Ministry of Science and Technology
Profile
- Head
- Fakir Mahbub Anam Swapan
- Role
- Minister
- Annual budget
- ৳128,690,000,000
- Staff
- —
- Established
- 2002
- Legal basis
- Constitution of the People's Republic of Bangladesh (1972); Rules of Business 1996 (as amended); Bangladesh Atomic Energy Commission Order 1973 (P.O. No. 15 of 1973); Bangladesh Atomic Energy Regulatory Act 2012
Overseeing fuel loading and commissioning of Rooppur NPP Unit-1 (BAEC/BAERA); advancing a national AI institute; managing a Tk 12,869 crore FY2025-26 budget (Tk 714 crore operating, Tk 12,155 crore development) concentrated in the Rooppur project.
Recent activity
- 2026-02-17 appointment Fakir Mahbub Anam Swapan (BNP, Tangail-1) sworn in as Minister holding dual portfolio: Ministry of Posts, Telecommunications and Information Technology plus Ministry of Science and Technology, in the cabinet of PM Tarique Rahman. ↗↗↗
- 2026-04-16 regulation Bangladesh Atomic Energy Regulatory Authority (BAERA) issued the commissioning licence for fuel loading at Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant Unit-1 to the Bangladesh Atomic Energy Commission (BAEC), the statutory subordinate body of MoST. ↗↗↗
- 2026-04-28 other Fuel loading of 163 VVER-1200 fuel assemblies commenced at Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant Unit-1 (1,200 MW), marking Bangladesh's entry into the nuclear age; first power to national grid targeted by August 2026, full-scale transmission by December 2026. ↗↗↗
- 2026-04-19 other BCSIR inaugurated a five-day training programme on Simultaneous Thermal Analyzer (STA) at its Dhaka laboratories, part of a series of advanced instrumentation training programmes run by BCSIR Chairman Dr. Samina Ahmed in April-May 2026. ↗↗
- 2026-05-10 other BCSIR organised a five-day training programme on High-Resolution Mass Spectrometry (HRMS), continuing a run of April-May 2026 capacity-building events under BCSIR Chairman Dr. Samina Ahmed. ↗
- 2026-05-01 policy Minister Fakir Mahbub Anam announced government plans to establish a national AI institute, with integrated policy and research covering data security, agriculture, education, health, and industry; STEM education, nano and biotechnology, and semiconductor sectors flagged as priorities. ↗↗
- 2026-04-30 statement Minister urged Bangladeshi scientists working abroad to apply overseas knowledge to national development priorities, signalling a diaspora science engagement strategy. ↗
Provenance & notes
annual_budget_bdt stores 12,869 crore = 128,690,000,000 BDT (Tk 12,869 crore). Breakdown: operating Tk 714 crore + ADP development Tk 12,155 crore (FY2025-26). Minister holds a dual portfolio with Posts/Telecom/ICT; Science and Technology is a distinct ministry under the same minister. BANBEIS (Bangladesh Bureau of Educational Information and Statistics) is under the Ministry of Education, NOT MoST -- the task brief incorrectly grouped it here; it has been omitted from this record. MoST's key subordinate bodies: BAEC (Bangladesh Atomic Energy Commission, est. 1973), BAERA (Bangladesh Atomic Energy Regulatory Authority, est. under Atomic Energy Regulatory Act 2012), BCSIR (Bangladesh Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, est. 1973), Nuclear Power Plant Company Bangladesh Ltd. (NPCBL), National Institute of Biotechnology (NIB), Bangladesh Reference Institute for Chemical Measurements (BRiCM), National Museum of Science and Technology (NMST), BANSDOC. SREDA (Sustainable and Renewable Energy Development Authority) falls under Power Division, not MoST. Rooppur NPP cost increase verified via TBS News and Prothom Alo from primary MoST/NPCBL press statements; original approval cost Tk 1,13,093 crore, revised to approx. Tk 1,38,686 crore due to exchange-rate adjustment. Ministry established as a standalone ministry in 2002; prior to that, science and technology were administered under combined ICT-science portfolios.
Sources
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fakir_Mahbub_Anam_Swapan
- https://en.prothomalo.com/bangladesh/government/g8mziy0c9f
- https://most.gov.bd/pages/office-heads/%E0%A6%9C%E0%A6%A8%E0%A6%BE%E0%A6%AC-%E0%A6%AB%E0%A6%95%E0%A6%BF%E0%A6%B0-%E0%A6%AE%E0%A6%BE%E0%A6%B9%E0%A6%AC%E0%A7%81%E0%A6%AC-%E0%A6%86%E0%A6%A8%E0%A6%BE%E0%A6%AE-auyi72-6994b4275f4dd887fe7f9c3f
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ministry_of_Science_and_Technology_(Bangladesh)
- https://most.gov.bd/
- https://mof.gov.bd/site/budget_mof/29de9891-6e95-42d3-88b5-db21923c721e/Ministry-of-Science-and-Technology
- https://www.thedailystar.net/news/environment/natural-resources/energy/news/rooppur-nuclear-power-plant-gets-commissioning-license-first-units-fuel-loading-4153406
- https://www.bssnews.net/news-flash/378708
- https://viewsbangladesh.com/baera-grants-commissioning-license-for-fuel-loading-at-nuclear-plant/
- https://www.bssnews.net/news-flash/382301
- https://www.thedailystar.net/news/environment/natural-resources/energy/news/first-fuel-loading-rooppur-power-plant-milestone-explained-4161731
- https://en.prothomalo.com/bangladesh/8rwdwsnif8
- https://www.tbsnews.net/bangladesh/cost-rooppur-nuclear-power-project-increase-tk26181cr-after-exchange-rate-adjustment
- https://world-nuclear.org/information-library/country-profiles/countries-a-f/bangladesh
- https://www.bssnews.net/news/374371
- https://businessinbangladesh.com.bd/science-and-technology-are-the-foundation-of-development-and-security-fakir-mahbub-anam/
- https://www.bssnews.net/news-flash/387535
- https://bcsir.gov.bd/
- https://services.most.gov.bd/en/organization/bcsir