Pay commission for govt employees constituted

A new pay commission has been formed to determine the revised salary structure for government officials and employees, in tune with interim government's pledge for pay rises.
"Former Finance Secretary and current Chairman of the Palli Karma-Sahayak Foundation Zakir Ahmed Khan has been appointed head of the commission," said Shafiqul Alam, Press Secretary to the Chief Adviser, during a briefing on Thursday.
The commission has been instructed to submit its report within six months.
The decision was made at a meeting of the Council of Advisers of the interim government held Thursday with Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus presiding.
At present, government officials and employees are paid according to the 2015 pay scale. The total number of government employees currently stands at approximately 1.5 million. For over two years, the country has been experiencing high inflation, which has significantly reduced people's real income. Against this backdrop, the new pay commission has been formed to revise the existing salary structure.
Discussions regarding a dearness allowance for government employees began in November 2024, following the assumption of office by this government.
A committee was formed in January 2025 to explore the possibility of introducing the allowance. However, facing criticism because of the country's prevailing financial constraints, the government later backtracked on the pay-hike plan.
Subsequently, in the current fiscal year's budget, Finance Adviser Salehuddin Ahmed announced special benefits for government officials and employees.
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