Parliamentary Standing Committee on the Ministry of Food has recommended filling 6,653 vacant posts across various positions through prompt recruitment. The parliamentary body also recommended halting manpower recruitment through outsourcing.
The recommendations were made on Thursday during the first meeting of the parliamentary committee held at Parliament.
Chaired by Md Abdus Salam Pintu, chairman of the committee, the meeting covered discussions on the activities of the food ministry, food adulteration control, preservation of agricultural land, and government food distribution programmes.
During the meeting, the ministry informed the committee that 6,653 positions are currently lying vacant across various posts. Members of the committee stressed the importance of filling these vacancies without delay.
Md Abdul Bari, state minister for food, mentioned that the government is vigilant against food adulteration. He added that initiatives are underway to strengthen monitoring across every stage of food production, processing, and marketing, as well as to address limitations within existing laws and regulations.
The state minister added that emphasis is being laid on regular enforcement drives to prevent adulteration in all types of food, including child food, alongside the effective application of laws and legal action against offenders.
He further informed that efforts are in progress to provide necessary logistical support to strengthen the Food Safety Authority, including setting up mini-laboratories at every office of the agency and deploying mobile monitoring vans to detect food adulteration.
Addressing the loss of agricultural land due to unplanned urbanisation, the ministry informed the meeting that surveillance and regular monitoring are being conducted to protect agricultural land and prevent its unauthorised use for non-agricultural purposes.
In addition, the meeting was informed that work is underway to formulate a new policy for appointing dealers for Open Market Sale (OMS) and the Food-Friendly Programme. The ministry expressed expectation that transparency in dealer appointments will increase once the new policy comes into effect.
Committee chairman Pintu said food is a fundamental right of the people, and delivering safe and unadulterated food to the public is the responsibility of all concerned. He called upon all stakeholders to discharge this duty with honesty and dedication.
The chairman also recommended digitalising the beneficiary selection process to eliminate flaws in government food assistance distribution.
Afroza Khanam, food minister, alongside committee members Abul Kalam, Md Abu Taleb Mondal, Md Abdul Karim, and Shamsun Nahar Begum, attended the meeting.
The secretary of the Ministry of Food, heads of subordinate departments and organisations, and relevant officials were also present.
