Govt to act on pay scale after review by committee

The government will take the next steps on implementing the new pay structure for its employees based on the recommendations of a review committee, Prof Rashed Al Mahmud Titumir, PM’s finance and planning adviser, said yesterday.

The adviser made the remarks while speaking to reporters at the finance ministry after a meeting between Prime Minister Tarique Rahman and Finance and Planning Minister Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury.

The finance minister met the PM to seek direction on implementing the pay commission’s recommendations, according to finance ministry officials.

Besides Titumir, Cabinet Secretary Nasimul Ghani and Finance Secretary Md Khairuzzaman Mozumder were present at the meeting.

The interim government formed a 23-member pay commission, led by former finance secretary Zakir Ahmed Khan, to formulate a new pay structure. On January 22, the National Pay Commission submitted its report to the chief adviser.

It recommended increasing salaries and allowances of government employees, with raises ranging between 100 percent and 140 percent. It proposed raising the minimum salary from Tk 8,250 to Tk 20,000 and the highest salary from Tk 78,000 to Tk 1.6 lakh. The report said around Tk 1.06 lakh crore in additional funds would be needed to implement the recommendations.

At present, the government’s total expenditure for around 14 lakh government employees and 9 lakh pensioners stands at Tk 1.31 lakh crore annually.

Sources at the Finance Division said several steps remain before the recommendations can be implemented. As part of this, a nine-member review committee was formed on February 8.

The committee will examine the reports of the National Pay Commission 2025, the Bangladesh Judicial Service Pay Commission 2025, and the Armed Forces Pay Committee 2025, and submit recommendations to the government.

However, after a new government was formed through the February 12 national election, the review committee still could not begin its work due to the lack of direction from the new administration.

After yesterday’s decision, the committee will now continue its work.