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Ministry of Housing and Public Works

ministry · verified (verified 2026-05-17)

Profile

Head
Zakaria Taher Sumon
Role
Minister
Annual budget
৳51,110,000,000
Staff
—
Established
1972
Legal basis
Established 12 January 1972; operates under the Rules of Business of the Government of Bangladesh. Key legislation includes the Town Improvement Act 1953 (RAJUK), the National Housing Authority Ordinance 1976, and the Bangladesh National Building Code 2020.

Prosecuting anti-corruption and service-delivery reforms across RAJUK and NHA, enforcing BNBC 2020 and the newly enacted BBRA Act, and advancing NHA digitization; affordable housing for common people is the stated political priority but no new construction scheme has been announced in the 90-day window.

Recent activity

Provenance & notes

Current minister is Zakaria Taher Sumon (BNP, Cumilla-8), sworn in 17 February 2026. Early media reports speculating Mirza Abbas would receive the Housing portfolio were debunked (YouTube fact-check, 19 February 2026). Per the gazette of 24 February 2026, Abbas, Nazrul Islam Khan, and Ruhul Kabir Rizvi Ahmed hold 'Political Adviser' titles with no ministry assigned; Zakaria Taher Sumon is the substantive minister. Abbas's historical association with the ministry (2001-2006 under Khaleda Zia) and his high-profile brain surgery of March 13, 2026 are recorded in recent_activity as politically relevant context. Budget figure of Tk 5,111 crore is FY2025-26 proposed (BSS, June 2025); this is the ministry's own allocation distinct from the broader housing-and-community ADP sector (Tk 22,776 crore). Established 12 January 1972 per Wikipedia. PWD was established in 1948 when the territory was part of Pakistan. Staff count not published by MoHPW. RAJUK fivefold fee hike proposal (construction approvals) reported but not gazetted as of May 2026.

Sources