Government raises mobile phone allowance for ministers and secretaries to Tk 75,000

The government has increased mobile phone allowances five times to Tk 75,000 for ministers, state ministers, deputy ministers and secretaries.

Senior Correspondentbdnews24.com
Published : 21 May 2018, 08:26 AM
Updated : 21 May 2018, 10:06 AM

The bills for the mobile phones will also be paid from the Treasury.

The cabinet approved the proposal as part of a draft of the ‘Government Telephone, Cellular, Fax and Internet Policy 2018’ at a meeting on Monday.

Cabinet Secretary Mohammad Shafiul Alam discussed the decision with the media at a briefing after the meeting chaired by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.

A similar policy had been coordinated in 2004, he said. A new draft was made last year, which was approved on Monday after scrutiny.

The relevant policy had been revised on Jun 24, 2010 to grant ministers, state ministers, deputy ministers and secretaries a Tk 15,000 one-off allocation for mobile phones. The allocation was increased by 500 percent in the new draft to Tk 75,000.

The cabinet has also instructed that Supreme Court judges be added to the list and that their international roaming charges and those of top foreign ministry officials be covered, he added.

“The adjustment has been made after consideration of the current market,” Alam said.

“High-end Android phones are not available for less than Tk 75,000 and so the allocation has been set at Tk 75,000.”

“Ministers, state ministers, deputy ministers and secretaries do not have a set bill. The bills on postpaid SIMs will be paid accordingly.”

Additional secretaries and joint secretaries will not receive a phone set, but a monthly Tk 1,500 mobile phone stipend, which has been increased from the previous level of Tk 600 per month, Alam said.

“Only the amount of the stipend has been increased,” he said. “No other changes have been implemented.”