Abdur Rouf Talukder
{{Short description|Former Governor of Bangladesh Bank (Born 1964)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2024}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| name = Abdur Rouf Talukder
| native_name = আব্দুর রউফ তালুকদার
| native_name_lang = bn
| office = 12th Governor of Bangladesh Bank
| president = {{ubl|Mohammad Abdul Hamid|Mohammed Shahabuddin}}
| primeminister = {{ubl|Sheikh Hasina|Muhammad Yunus {{small|(Chief adviser)}}}}
| termstart = 4 July 2022
| term_end = 9 August 2024
| predecessor = Fazle Kabir
| successor = Ahsan H. Mansur
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1964|08|15|df=y}}
| spouse = Selina Rawshan
| alma_mater = {{ubl|St. Joseph Higher Secondary School|University of Dhaka|University of Birmingham}}
}}
Abdur Rouf Talukder is a former governor of the Bangladesh Bank who served during 2022–2024. Prior to this position, he had served as the senior secretary of the Ministry of Finance. He previously served as a director of Biman Bangladesh Airlines.{{Cite web |title=Biman Bangladesh Airlines Official Website |url=https://www.biman-airlines.com/BoardofDirectors |access-date=2021-09-17 |website=www.biman-airlines.com}}
Early life
Talukder was born on 15 August 1964 in Sirajganj District, East Pakistan, present day Bangladesh.{{Cite news |title=Abdur Rouf Talukder made new acting finance secretary |url=https://www.jagonews24.com/en/business/news/40335 |access-date=2021-09-17 |work=jagonews24.com |language=en-US}}{{Cite news |date=2018-07-16 |title=Abdur Rouf Talukder appointed as acting secretary of Finance Division |url=https://www.dhakatribune.com/bangladesh/government-affairs/2018/07/16/abdur-rouf-talukder-appointed-as-acting-secretary-of-finance-division |access-date=2021-09-17 |work=Dhaka Tribune}}
Education
Talukder passed SSC from St. Joseph Higher Secondary School and completed his Master's in Business Administration from the Institute of Business Administration of the University of Dhaka. He has a second master's degree in development studies from the University of Birmingham.
In addition, Talukder attended a number of professional training courses at Harvard Kennedy School of Government, Boston, USA; IMF Institute, Washington DC, US; Crown Agents Training & Professional Development Center, London, UK; Institute of Public Finance (IPF), Dhaka, etc.
Career
Talukder joined the Bangladesh Civil Service in 1985.{{Cite news |title=Abdur Rouf Talukder appointed new finance secretary |url=https://bdnews24.com/bangladesh/2018/07/16/abdur-rouf-talukder-appointed-new-finance-secretary |access-date=2021-09-17 |work=bdnews24.com}} He was a member of Bangladesh Civil Service Administration Cadre.
In October 2017, Talukder was appointed the additional secretary of budget and macroeconomics in the Finance Division of the Ministry of Finance.
