Secretaries Committee Concludes Meeting on 9th National Pay Scale

The high-level Secretaries Committee tasked with evaluating the 9th National Pay Scale concluded its crucial meeting at the Bangladesh Secretariat today. The meeting, which commenced at 11:00 AM under strict administrative review, wrapped up by early afternoon. While official details regarding the final resolutions were not instantly made public, sources close to the development confirmed that the core implementation framework has been structured.

Prioritizing low-income cadres to bridge wage inequality

Responsible sources tied to the pay scale committee indicated that the finalized recommendations heavily favor lower- and mid-tier civil servants. Employees positioned at the bottom two tiers of the administrative spectrum are slated to receive the highest percentage of wage increments and financial benefits, whereas top-tier bureaucrats will receive comparatively smaller structural adjustments. An official attached to the committee explained that the decision to skew benefits toward lower-grade employees was driven by intense inflationary pressures, which disproportionately impact low-income public workers. Furthermore, the committee aims to use this pay scale to significantly narrow the existing income disparity between various administrative grades.

Cost reduction through dearness allowance adjustment

According to technical sources within the Pay Commission, implementing the original, comprehensive pay structure in a single phase would have demanded an additional Taka 43,000 crore from the national exchequer. However, by strategically integrating the existing 10% Dearness Allowance (Mohargho Bhata) currently received by public servants into the baseline calculation of the new structure, the government successfully reduced the immediate fiscal burden down to Taka 37,000 crore. This optimized expenditure layout has been officially proposed for allocation in the upcoming national budget.

Broad jurisdictional coverage and approval roadmap

The policy formulation follows consecutive strategic budget sessions held last Wednesday and Thursday between Prime Minister Tarique Rahman and cabinet officials at the Secretariat. The 9th National Pay Scale is designed to be highly inclusive. Rather than limiting benefits to the core administration cadre, it explicitly covers public school and college teachers, Bangladesh Police personnel, public healthcare professionals, field-level administration staff, judicial service employees, and personnel of autonomous and semi-autonomous public bodies. Following today's clearance by the re-organized Secretaries Committee, the finalized report will be forwarded to the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) for formal executive endorsement. Once signed by the Prime Minister, the Ministry of Finance will issue the official gazette to commence operations.

Proposed basic salary changes and pension upgrades

The proposed structural guidelines retain the existing 20-grade framework while introducing sharp revisions to baseline pay and post-retirement benefits. For the lowest administrative tier, the minimum basic salary is proposed to rise significantly from Taka 8,250 to Taka 20,000, representing a substantial upgrade. Meanwhile, the maximum basic salary for top-tier officials is recommended to increase from Taka 78,000 to Taka 1,60,000.

Post-retirement packages have also been overhauled using a tiered adjustment system based on current earnings. Pensioners who currently receive below Taka 20,000 per month are slated for a near 100% increment. For retired individuals drawing between Taka 20,000 and Taka 40,000 monthly, the committee has proposed a 75% rise, while those receiving above Taka 40,000 per month are expected to see a 55% bump in their benefits.

Phased rollout amid economic challenges

Earlier on Monday, Finance and Planning Minister Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury reaffirmed that the new salary framework will legally take effect on July 1, marking the official start of the 2026-27 fiscal year. However, the minister openly addressed the country's tight fiscal situation, citing a fragile domestic economy and a low revenue-to-GDP collection ratio. Due to these overlapping constraints, the expansive recommendations of the commission will be trimmed and executed in three distinct phases over three consecutive fiscal years to protect the treasury from sudden liquidity strains and avoid fueling market inflation.