Body reviews separate pay scale for BB officials today

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Shakhawat Hossain
The national advisory committee for fixation of salaries and removal of anomalies will meet today (Monday) to review proposals on adopting a separate pay-scale for the central bank officials and salary adjustment of three other state bodies, official sources said.
The committee chairman, finance adviser Mirza Azizul Islam, will chair the meeting, which will examine whether a separate pay structure for the Bangladesh Bank officials will pose any technical problem to any other state body that enjoys autonomy.
Demands for salary adjustment by the ministry of public works for its audit department and by the ministry of the home affairs for the national security intelligence (NSI), fire service and civil defence will also be discussed at the review meeting, official sources added.
The meeting will be attended by two other committee members -- advisers for the labour and manpower and the local government. It will be held at the office of finance and planning adviser.
Source said the Ministry of Finance (MoF) has already scrutinised the proposals of the central bank and the demand of the ministries of public works and home affairs before forwarding those for a review by the committee.
The central bank proposed for a separate and independent pay structure for its officials last month.
Its proposal for introducing separate pay structure is almost similar to that of the Reserve Bank of India and the State Bank of Pakistan. The central bank has long been demanding introduction of such independent pay structure.
According to the MoF officials, the central bank proposed pay hike for dozen of posts.
The hike in the amount of salary for the governor and the deputy governor has been sought at Tk 40,000 and Tk 35,000 respectively. The governor and the deputy governor now receive Tk 23,500 and Tk 23,000 as per existing pay structure.
Besides, the pay-hike for the central bank executive directors and advisers, who receive salaries between Tk 19,300 and Tk 22,000 at present, has been proposed at Tk 27,000 and Tk 35,000.
The ministry of home affairs has proposed adjustment of salaries for its constables, field officers and junior field officers working in the NSI in line with the salaries of those inducted from the Army.
The present pay structure of Tk 2,400 has been proposed to be increased by Tk 28,00 to Tk 3,000 for them. The ministry also sought pay increase at a similar range for the firemen.
The national advisory committee that met last time in August in 2006 will examine the proposal by the ministry of public works to reduce the salary gap of their audit officials compared with the officials in the Auditor General (AG) office.