Power and Energy Advisor Muhammad Fauzul Kabir Khan said that despite recommending a salary increase of 100 to 147 percent for government employees after almost a decade, the interim government does not have the authority to implement the proposal.
Speaking to reporters after a meeting of the Procurement Advisory Committee at the Secretariat on Tuesday, he said the National Pay Commission had only given a report. “This government will not be able to implement it. It is a matter of step-by-step implementation, which is basically the responsibility of the next elected government,” he said.
Fauzul Kabir Khan said that the government has already formed a committee to review the recommendations of the Pay Commission. However, in the current situation, there is no fear that if this recommendation is implemented, it will have an impact on commodity prices, because the government is not implementing it.
On national security and defense issues, he said that the initiative to form a ‘defense zone’ for the armed forces is in its initial stage and only a decision has been made to allocate land for the time being. He also mentioned that he is not aware of any information about purchasing fighter jets or drones from China or Pakistan.
Regarding the Cricket World Cup, the advisor said, “Bangladesh has not done anything immoral. We have only asked for an alternative venue. Just as India has not played in Pakistan for a long time, Bangladesh is also interested in participating in the World Cup.”
It is worth noting that about 1.5 million government officials and employees are currently receiving salaries under the 2015 pay scale. There was dissatisfaction among government employees due to the lack of a new salary structure for a long time. In view of this, the interim government formed a 23-member National Pay Commission in July last year.
The commission submitted its report to Chief Advisor Professor Muhammad Yunus on January 21 of this month. The report recommended a significant increase in salaries and allowances, while keeping the 20-grade structure unchanged and setting the minimum salary at Tk 20,000 and the maximum at Tk 160,000.