Prime minister Sheikh Hasina on Friday inducted a full minister and five state ministers into the Cabinet and made some crucial changes to the home, power, foreign and shipping ministries. The shake-up came a day after her ruling Awami League sprang surprises by dropping party heavyweights from the policymaking presidium and sacked all seven organising secretaries of the previous committee. Hasina, who watched the ceremony at the Bangabhaban, told reporters that the expansion and shuffle were designed to help implement the new budget. President Zillur Rahman administered their oath to office in the second cabinet expansion since the Awami League-led Grand Alliance government assumed office on Jan 6 after sweeping the Dec 29 general elections. The 43-strong cabinet now has 25 ministers and 18 state ministers after the resignation of state minister for home Tanjim Ahmed. GM Quader of Jatiya Party, Dilip Barua of Samyobadi Dal and law minister Shafique Ahmed, a technocrat minister, are the exceptions in an cabinet dominated by ruling Awami League MPs. On Jan 24, Hasina appointed six new state ministers to the original 32-strong cabinet that had 24 ministers.
