The allowances for the country’s freedom fighters, who did not receive any gallantry awards, will be increased to Tk5,000 from this month; it was previously Tk3,000 per month.
According to a gazette of the Liberation War Affairs Ministry, there are around 200,170 listed freedom fighters who will receive the benefit.
The Ministry of Finance has already sent a proposal to the Prime Minister’s Office in this regard, after the premier her consent to the allowance increase.
Liberation War Affairs Minister AKM Mozammel Haque told the Dhaka Tribune that the freedom fighters would receive Tk5,000 as monthly allowance from January, since their allowances were yet to be disbursed.
The minister said the Prime Minister gave consent to increase the allowances of the freedom fighters in consideration of the rising prices of essential commodities and the salary hikes of the service holders. The premier has asked the finance ministry to prepare a proposal in this regard, added the minister.
“I have also talked with Finance Minister AMA Muhith about the allowance hike and he said he had approved it,” he added. The government last increased the allowances for 217 gallantry award-receiving freedom fighters on July 22, 2013 with the approval of the cabinet in the same day.
Cabinet Secretary Mohammad Mosharraf Hossain Bhuiyan, had said there were 676 gallantry award-receiving freedom fighters (Bir Shreshtha, Bir Uttam, Bir Bikram and Bir Protik) in the country, of them 217 were civilians and the rest were from different security forces.
There are seven Bir Shreshtha, 18 Bir Uttam, 175 Bir Bikrom and 426 Bir Protik.
Mosharraf said: “After the Liberation War, the then government fixed the allowances for the freedom fighters, considering the financial situation and market prices, which were Tk200, Tk150, Tk125 and Tk100 for Bir Shreshthas, Bir Uttams, Bir Bikroms and Bir Protiks respectively.” According to the minister, the allowances for gallantry award-receiving military and uniformed freedom fighters was increased in 2011, but the allowances of civilian freedom fighters were not enhanced.
The government later decided to enhance the allowances for the four categories of civilian gallantry award-receiving freedom fighters to Tk12,000, Tk10,000, Tk8,000 and Tk6,000 respectively.