Finance Minister AMA Muhith said the government was trying to give salaries to the public servants before the Eid-ul-Azha as per the new pay scale.

"We are trying to materialise this," he said yesterday replying to a question from journalists whether the government would be able to give salaries to the public servants as per the new pay scale before the Eid.

The final recommendations of the seventh pay scale for the civil servants will be placed in today's cabinet meeting to be chaired by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. i The new pay scale will be declared today if it is approved in the cabinet meeting, Muhithsaid.

He told newsmen at a press briefing at the Economic Relations Division that if the cabinet decides on the new pay scale today the public servants would have it. He said if any minor corrections are required to the pay scale its declaration might be delayed by a day or two. He said the government wants to give the pay scale at the earliest.

The finance minister did | not say anything about the

range of the pay. Sources, however, said the lowest pay would be Tk 4,100; while the highest will beTk 40,000.

Pointing out discrepancy in house rent and transportation, he said these should not be equal for public servants posted in Dhaka and outside. "I wanted to create an equity in real income in the pay scale this time. But it could not be done."

An expectation has been created among the civil servants about the probable salary scale before the government declared the new pay scale. Muhith said, "If I suggest

highest salary ofTk 35,000 and minimum salary of Tk 3,500 now the civil servants would crack my head."

In response to a query, Muhith said the government has no immediate plan to increase retirement age of the government officials.

The 7th pay commission was formed in September last year with the then finance secretary Mustafizur Rahman as its chairman. The commission submitted its report in last April.

On the basis of the report, the cabinet formed a secretary committee to finalise the pay

scale. The committee also .recommended, separate pay scales for the judges and the armed forces personnel, which would be placed in today's cabinet meeting.

If the cabinet approves the pay scale it would come into effect from July last and the civil servants would get only basic salary according to the new pay scale in the current fiscal year, sources said.

About Tk 3,500 crore additional allocation has been made in the current fiscal year's budget to meet the extra money required for materialising the new pay scale.