REJAUL KARIM BYRON

The proposed budget for next fiscal year has set aside Tk 158,498 crore for partial implementation of new pay scale for government employees and as block allocation for projects to be developed in line with the BNP’s electoral pledges.

Of the sum, Tk 44,000 crore will go towards the new pay scale and Tk 114,498 crore for projects, according to the budget documents.

Although Finance Minister Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury announced in his budget speech that the new pay scale will come into effect from July 1, he did not specify the method of implementation.

And no additional allocation has been made in the salary and allowances section of the budget document, as is usually the case.

Finance ministry officials said the allocation has been kept under the Net Public Service head.

In this head, the allocation has been increased by Tk 54,572 crore from this year’s revised allocation, bringing it to Tk 141,444 crore for the upcoming fiscal year.

Some Tk 44,000 crore has been allocated to implement the new pay scale. From this allocation, the government will provide the necessary funds for government officials and employees, pensioners and MPO-listed teachers and staff, according to the rate at which the pay scale is implemented.

The government committee on the Pay Commission is still working on the modus operandi. Decisions will be made after receiving their recommendations, said finance ministry officials.

It is likely that 50 percent of the basic salary will be implemented in the upcoming fiscal year, the remaining 50 percent in the following fiscal year and allowances in the third year.

As for the block allocation for unapproved projects, they said the new government did not get sufficient time to prepare projects in line with its electoral pledges.

As a result, one-third of the annual development programme has been kept in block allocations for new projects in sectors such as health and education.

“Time is needed to design suitable projects that would truly improve the quality of education and health. For this reason, the proposal for block allocations was made,” said one of the officials.

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