Public admin ministry cancels list for books to be purchased

Public administration ministry has cancelled the entire list of books, including 29 books authored by additional secretary Md Nabirul Islam, recommended for purchase.

Senior secretary of public administration ministry KM Ali Azam disclosed this to newspersons on Monday.

KM Ali Azam said it will be stated later whether a new list will be prepared or not. A committee will be formed through a meeting and until then, procurement of books will remain suspended.

On Sunday, KM Ali Azam said the inclusion of 29 books authored by an additional secretary in the list will be amended or revoked after perusal. This book list was prepared for the offices of divisional commissioners, deputy commissioners, and upazila nirbahi officers.

On Saturday, Prothom Alo published a report titled “29 books authored by an additional secretary in list of books for purchase.” The report highlighted an initiative of public administration ministry aimed at increasing “cultivation of knowledge and reading habits.”

Some Tk 95.5 million was allocated to purchase books under the initiative, with a list of 1,477 books being sent to all districts and upazilas. The list included 29 books, mostly poetry, written by additional secretary Md Nabirul Islam while 24 of these books were published by a single publisher.