Dr. Muhammad Yunus works from the Secretariat for the first time

In a significant move, Dr. Muhammad Yunus, the Chief Adviser to the Interim Government, worked from the Secretariat for the first time on Wednesday, November 20. 

He arrived at the Secretariat at 11:00 AM to chair a meeting of the Advisory Council, which was held on the 13th floor of the Secretariat’s 6th building. To ensure security, extra precautions were taken around this key administrative area.

 Ahead of Dr. Yunus’s arrival, the Secretariat‍‍`s buildings and internal pathways were cleaned, and visitor access was restricted for the day. 

As a result, officials could not use their passes to allow visitors into the premises. 

However, once Dr. Yunus left the Secretariat, access for visitors was expected to return to normal.

In the past, cabinet meetings under the Prime Minister’s leadership were held in the Cabinet Room on the 4th floor of the Secretariat’s 1st building.

But in 2017, this building was declared unsafe, prompting the preparation of a new meeting room on the 13th floor of the 20-story 6th building.

 After the 2019 fire at the FR Tower in Banani, the fire safety measures of the 6th building were called into question by then-Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. 

Since then, cabinet meetings have typically been held at the Prime Minister’s office rather than the Secretariat.

Before today, Dr. Yunus had been holding meetings at the Jamuna Guest House and his office. 

However, this was the first time an Advisory Council meeting took place at the Secretariat, marking a new chapter in his tenure as Chief Adviser.