DHAKA, Bangladesh
Bangladesh’s first Noble laureate Muhammad Yunus Friday allotted portfolios to his team of 17 as transitional government took shape, after the fall of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s 15-year-long rule.
Yunus alone will lead 27 ministries while two student leaders have been assigned ministries, in a first for the nation of 171 million people.
Yunus took the oath of office Thursday to lead the 17-member transitional administration.
President Mohammed Shahabuddin administered the oath to Yunus, 84, and his team at the presidential office in the capital Dhaka.
The position of the head of the transitional government is officially called “chief adviser.”
Opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party has extended support to the transitional government but has demanded elections within three months.
Who is who in the transitional setup
Noble laureate Muhammad Yunus: Chief Adviser and in-charge of 27 ministries and divisions.
M Sakhawat Hossain, retired brigadier general and former adviser to caretaker government: Ministry of Home Affairs.
Md Nahid Islam, a student leader: Ministry of Posts, Telecommunications, and Information Technology.
Asif Mahmud Sajib Bhuiya, a student leader: Ministry of Youth and Sports.
Saleh Uddin Ahmed, former governor of Bangladesh Bank: Ministry of Finance, and Ministry of Planning.
Asif Nazrul, a teacher of Law at the University of Dhaka: Ministry of Law, Justice, and Parliamentary Affairs.
Hasan Arif, former attorney general: Ministry of Local Government, Rural Development, and Cooperatives.
Md Touhid Hossain, a former foreign secretary: Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Adilur Rahman Khan, a prominent human rights defender: Ministry of Industries.
Syeda Rizwana Hasan, an attorney and environmentalist: Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change.
Sharmin S Murshid, chief of an election observer group: Ministry of Social Welfare.
AFM Khalid Hossain, an Islamic scholar and politician: Ministry of Religious Affairs.
Farida Akhtar, a women’s rights activist: Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock.
Nurjahan Begum, a Grameen Telecom trustee: Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.
The ministries and divisions assigned to Chief Advisor Yunus are: Cabinet Division, Ministry of Defense, Armed Forces Division, Ministry of Education, Ministry of Road Transport and Bridges, Ministry of Food, Ministry of Housing and Public Works, Ministry of Land, Ministry of Textiles and Jute, Ministry of Agriculture, Ministry of Science and Technology, Ministry of Railways, Ministry of Public Administration, Ministry of Power, Energy and Mineral Resources, Ministry of Shipping, Ministry of Water Resources, Ministry of Women and Children Affairs, Ministry of Disaster Management and Relief, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Ministry of Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment, Ministry of Commerce, Ministry of Labour and Employment, Ministry of Cultural Affairs, Ministry of Civil Aviation and Tourism, Ministry of Liberation War Affairs, Ministry of Chittagong Hill Tracts Affairs, Ministry of Primary and Mass Education.
The Cabined division has announced the appointments in a gazette notification with immediate effect.
