DC conference begins tomorrow with 498 proposals on the table

The first deputy commissioners conference under the BNP government will begin tomorrow (3 May), with 498 proposals lined up for discussion.

Prime Minister Tarique Rahman is set to inaugurate the four-day event.

The Cabinet Division has made special preparations for the event and has written to secretaries of all ministries and divisions advising them to come prepared. DCs from all 64 districts, along with eight divisional commissioners, will attend the conference. 

DCs serve as the government's representatives at the field level. The conference sets the strategy for implementing government policy initiatives, development programmes and other activities over the following year. 

It also determines what specific steps each DC will take within their own jurisdiction and in coordination with neighbouring districts. 

The conference is therefore a crucial event for field administration, charting the course for the year ahead.

This year, both the inauguration and all subsequent sessions will be held at Dhaka's Osmani Memorial Auditorium, located directly opposite the Secretariat, the nerve centre of the administration. Traditionally, the inauguration was held at the Prime Minister's Office, with sessions then moving to the auditorium.

According to Cabinet Division sources, this year's conference will feature 34 working sessions. A total of 498 proposals have been shortlisted for discussion, selected from 1,729 proposals submitted by divisional commissioners and DCs from across the country.

At this annual conference, DCs present proposals to government policymakers covering various challenges and opportunities in field administration, and the government makes decisions based on the ensuing discussions.

Sources said that, as in previous years, key topics will include land management, healthcare, road and bridge construction, tourism development, law and order, anti-narcotics efforts, education, disaster management, and relief and rehabilitation.

Following the inauguration, ministers, state ministers and secretaries will provide important directives to DCs and divisional commissioners during various sessions.

Notably, the erstwhile interim government replaced DCs in 52 districts across four orders between 8 and 13 November 2025, ahead of the announcement of the national election schedule.

The current BNP government began replacing DCs about a month after taking office. In the first order on 15 March, five DCs were changed. 

By 22 April, the government had replaced DCs in 26 districts. As a result, for most deputy commissioners, this will be their first DC conference.

Day-wise schedule

On the first day, discussions will cover the Prime Minister's Office and its affiliated agencies, health, education, and the Law and Justice Division. 

After the day's sessions, the DCs will pay a courtesy call on the president and join him for dinner.

The second day's agenda includes discussions on the activities of the ministries and divisions related to culture; civil aviation and tourism; finance; internal resources; financial institutions; economic relations; planning; implementation, monitoring and evaluation; statistics and informatics; and fisheries and livestock. 

Discussions will also cover agriculture, food, industries, textiles and jute, commerce, road transport and highways, bridges, railways, shipping, disaster management and relief, religious affairs, labour and employment, and expatriates' welfare.

During these sessions, DCs will share field-level experiences and highlight implementation challenges and opportunities, based on which relevant ministries will provide guidance.

On the third day, discussions will focus on defence; armed forces; Liberation War affairs; housing and public works; science and technology; posts and telecommunications; ICT; power; energy and mineral resources; foreign affairs; local government; rural development and cooperatives; land; and matters related to the Election Commission. 

DCs will also visit the Supreme Court and meet the chief justice.

On the final day, discussions will include social welfare; women and children affairs; youth and sports; environment, forest and climate change; Chattogram Hill Tracts affairs; home affairs; public administration; information and broadcasting; the Anti-Corruption Commission; and the Cabinet Division.

After the final sessions at Osmani Memorial Auditorium, DCs will proceed to the Bangladesh-China Friendship Conference Center in the evening. 

Following Maghrib prayers, a meeting will be held between the prime minister and the Bangladesh Administrative Service Association, after which the DCs will attend a dinner with the head of government.