The decision was taken at a recent meeting of the cell formed to implement the government's electoral pledge to introduce monthly honorariums and training-based welfare for imams, muazzins, khadem, and staff of other religious places of worship. The meeting was chaired by Prime Minister's Adviser for Public Administration (with minister status) Md. Ismail Jabiuallah and attended by State Minister for Local Government Mir Shah Alam, MPs Mia Nuruddin Ahmed Apon and Mohammad Shamim Kayser, Secretary for Religious Affairs Munshi Alauddin Al Azad, and Social Welfare Secretary Dr. Mohammad Abu Yousuf, among others.
For the 2026–27 fiscal year, 15 mosques will be selected from each union. In city corporations, six mosques per ward will be chosen; in ‘A’ category municipalities, four per ward; in ‘B’ category, three; and in ‘C’ category, two. For temples, five will be selected from each upazila—two from ‘A’ category municipalities and one from others. The number of Buddhist monasteries and churches will be determined at 25% of the district-level allocation.
Under the scheme, imams of selected mosques, temple priests, Buddhist monastery heads, and church pastors will receive 5,000 taka monthly; muazzins, sebayets, deputy heads, and assistant pastors will get 3,000 taka; and mosque khadem will receive 2,000 taka. Payments will be made directly via EFT to beneficiaries' bank accounts.
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The current budget allocates 1,100 crore taka for this initiative. About one-fourth of religious institutions are being covered this year, with plans to cover all institutions within the next three fiscal years. In the previous 2025–26 fiscal year, 13,949 individuals from 6,017 institutions received honorariums under a pilot project. Prime Minister Tareq Rahman inaugurated the programme on March 14 at the Osmani Memorial Auditorium.