New govt pay structure: Delay in decision will complicate situation: Debapriya Bhattacharya

Debapriya Bhattacharya, distinguished fellow of the Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD) and convener of the Citizen’s Platform for SDG Implementation, believes the government lacks the political courage to introduce a new pay structure for government employees.

He said keeping the issue pending will not reduce the problem; rather, the situation will become more complicated the longer the government delays taking a decision.

Debapriya Bhattacharya made the remarks at a media dialogue organised by CPD on the government’s six-month performance at CPD’s office in the capital’s Dhanmondi on Monday.

CPD’s another distinguished fellow Mustafizur Rahman and additional research director Toufiq-ul Islam Khan were also present.

Debapriya Bhattacharya said, “Even after six months, you have not been able to take a decision on pay and allowances. Why can’t you? There is a major issue, which is financial capacity. There will be a shortfall of Tk 1.4 trillion from the revenue collection target of Tk 6.95 trillion for the current fiscal year.”

Debapriya Bhattacharya further said, “The interim government had left a report on the pay structure, and after evaluating it, a recommendation was made to implement the pay structure in phases, which everyone had also agreed to. Instead of delaying so much, if you had initially provided a 20–25 per cent dearness allowance and asked for some time, that would have been very good. The situation has now been brought to a point that is not good.”

Debapriya Bhattacharya believes keeping the issue pending will not reduce the problem; rather, the situation will become more complicated the longer the government delays. According to him, delays in taking a decision on pay and allowances will also disrupt the government’s other activities.

Regarding the government’s six-month performance, CPD said 95 factories in the country’s three major industrial zones have permanently closed between January and August this year. As a result, 61,881 people have lost their jobs.

Debapriya Bhattacharya said the government inherited some structural difficulties when it took office. The global situation was also not favourable at the time. War broke out. The problem is that the government did not prepare a comprehensive document on the situation it inherited when it assumed responsibility. As a result, it is now difficult to assess various measures and economic progress, he said.

He said the government has repeatedly stated that it took charge amid a difficult situation. But no comprehensive, data-based document was prepared on the situation from which the government took responsibility. As a result, it has now become difficult to reconcile the government’s various statements with statistics, he said.

Mentioning that there were two major expectations from the new government—economic recovery and establishing good governance—Debapriya Bhattacharya said some discomfort has emerged in these areas.

No comprehensive action plan has been seen for the reform programme. Many of the commissions mentioned in the manifesto have also not been implemented, he added.

Debapriya said CPD has prepared a list of around 362 measures to assess the new government’s promises and various steps it has taken. These have been divided into nine categories and are being evaluated under the 'Reform Tracker'.

For good governance, 105 incidents have been included in the assessment. The decision by government MPs not to take plots and cars, the speedy trial of the Ramisa murder case and the initiative to bring discipline to the transport system using artificial intelligence were mentioned as positive measures.

On the other hand, CPD considers the appointment of politically affiliated individuals to senior positions a matter of concern. Debapriya also said the government has deviated from its commitment to making appointments based on merit.