9th pay scale: Govt employees’ basic pay to rise by up to 100pc
A recommendation has been made to raise the basic salaries of government employees in Grades 1 to 20 by up to 100 per cent.
The increase would be implemented in two phases, with the revised basic salaries taking effect in the first year, followed by house rent and other allowances in the second. All members of the committee have signed the final report.
The Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) has published an e-book titled 180 Days of the People’s Government, outlining the government’s activities during its first 180 days.
Under the subheading “Ninth Pay Scale: Good News for Government Employees”, the book sets out details of the proposed implementation of the new pay scale.
According to the publication, Tk898.36 billion has been allocated for salaries and allowances in the 2026–27 financial year, while the total allocation, including pensions and gratuities, stands at Tk1414.34 billion.
Nearly a decade after the 8th pay commission, the interim government formed the 23-member 9th national pay commission on 27 July 2025.
The commission submitted its report to then Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus on 21 January this year. Former Finance Secretary Zakir Ahmed Khan headed the commission.
While retaining the existing 20 grades, the Zakir Ahmed Khan commission had recommended increasing salaries and allowances by between 100 and 140 per cent.
It proposed raising the minimum basic salary from Tk8,250 to Tk20,000 and the maximum from Tk78,000 to Tk160,000.
Later, following the formation of the government by the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), a 10-member committee was formed, headed by Cabinet Secretary Nasimul Ghani, on 21 April to recommend the implementation of the new pay structure for government employees.
The committee includes the principal secretary to the prime minister, the finance secretary, public administration secretary, law secretary, defence secretary, secondary and higher education secretary, health services secretary, principal staff officer of the Armed Forces Division and the comptroller and auditor general.
Earlier, the finance minister had announced while presenting the national budget in Parliament on 11 June that the new pay structure for government employees would be implemented from 1 July.
In his budget speech, he said government employees had been receiving salaries and allowances under the same pay structure for nearly 11 years, while the cost of living had risen substantially during this period because of inflation.
The proposed budget for the 2026–27 financial year allocates Tk898.36 billion for salaries and allowances for government officers and employees under its economic analysis of recurrent and development expenditure.