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are still awaiting disposal, for which about Tk 7,176 crore is required.

The minister said the government has planned to spend Tk 2,462 crore to settle about 20,500 applications in the current 2025-2026 fiscal year.

Already, 6,000 applications have been settled, and about Tk 700 crore has been paid out, he said.

In addition, a welfare allowance continues to be provided regularly through the welfare trust, which is mainly run through a four percent contribution from the salaries of teachers and employees under MPO.

However, while the trust annually raises about Tk 660 crore, the necessary expenditure is about Tk 840 crore, resulting in a deficit of about Tk 180 crore annually.

The minister said they have taken several steps to address this financial shortfall and speed up the process of paying allowances.

Also, allocating the welfare trust a minimum of Tk 200 crore per fiscal year from the national budget is being considered, and plans have been made to construct its own building and educational complex to transform it into an income-generating institution, he said.

In addition, an initiative has been taken to include the welfare trust as an income tax-exempt organisation, which will save about Tk 7 crore every year.

Besides, in order to make the allowance payment process transparent, fast and digital, an online application system has been introduced from 2018, and money is being transferred directly to the bank accounts of teachers and employees by including it in the iBAS++ system since January 1, 2025, he added.