Bangladesh expands religious leader honorarium program

The government of Bangladesh, led by Prime Minister Tarique Rahman, is expanding its state honorarium program for religious leaders. In the 2026-27 fiscal year, 86,709 religious institutions will be covered, including 82,656 mosques, 3,000 temples, 752 Buddhist monasteries, and 301 churches. A total of 256,074 religious leaders and service workers will receive monthly honorariums: Tk 5,000 for imams, priests, and heads of monasteries; Tk 3,000 for muezzins, temple servicemen, and assistant priests; and Tk 2,000 for mosque khadems. Payments will be made via electronic fund transfer. The budget allocates Tk 1,100 crore for the program. This expansion follows a pilot project in 2025-26 that benefited 13,949 individuals at 6,017 institutions. The government plans to cover all religious institutions within three years. The decision was made at a meeting of the implementation cell chaired by Prime Minister's Adviser Ismail Zabihullah.