The Ninth National Pay Commission has recommended a sharp increase in the salaries and allowances of government employees, ranging from 100% to 142%, while keeping the existing 20-grade pay structure unchanged.
Under the proposed pay scale, the minimum basic salary at the 20th grade has been set at Tk20,000, up from the current Tk8,250, while the maximum basic salary at the first grade has been fixed at Tk1,60,000, compared to the existing Tk78,000.
The 23-member Pay Commission, headed by former finance secretary Zakir Ahmed Khan, submitted its report to Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus at the State Guest House Jamuna on Wednesday, three weeks ahead of the stipulated deadline.
The commission was formed on July 27 last year and was given six months to complete its task, with the deadline originally set for February 14.
Speaking at the handover ceremony, Finance Adviser Salehuddin Ahmed said the next step would be to determine how the recommendations would be implemented.
For that purpose, a separate committee will be formed to work out the implementation mechanism.
The meeting was also attended by Special Assistant to the Chief Adviser Anisuzzaman Chowdhury, Finance Secretary Khairuzzaman Majumdar, and all full-time and part-time members of the commission.
The government will issue a formal notification after reviewing the recommendations.
Commission chief Zakir Ahmed Khan said implementing the proposed pay structure would require an additional Tk1,06,000 crore.
Currently, the government spends around Tk1,31,000 crore annually on salaries for about 14 lac government employees and pensions for nearly nine lac pensioners.
Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus expressed satisfaction after receiving the report, describing it as a “huge task” that people had been waiting for a long time.
“After seeing the outline, I realized this has been a very creative task,” he said, thanking the commission members for their work.
According to commission sources, opinions from 2.36 lac participants were collected through an online survey during the preparation of the report.
Issues such as inflation, cost of living and living standards were taken into consideration.
The commission has recommended that the revised pay structure be implemented partially from January 1, with full implementation beginning from July 1 - the start of the 2026–27 fiscal year.
Among other proposals, the commission has suggested increasing the Boishakhi allowance for government employees from the existing 20% to 50%.
It has also recommended expanding eligibility for travel allowance, which is currently available to employees in grades 11 to 20, to include those in the 10th grade as well.
Pensioners are also set to benefit significantly under the proposal.
Pensioners receiving less than Tk20,000 per month would see a 100% increase in their pensions.
Those receiving between Tk20,000 and Tk40,000 would get a 75% increase, while pensioners drawing more than Tk40,000 would receive a 55% hike.
In addition, the commission has proposed age-based medical allowances for pensioners.
Those above 75 years of age would receive a medical allowance of Tk10,000 per month, while those aged below 55 would receive Tk5,000, with intermediate rates for other age groups.
The report also recommends a differentiated house rent structure, with comparatively lower rates for employees in grades one to ten and higher rates for those in grades 11 to 20.
Sources said separate pay commissions will be formed later to finalize salary structures for the armed forces and the judiciary, following the submission of the general pay commission report.