9th Pay Scale May Cause Slight Rise in Inflation, Adviser Says
Dhaka, Bangladesh: The new pay scale approved by the BNP-led government for public servants could cause a slight increase in inflation, Prime Minister’s Adviser Zahed Ur Rahman said.
“If the salaries of this many people — meaning government employees — actually increase, there is some possibility of inflation rising a little,” Rahman said at the government’s weekly press briefing at the Secretariat.
He acknowledged that inflation remains “very high” but said the situation has improved somewhat from its previous double-digit levels.
“In a country like ours, there should of course be some inflation. If it is up to 5% or 6%, it is good or manageable. But ours reached double digits and crossed that level,” he said. “At this moment, it has come down a little again, at least according to what our data says.”
Rahman also addressed the country’s ongoing power shortage, acknowledging that Dhaka is experiencing increased load-shedding as the government seeks to distribute the burden more evenly across the country.
The government previously placed a larger share of power cuts on rural areas, he said, but has decided that the crisis should be shared more broadly.
“This government has decided that people will share the crisis,” Rahman said, adding that increased load-shedding in Dhaka is helping improve electricity supplies to industries and other important consumers outside the capital.
On law and order, Rahman said murder cases have risen slightly compared with the period under the interim government, while incidents of theft, robbery and mugging have declined.
He said the government continues to face challenges in restoring the effectiveness and confidence of the police force.
“The interim government and we are working in a specific context,” he said. “We are working with a police force whose morale was completely destroyed. That police force has yet to fully regain its confidence.”
