5,20,000 pensioners as the new pay scale 

The government will have to spend an additional Tk 36.91 billion (Tk 3,691 crore 34 lakh) for 5,20,000 pensioners as the new pay scale may ensure them 40% to 50% hike, sources in finance ministry and cabinet said.

However, the pensioners will only be able to know about the raise officially after the finance ministry issues a gazette notification on the eighth pay scale. The pension of the retired public servants has been increased since 1 July and the pensioners will be able to draw it in a month.

Pensioners up to 65 years will enjoy 40 per cent increase, and 50 per cent above 65 years. The hike will integrate their dearness allowance. Moreover, minimum pension for the retired government employees will be Tk 2,000.

According to the pay structure, the pensioners will get Tk 1,500 medical allowance up to 65 years and Tk 2,500 above 65 years.

A finance ministry official said that one of his relatives used to get Tk 4,100 as pension. After the pay scale, he will be drawing Tk 8,650 per month as his pension rose by 50 per cent and medical allowance will be Tk 2,500 instead of Tk 1,500. Moreover, he will get 20 per cent festival allowance of his basic salary thrice a year including Bangla New Year.

However, it is not clear whether the pensioners will get annual increment or not like government employees, according to new pay scale.

When asked about this, cabinet secretary Mosharraf Hossain Bhuiyan, told Prothom Alo that the finance ministry will issue a gazette notification to explain all the details of the pay scale.

A retired government official said the pay commission talked to them before announcing the pay structure. They recommended 80 to 90 per cent hike for pensioners. And so it was frustrating for them to find only 40 to per cent raise, he said.

However, former secretary Mahe Alam thinks the pension hike is not that small as there is a large number of pensioners in the country.