Talukder was appointed the acting secretary of the Ministry of Finance on 16 July 2018. He replaced Mohammad Muslim Chowdhury.{{Cite news |title=Talukder appointed as acting finance secretary |url=https://en.banglatribune.com/business/news/7503/Talukder-appointed-as-acting-finance-secretary |access-date=2021-09-17 |work=Bangla Tribune |language=en}}
At a conference organised by Bangladesh Institute of Development Studies, Talukder blamed the Ministry of Health for failing to spend their budget during the COVID-19 pandemic in Bangladesh.{{Cite news |date=2021-06-10 |title=Funds abundant, but ministry can't spend |url=https://www.thedailystar.net/frontpage/news/funds-abundant-ministry-cant-spend-2107921 |access-date=2021-09-17 |work=The Daily Star |language=en}} He received the FY 2020-21 Integrity Award from the government of Bangladesh.{{Cite news |title=No let-up in efforts to change people's fate amid Covid-19: PM |url=https://www.rtvonline.com/english/bangladesh/7130/No-let-up-in-efforts-to-change-peoples-fate-amid-Covid-19-PM |access-date=2021-09-17 |work=RTV |language=en}} On 21 September 2021, he was promoted to the rank of senior secretary.{{Cite news |date=2020-09-21 |title=Two promoted to senior secretary post |url=https://www.tbsnews.net/bangladesh/two-promoted-senior-secretary-posts-135799 |access-date=2021-09-17 |work=The Business Standard |language=en}}
Talukder served as a director of Bangladesh Foreign Trade Institute and Bangladesh Public Administration Training Centre.{{Cite web |title=Our Board of Directors – BFTI |url=https://bfti.org.bd/?page_id=24 |access-date=2021-09-17 |language=en-US}}{{Cite web |title=Board Members |url=http://www.bpatc.org.bd/index.php?pageid=124 |access-date=2021-09-17 |website=www.bpatc.org.bd}} He was part of a delegation led by Salman F. Rahman to the World Bank.{{Cite news |title=WB lauds Bangladesh's economic growth despite downturn |url=https://www.unb.com.bd/category/Bangladesh/wb-lauds-bangladeshs-economic-growth-despite-downturn/76308 |access-date=2021-09-17 |work=UNB |language=en}} He is a director of Hotels International Limited.{{Cite web |title=Board of Directors – HIL |url=https://www.hil-bd.org/board-of-directors/ |access-date=2021-09-17 |language=en-US}}
He worked in wide range of government positions in his long illustrious career but his specialization in public finance and economic management has brought him back to Finance Division at almost every rank of his career. He worked more than 18 years in Finance Division before elevating to the position of Finance Secretary on 17 July 2018.
Apart from his long career in Finance Division, Talukder has served in Ministry of Industries, Ministry of Food, and Ministry of Information. He also worked at Bangladesh High Commission, Kuala Lumpur as First Secretary (Commercial).
On 11 June 2022, government appointed Talukder as the governor of Bangladesh Bank.{{Cite news |title=Bangladesh appoints Abdur Rouf Talukder as central bank governor |url=https://bdnews24.com/bangladesh/bangladesh-appoints-abdur-rouf-talukder-as-central-bank-governor |access-date=2022-06-11 |work=bdnews24.com |date=11 June 2022}} On 9 August 2024 he has resigned from his post. He has not been attending his office since 5 August, when Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina resigned and fled the country in the face of a mass uprising led by the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement.{{Cite web |date=2024-08-09 |title=Bangladesh Bank Governor Abdur Rouf resigns |url=https://www.tbsnews.net/economy/banking/bangladesh-bank-governor-abdur-rouf-resigns-913001 |access-date=2024-08-09 |website=The Business Standard |language=en}}
Criticism
In a New York-based Global Finance magazine ranking, Talukder got D grade as a governor while Sri Lanka central bank governor got A− grade, and Shaktikanta Das, the governor of Central bank of India, got A+.{{Cite news |date=2023-09-26 |title=Global Finance's report card: Why Bangladesh Bank governor got D. Who got A+? |url=https://www.tbsnews.net/economy/global-finance-magazine-grades-abdur-rouf-talukder-d-governor-707422 |access-date=2023-09-26 |work=The Business Standard |language=en}}
Talukder banned journalists from the premises of Bangladesh Bank, an unprecedented move, which resulted in journalists boycotting coverage of Talukder.{{Cite news |last=Rahman |first=Waliur |date=2024-06-10 |title=Bangladesh Bank governor and an unprecedented incident |url=https://en.prothomalo.com/business/mtb7s1pn2t |access-date=2024-06-11 |work=Prothom Alo |language=en}}{{Cite news |last=Hassan |first=Sohrab |date=2024-05-20 |title=Bangladesh Bank: Journalists can't enter but loan defaulters can? |url=https://en.prothomalo.com/opinion/6si8hsx44m |access-date=2024-06-11 |work=Prothom Alo |type=Opinion |language=en}}
References
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{{Governor of Bangladesh bank}}
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Category:People from Sirajganj District
Category:University of Dhaka alumni