Dhaka, March 8 (The Daily Times of Bangladesh) – Setting an example to the rest of South Asia which has become known for religious discrimination  and hate speech, the Bangladesh Prime Minister Tarique Rahman will inaugurate a government initiative on 14 March that provides monthly allowances to religious leaders of all denominations across the country. The beneficiaries will be Imams, Hindu and Christian priests and Buddhist monks.

Under this new welfare scheme, imams, temple priests, head monks, and church priests will each receive a monthly honourarium of Tk5,000.

Md Ismail Zabiullah, the Prime Minister’s Adviser for Public Administration, announced the details today during a briefing at the Religious Affairs Ministry in the Bangladesh Secretariat.

The adviser stated that establishing a training-based welfare and honourarium system for religious leaders of all faiths was a central election pledge of BNP. This initiative is designed to bolster social and religious harmony throughout the nation.

Zabiullah noted that the current administration, led by Prime Minister Tarique Rahman, has been progressively implementing key promises from its election manifesto, citing the previously launched Family Card and Farmer’s Card as successful examples of these flagship commitments.

Scope of the pilot scheme

The programme will initially be launched as a pilot scheme before the upcoming Eid-ul-Fitr. This first phase covers 4,908 mosques, representing one institution from every union and municipality. For other places of worship, the government has selected 990 temples, 144 Buddhist monasteries across 72 upazilas, and 396 churches situated within 198 upazilas.

While the heads of these institutions receive the Tk5,000 honourarium, secondary staff such as muezzins and assistant monks will receive Tk3,000, and khadems will receive Tk2,000.

Consequently, each mosque is slated to receive a total of Tk 10,000 per month, while other religious institutions will receive Tk 8,000.

Festival bonuses, transparent funding

The scheme also incorporates annual festival allowances to support religious leaders during major celebrations.

Mosque staff will receive Tk1,000 each during Eid-ul-Fitr and Eid-ul-Azha. Meanwhile, priests, sebayets, monks, and church officials will receive Tk2,000 each during Durga Puja, Buddha Purnima, and Christmas.

Adviser Zabiullah confirmed that Tk27.13 crore is required for the programme in the current fiscal year. To ensure transparency and eliminate any possibility of corruption, the funds will be transferred directly to the bank accounts of the beneficiaries through Sonali Bank by 15 March.

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