Attached Departments

Attached Departments In the rules of business (1996) of the government of Bangladesh an attached department is defined as a department which has direct relation with a ministry/division and has been declared as such by the government. The attached department is usually, depending on size and importance, headed by a functionary called the director general. The attached department acts as the executing arm of the ministry/division to which it is attached. The policies, plans and development projects of ministry/division are executed in the field by the attached departments.

The director general or, in some cases, the director as the departmental head is responsible for efficient functioning of the department under his charge. To enable him to function, administrative and financial powers are delegated to him by the government. The attached department enjoys wider powers than are available to what is known as the subordinate office. The subordinate office means an office of the government which has not been declared as an attached department, and which normally does not deal directly with any ministry/division.

In fact, some of the attached departments are designated as directorates, for example, the police directorate, the directorates of social welfare, health, family welfare, etc. Some of the heads of directorates or departments use different designations because these designations are codified in law. Examples are Inspector General of Police, Inspector General of Prisons, Chief Conservator of Forests, etc. [AMM Shawkat Ali]