86,709 religious institutions to come under state honorarium scheme: Ministry
About one-fourth of the country's religious institutions will be covered this fiscal year, with the government planning to extend the scheme to all such institutions within three years.
The government has decided to bring 86,709 religious institutions across the country under the state honorarium allowance programme in the current fiscal year 2026-2027.
A total of 256,074 religious leaders and service workers employed at these institutions will receive the benefit.
Prime Minister Tarique Rahman will formally inaugurate the programme this month, said a ministry press release today (10 August).
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The decision was taken at a recent meeting of the cell formed to introduce monthly honorariums and training-based welfare measures for mosque imams, muezzins and khadems, as well as people working at other religious places of worship, as part of implementing the government's election manifesto.
The meeting said the institutions to be brought under the honorarium allowance include 82,656 mosques, 3,000 temples, 752 Buddhist monasteries and 301 churches.
Prime Minister's Adviser on Public Administration and Chairman of the cell Md Ismail Jabiullah chaired the meeting.
State Minister for Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives Mir Shahe Alam, Member of Parliament from Shariatpur-3 constituency and Whip Mia Nuruddin Ahmed Apu, Member of Parliament from Gaibandha-4 constituency Mohammad Shamim Kaiser, Religious Affairs Secretary Munsi Alauddin Al Azad, Social Welfare Secretary Dr Mohammad Abu Yusuf and concerned members were present at the meeting.
The meeting was informed that 15 mosques from each union will be selected under the programme in the current fiscal year.
Besides, four mosques from each ward of "A" category municipalities, three from each ward of "B" category municipalities, two from each ward of "C" category municipalities and six from each ward of city corporations will be brought under the programme.
In selecting temples, five temples from each upazila will be included. Of these, two temples from each "A" category municipality and one temple from each of the other municipalities will be selected.
The remaining temples will be selected at the union level.
On the other hand, the number of Buddhist monasteries and churches will be determined at a rate of 25% on a district-wise basis.
Currently, imams of selected mosques, priests of temples, heads of Buddhist monasteries and priests of churches receive a monthly honorarium of Tk5,000 each.
Muezzins of mosques, temple sebayits, deputy heads of Buddhist monasteries and assistant priests of churches receive Tk3,000 a month. Besides, khadems of mosques receive Tk2,000 a month.
The honorarium is sent directly to the beneficiaries' bank accounts through the electronic fund transfer system.
The government has allocated Tk1,100 crore in the budget for the programme in the current fiscal year.
About one-fourth of the country's religious places of worship are being brought under the benefit in this fiscal year.
There is a plan to gradually bring 100% of the country's religious institutions under the programme over the next three fiscal years.
Earlier, under a pilot project in the fiscal year 2025-2026, 13,949 religious leaders and service workers employed at 6,017 religious institutions across the country received state honorariums for the first time.
