Dhaka: The cabinet on Monday approved a proposal to create separate 'Department of Telecommunications' (DOT) under the Division of Post and Telecommunications.

The approval was given in the weekly cabinet meeting held at Bangladesh Secretariat with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in the chair.

After the meeting, Cabinet Secretary M Musharraf Hossain Bhuiyan said the department will provide professional and technical support to the government in policy framework in the telecommunications sector.

"It will be an effective but small department with only 238 permanent posts including 81 cadre posts. However, the department will begin its journey with much more cadre and non-cadre staff, out of which 7,536 will gradually be abolished,” he said.

The department will absorb the officials of the telecommunications cadre who are now attached to the state owned BTCL on deputation.

The cabinet secretary said the government can create a department under a ministry through an executive order. But Division of Post and Telecommunications, which is now under the Prime Minister, decided to put the proposal of creating DOT to the cabinet as the matter is related to policy issue.