Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Wednesday said an increase in the allowance of the valiant freedom fighters is under review.
She made the statement while responding to a question from Independent MP Abdur Rouf ( Kusthia-4) during PM’s question answer session in Parliament.
She said that currently there are 94, 513 living valiant freedom fighters in the country while the number of dead freedom fighters' heir is 109030.
She mentioned that apart from the monthly honorarium, the freedom fighters are given festival allowance (Eid Bonus), Bengali New Year allowance and Victory Day allowance.
Two festival allowances are paid at the rate of Tk 10,000 and Bengali New Year allowance at the rate of Tk 2,000.
On the occasion of Victory Day only living valiant freedom fighters are getting Tk 5000.
The prime minister said that from Bangladesh Freedom Fighters Welfare Trust a monthly honorarium is given to the war wounded freedom fighters in 4 categories from a maximum of Tk 45,000 to a minimum of Tk 27,000.
She mentioned that Tk 30,000 per month per family of martyred freedom fighters and Tk 35,000 per month per family of great martyrs of Birsreshtha are given.
Among the gallantry award winners, Bir Uttam gets Tk 25,000, Bir Bikram Tk 25,000 and Bir Pratik Tk 20,000.
Hasina said that since the last financial year 2021-2022, the amount of honorarium increased from Tk 12,000 to Tk 20,000 for some 192500 valiant freedom fighters.
She said that when the Awami Leagur came to power after 21 years in 1996, her government took up the programmes for providing honorarium for the freedom fighters.
The programme of providing honorary allowance to the brave freedom fighters started with Tk 300 for some 40,000 freedom fighters.
Later in the fiscal year 2007-08 it was Tk 600 each for one lakh brave freedom fighters. After the formation of the Bangladesh Awami League government, some one lakh freedom fighters got Tk 900/- per month in the financial year 2008-09 and 1,25,000 at the rate of Tk 1500/- per month in the financial year 2009-10 and 1,50,000 at the rate of Tk 2000 per month in the financial year 2010-11.
In the financial year 2012-13, the honorarium was again increased to Tk 3000 and about 2 lakh brave freedom fighters got that.
Later in the fiscal year 2014-15, the honorarium was increased to Tk 5000 per month.
The honorarium was increased to Tk 8000 per month in the financial year 2015-16, Tk 10,000 per month in the financial year 2016-17 and Tk 12,000 per month in the financial year 2019-20.
