BSS, Dhaka :
Citing the election manifesto of the ruling Awami League, Finance Minister A M A Muhith today said the government is mulling to introduce pension schemes for the employees of the organised private sectors in future alongside the existing national pension scheme.
“Nearly 20 lakh government officials and employees are enjoying the national pension scheme and we are now planning to introduce the scheme in the organised private sector to cover another 30 lakh employees of the sectors . if it is done the total number would rise to 50 lakh,” he said.
The Finance Minister hinted the government intention while addressing at the National Dialogue-I on the Draft National Social Protection Strategy of Bangladesh as chief guest at NEC conference room in city’s Sher-e-Banglanagar.
Muhith said the election manifesto of the present government envisioned to introduce pension schemes in all private organizations by 2018 and ensure social security by 2021.
“We’ll now have to have a farsighted thinking for our social safety net programmes as in the next five years, we’re certainly going to have a powerful local government, which is the biggest promise of this government,” he added.
The finance minister stressed the need for a national database for the various pension schemes to avert overlapping and remove the errors.
General Economics Division (GED) of the Planning Commission organised the dialogue to formulate the National Social Protection Strategy (NSPS). Social Welfare Minister Syed Mohsin Ali and Prime Minister’s Economic Affairs Adviser Dr Moshiur Rahman spoke on the occasion as special guests with Planning Minister A H M Mustafa Kamal in the chair.
Cabinet Secretary M Musharraf Hossain Bhuiyan, also the chairman of the core committee of the draft NSPS and Bangladesh Bank Governor Dr Atiur Rahman also spoke on the occasion.
GED member Prof Dr Shamsul Alam made the keynote presentation at the dialogue on the NSPS.
A H M Mustafa Kamal said country’s poverty rate came down to around 26 percent from 40 percent due to the proactive role of the immediate past government and the present government.
The planning minister said some changes could be made in the existing social safety net programmes to make those more effective.
However, the Finance Minister claimed the extreme poverty rate in the country is now 11 percent while that of poverty rate at 26 percent. He also proposed changing of the Strategy to “National Plan for Social Security.”
