Dr. about the continuation of the public pension scheme until the new system is introduced. The decision was taken by the interim government led by Yunus, the finance ministry said.

This decision was taken in a meeting chaired by Advisor Salehuddin Ahmed at the Ministry of Finance on Monday (September 9). The current status of the pension scheme was thoroughly reviewed in the meeting.
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In this regard, Finance Secretary Khairuzzaman Majumdar said that the universal pension scheme will continue for the time being in accordance with the approval of the advisor.

Launched last year, the scheme aims to provide a sustainable social security framework for the entire population.
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Golam Mustafa, a member of Universal Pension Authority, told the media that there was a detailed discussion on universal pension in the meeting. The meeting discussed what we will do in the future. Informed the finance advisor about the four schemes we have and the overall activities and what we have done so far. In light of that, the finance advisor has decided to keep the universal pension scheme open.

He further said that the ongoing activities will continue until a new scheme is announced. Mostafa said about the investment made from the pension scheme, a total of Tk 116 crore has been fully invested in government treasury bonds.

The Universal Pension Scheme was introduced to bring people from all walks of life under a large social security system. Former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina inaugurated the scheme on August 17, 2023, and registration began soon after.

Initially, Sheikh Hasina’s government launched four projects. They are Prabas (for expatriate Bangladeshis), Pragati, Surkha and Samata. A scheme called Pratya for the employees of autonomous and semi-autonomous bodies was introduced after it was canceled in the face of protests by teachers.

So far, 372 thousand 94 people have registered for the public pension scheme. So far 123 crores have been deposited in the fund. Of this, 116 crore rupees have been invested in government treasury bonds. About 77 percent of those registered are low-income people.