Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina inaugurated the much-talked-about Universal Pension Scheme to bring all the people of the country aged above 18 under the scheme.
Pragati, Surokkha, Samata and Prabashi are the four schemes that were intromitted by the prime minister virtually from her official Ganabhaban residence in Dhaka on Thursday.
The main target of the universal pension scheme is to bring all the people of the country aged above 18 under its coverage and they will enjoy a lifetime pension facility after being their age 60.
After launching the scheme, the premier said, "We opened the Universal Pension Scheme in the Month of Mourning. Initially, four schemes out of six were inaugurated today as two other schemes will be launched later.”
She said the Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman will be proud of her regime as it fared nicely in improving the life of the people of this country.
The prime minister also exchanged views with the local public representatives, government officials and beneficiaries as three districts — Gopalganj, Bagerhat and Rangpur — and the Consulate General of Bangladesh in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia — were connected to the video conference.
The Pragati scheme will be applicable to employees of private establishments, the Surokkha for the self-employed, Samata for low-income people and the Prabashi scheme for expatriate Bangladeshis.
The age limit for pension schemes was initially fixed at 50 years which was later revised. People above 50 years also can enjoy pension provisions after paying instalments for 10 consecutive years.
Finance Minister AHM Mustafa Kamal and Bangladesh Bank Governor Abdur Rouf Talukder also spoke at the conference.
Prime Minister's Principal Secretary Md Tofazzel Hossain Miah moderated the function while Senior Secretary of the Finance Division Fatima Yasmin gave the address of welcome.
A video documentary on the Universal Pension Scheme was also screened on the occasion.
