Government raises pay for ministers' personal staff

The government has revised the salary structure for Assistant Private Secretaries (APS) appointed to ministers and state ministers, with civilian appointees now entitled to significantly higher pay under a new pay scale.

The Finance Division has written to the Senior Secretary of the Ministry of Public Administration formalising the revised structure, according to official sources.

Under the new arrangement, APS and PS positions attached to ministers, state ministers, and officials of equivalent rank will now be placed at the eighth increment of Grade 9, fixing the monthly basic salary at Tk 32,540 — up from the previous entry-level pay of Tk 22,000 at the base of Grade 9.

Previously, salaries were often determined on a case-by-case basis by adding increments to the Grade 9 starting figure, creating inconsistency across appointments.

The revised pay structure applies exclusively to APS and PS appointees drawn from outside government service. Those already serving as government officials before their APS appointment will not be covered under the new scale.

Beyond the fixed basic salary, appointees will be entitled to standard allowances as per applicable rules.

However, the government has explicitly excluded several long-term service benefits from this arrangement — there will be no annual increments, pension, gratuity, or provident fund entitlements for these positions.

The revision brings greater uniformity and transparency to a category of appointments that sits at the interface of political and administrative functions. By anchoring civilian APS pay at a fixed increment level rather than leaving it to discretionary calculation, the Finance Division's directive reduces scope for variation across ministries.

The move is expected to take effect across all relevant ministerial offices following formal communication from the Public Administration Ministry.