Village police pay raised, retirement benefits increased: PM announces

Prime Minister Tarique Rahman has announced a significant increase in the monthly pay and retirement benefits of village police members, who are engaged in maintaining security and order at the grassroots level. The head of government made the announcement while attending a grand rally of the village police held at the National Parade Ground in Tejgaon in the capital on Saturday afternoon.

Under the new decision, the monthly pay of ordinary village police members has been raised from 7,500 taka to 10,500 taka.

For village police chiefs, the monthly pay has been raised from 8,000 taka to 11,000 taka.

Alongside pay, the government has also expanded the scope of retirement gratuity for the members. The one-time retirement benefit for ordinary village police members has been raised from 70,000 taka to 80,000 taka.

For village police chiefs, the one-time retirement benefit has been raised from 80,000 taka to one lakh taka.

The Prime Minister said the government has taken the initiative to implement these public-welfare decisions from the historic 7 November itself.

At the grand rally, the Prime Minister highlighted the importance of the village police in ensuring security at the grassroots, saying their contribution to keeping every village and union of the country safe is immense.

Because they serve at the local level, village police members are the first to witness where any criminal activity is taking place or whether any risk of tension is developing, he said.

If such information reaches the local administration and law enforcement agencies quickly, any criminal activity can be stopped immediately, the Prime Minister said.

Noting that the roots of the country's large population are still in the villages, he said maintaining peace and a normal environment in rural areas must be given the highest priority to build a prosperous and safe state.

Criticising the previous fascist rule, the head of government said that prolonged misrule had not only damaged the state structure but had also deeply undermined the foundations of social harmony and mutual compassion.

He said political and group conflicts had spread the poison of revenge even to the grassroots, and that administrative force alone is not enough to remove this social decay and criminal tendency. Calling for the revival of mutual harmony and religious and moral values in society, he urged village police members, as the closest representatives of the local administration, to play an effective role in restoring harmony by standing beside ordinary people.