PM Rejects Proposal to Rename Keraniganj Technical Training Center After Mother

Prime Minister Tarique Rahman has declined a proposal from the Ministry of Expatriates' Welfare and Overseas Employment to rename the Keraniganj Technical Training Center after former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia.

The Keraniganj Technical Training Center, located in Hazratpur, Keraniganj, was established in 2006 and operates under the Bureau of Manpower, Employment and Training. It provides technical and vocational education and training.

According to a source at the Prime Minister’s Office, the ministry submitted the proposal before Eid-ul-Azha, seeking to rename the institution in honor of Khaleda Zia. However, the proposal was not approved by the Prime Minister on Tuesday.

The source further stated that instead of approving the renaming of an existing institution after his mother, the Prime Minister instructed authorities that any such naming should be reserved for a newly established institution. Observers have described the decision as a notable departure from the long-standing political practice of renaming existing public institutions after prominent political figures.

A senior official at the Prime Minister’s Office said that the Prime Minister wrote in the proposal note that if a new name is to be given, it should be attached to a newly created institution rather than an existing one.

This is not the first time Prime Minister Tarique Rahman has rejected a government proposal. Earlier, he declined a request for a delegation of five officials, including Shahadat Hossain, Mayor of the Chattogram City Corporation, to travel to the United States to study innovative mosquito-control methods.

According to the Prime Minister’s Press Wing, which issued a statement on Monday, Tarique Rahman remarked that there was no need to travel to Florida to learn about mosquito control. He reportedly suggested that spending time near a local stagnant water body after sunset could provide sufficient insight into the problem and inspire innovative solutions at home.

The decision has drawn attention as an example of the Prime Minister’s emphasis on avoiding personality-based renaming of existing institutions and promoting a different approach to public administration.