Govt plans seven SROs for 9th pay scale

The government is preparing seven separate statutory regulatory orders (SROs) to implement the proposed 9th national pay scale for different categories of public employees. The Finance Division is also preparing to fix new salaries online through iBAS++ after the gazette notification is issued.The draft gazette is awaiting completion of the vetting process. Once issued, separate SROs will determine how salaries, allowances and other financial benefits will apply to civil administration, police, Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB), banks and financial institutions, autonomous and state-owned organisations, the armed forces, and the judiciary.A Finance Division official said the separate orders were necessary because of technical and administrative differences among the various services. The implementation process will be expedited after the gazette notification, he said.Under the planned digital system, government employees will enter and verify service information through iBAS++, including designation, grade, current basic salary, joining date, increments, promotions and higher grades. The system will then be used to determine salaries under the new pay structure.iBAS++ already supports government salary, pension, budget and accounting functions, including GPF, loans, income tax calculations and payments through electronic fund transfer (EFT). The government plans to expand its use for the new pay scale. Officials said the existing software will need to be updated to accommodate the new structure, including separate provisions for grades, allowances, promotions and increments. Technical preparations are already under way ahead of the gazette notification.