Mst. Nasima Begum is Member (Secretary) of Planning Commission. She obtained BA (Honours) and MA from the Department of English of Dhaka University in 1984 and 1985 respectively. She has worked in the Ministry of Information, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Ministry of Public Administration, NGO Affairs Bureau, Ministry of Water Resources and the Cabinet Division in her long career. In 2001, she obtained her second MA in Development Administration from Australian National University (ANU) with AusAid scholarship, while she was involved in several research projects: Government-NGO Relationship in Bangladesh, 1991-2001: Influencing Factors and Future Prospects; Work Motivation and Productivity; and Conflict Resolution Process in the Chittagong Hill Tracts. She has visited several countries for training and workshop.