Government officials will receive more allowance to have their phone and internet bills paid by the state.
The Ministry of Public Administration has proposed that high-level government officials receive Tk50,000 as a one-time allowance to purchase mobile handsets.
The proposal is part of the draft for the Government Telephone and Internet Guideline 2017, Senior Secretary Dr Md Mozammel Hoque Khan confirmed to the Dhaka Tribune.
The Posts and Telecommunications Division additionally proposed that using Teletalk be mandatory on the state-sponsored mobile phones.
The guideline stipulates ministers, state ministers, deputy ministers, cabinet secretaries, senior secretaries, secretaries and acting secretaries will be eligible for the handset allowance, the first of its kind. They can use any internet service on their phone, but BTCL has to be preferred.
The phone and internet bills of ministers, state ministers and deputy ministers will be borne by their respective ministry.
In addition, the new guideline sees the mobile phone allowance increase for public servants. From the highest officials in the administration to the thana executive officers, everyone’s phone and internet bills will be paid for by the government.
Joint secretaries and above will get Tk2,500 for mobile phones and internet
Deputy secretaries and above will get Tk1,000 for mobile phones and internet
The mobile phone allowance will cover the personal secretaries of ministers, state ministers, deputy ministers, and cabinet secretary, PMO principal secretary, senior secretary, secretary, acting secretary and their personal secretaries.
It will also cover PMO officers, joint secretaries and above, members of the government delegation, prime minister’s press secretary, prime ministers’ two personal secretaries, all accompanying the prime minister in her overseas trips, and joint secretaries or above accompanying the president on his overseas trips.
The new guideline also says the phones will also support international roaming. The new additions to the list are the governor of the central bank, Election Commission officials, members of the Public Service Commission, auditor general, anti-corruption commissioner, the director generals of DGFI and NSI, additional inspector general of police, grade 1 officials, heads of departments, directorate generals and agencies, division commissioners, additional division commissioners, deputy superintendents of police, additional district and sessions judges, joint district judges, additional deputy commissioner, additional police superintendent, and grade 1 officers and above.
