Information Service (CIS)

 Other Centrally Recruited Services

10. Central Engineering Service (CES)
11. Telegraph Engineering Service (TES)
12. Geological Survey

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 Civil Services in Pakistan … Contd.

Provincial Services (East Pakistan) (13)

 East Pakistan Civil Service (EPCS) Class-I&II
 East Pakistan Civil Service (EPCS), Judicial
 East Pakistan Police Service
 East Pakistan Education Service
 East Pakistan Excise Service
 East Pakistan Income Tax Service
 East Pakistan Health Service
Cont...

15
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 Civil Services in Pakistan … Contd.
Provincial Services..

East Pakistan Engineering Service

East Pakistan Agricultural Service
East Pakistan Livestock Service
East Pakistan Fisheries Service
East Pakistan Forest Service
East Pakistan Food Administration Service

Similar Provincial Services existed in the then West

Pakistan.

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 C. Civil Service in Bangladesh
 After 1971, Bangladesh followed the Pakistani
legacy without major changes.
 Initially there was a conflict between CSP VS other
central cadres
 Also conflicts among Provincial services & Central
services
 Subsequently, bureaucracy was brought under
political control with nationalist & socialist
integration in 1975
 For first Civil Service Reforms, Administrative &
Services Re-organization Committee was formed in
1972.
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 Constitutional root… Contd.
 After independent Bangladesh has followed the
tradition.
In 1975, under Article 136 of the Constitution,
Services (Reorganization & Conditions) Act, 1975
(xxxii of 1975) was made and enacted, w.e.f. from
1st July 1973.
Bangladesh Civil Service (Reorganization) order
1980 was made under this Act.
 Under Reorganization order 1980 Bangladesh
Civil Service Recruitment Rules 1981 was created.
 14 Cadre Services are created.
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 Colonial Heritage

•Bangladesh was one of the part of the British

Domain and then it was under the control
Pakistani rule till 1971. Therefore, colonial
rule and ways currently still kept up in
managerial and political functions
•The British institution facilitated the
bureaucracy to develop as an indispensable
instrument of governance and the Pakistani
settlement stimulated bureaucrats to
become included in power policies
• Failure of Administrative Reforms
After independence of Bangladesh, it was thought that the
colonial administration needed to be reformed. Then from 1972
till 2000 as many as 16 Reform commissions/ committees and
reports were undertaken to reform the public sector.
But majority of the reform proposals remain unimplemented
due to bureaucratic resistance and lack of political will.
Changes have been minor and overall structure and processes of
the administration remains rigid and quasi colonial in nature.
Though recently small innovative changes are being encouraged
and initiated within the civil service.
 Bangladesh Civil service Cadre Composition and Cadre Rules,
1981
• BCS (Administration)
(Administration, Food)
• BCS (Agriculture)
(Agriculture, Forest, Fisheries, Livestock)
• BCS Education
(General Education, Technical Education)
• BCS Economics and Trade
(Economics and Trade, Statistics)
• BCS Engineering
(Public Works, Public Health, Roads and Highways, Tele Communications)
• BCS (Finance)
(Audit and Accounts, Customs and Excise, Taxation)
• BCS (Foreign Affairs)
• BCS (Health and Family Planning)
• BCS (Information)
• BCS ( Judicial) ---( No longer part of BCS, but independent service from November 2007)
• BCS (Postal)
• BCS (Law enforcement)
(Police, Ansar)
• BCS (Railway)
(Railway Trade, Engineering)
• BCS (Secretariat)

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• In 1985 government has reshaped cadres. BCS
(Health and Family Planning) turned into BCS
(Health) and BCS (Family Planning). BCS
(cooperative) was created.
• In 1986 number of Cadre Services became 30.
• In 1992 BCS (Secretariat) merged into BCS
(Administration).
• After the judgment of Masdar Hossain Case, BCS
(Judicial) has been abolished from November 2007
• Now total Cadre Services are 27.

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 List of BCS Cadres
Different Cadres under Bangladesh Civil Service have been shown below:
General Cadres ( now 14):
 BCS (Administration)-BCS (Economic) has been merged with Admn
from November 2018.
 BCS (police)
 BCS (Foreign Affairs)
 BCS (Audit & Accounts)
BCS (Customs & Excise)
 BCS (Taxation)
 BCS (Food)
 BCS (Cooperatives)
 BCS (Trade)
 BCS (Postal)
 BCS (Railway)
 BCS (Ansar)
 BCS (Information)
 BCS (Family Planning)

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 Civil Services in Bangladesh … Contd.
Professional Cadres (13):
 BCS (Public Works)
 BCS (Roads & Highways)
 BCS (Telecommunications)
 BCS (Public Health Engineering)
 BCS (Forest)
 BCS (Health)
 BCS (Railway Engineering)
 BCS (Livestock)
 BCS (Fisheries)
 BCS (Statistics)
 BCS (General Education)
 BCS (Technical Education)
 BCS (Agriculture)
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 For further information read
• The Civil Service System in Bangladesh
(Tawfique Haque & Mahfuzul Haque)