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New pay scale draft likely to reach Cabinet today
Published : Monday, 31 August, 2026 at 12:04 PM
Observer Online Report
Collected Photo
The draft of the proposed new pay scale for government employees is expected to be placed before the Cabinet Committee meeting on Monday (August 31) afternoon.
According to planned provisions, the basic salary under the new structure will be effective retroactively from July 1 of this year, though it will be disbursed in phases.
Official sources said the Secretary Committee, headed by Cabinet Secretary Nasimul Gani, initially recommended implementing the new pay scale over two fiscal years. The committee proposed implementing the basic pay from July 1 of the current fiscal year and allowances from July 1 of the following fiscal year.
However, more changes were seen in the final draft prepared for the Cabinet. The revised plan revealed that the new basic salary will take effect from July 1, with the payments distributed incrementally. Exact implementation details remain subject to final Cabinet approval.
Ministry of Finance sources stated that the Cabinet Committee will meet at 5:30 PM on Monday with the Prime Minister presiding. If approved during the meeting, the gazette notification process will begin, which may take one to two weeks.
A finance ministry official mentioned that Finance Minister Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury will hold a preliminary meeting with Prime Minister Tarique Rahman on Monday morning, where the pay scale proposal will also be discussed.
On April 21 of this year, a 10-member committee headed by Cabinet Secretary Nasimul Gani was formed to finalize recommendations for the new pay structure. The committee reviewed recommendations from the Ninth National Pay Commission before finalizing the draft.
The final draft contains several departures from the Ninth National Pay Commission's recommendations. While the commission recommended a 100 to 140 per cent increase in pay and allowances, the Secretary Committee capped its proposal at a maximum 100 per cent increase.
The interim government formed the 23-member Ninth National Pay Commission on July 27, 2025, nearly a decade after the Eighth Pay Commission. Headed by former Finance Secretary Zakir Ahmed Khan, the commission submitted its report to then Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus on January 21 of this year.
The commission recommended maintaining the existing 20 grades while raising salaries and allowances by 100 to 140 per cent. It proposed raising the minimum basic salary from Tk 8,250 to Tk 20,000 and the maximum basic salary from Tk 78,000 to Tk 1,60,000.
According to commission estimates, the government currently spends Tk 1,31,000 crore annually for nearly 1.4 million public employees and 900,000 pensioners. Implementing the new pay scale will require an additional Tk 1,06,000 crore.
Funding the new scale presents a significant challenge for the government due to the massive expenditure required. In the current fiscal year's budget, Tk 1,41,434 crore has been allocated for government employee salaries and allowances, which is Tk 54,572 crore higher than the revised budget of the previous fiscal year.
While presenting the national budget in Parliament on June 11, Finance Minister Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury announced that the new pay structure for public employees would be implemented in phases starting July 1.
He noted that government employees have been receiving salaries under the same structure for nearly 11 years, while inflation has driven up living expenses significantly, prompting the government to introduce the new pay scale.
-SA
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Editor : Iqbal Sobhan Chowdhury
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Editorial, News and Commercial Offices : Aziz Bhaban (2nd floor), 93, Motijheel C/A, Dhaka-1000.
Phone: PABX- 41053001-06; Advertisement: 41053012; 01793317829, 01550707291, E-mail: [email protected], [email protected] Online: email: [email protected] 41053014; 01550707297 Advertisement: 01550707296
