Universal pension scheme: Govt to launch app to ease process

A mobile app will be launched soon for registration and payment of the universal pension scheme easier, according to discussions held at the first board meeting of the National Pension Authority (NPA).
The meeting was chaired by Finance and Commerce Adviser Salehuddin Ahmed, who shared the goal of making the pension system more user-friendly.
“We will make the system easier for everyone. Research will be done, and we will bring improvements. The entire process will also be brought under information technology,” Salehuddin said at the meeting in Secretariat.
Other members of the NPA’s members including Bangladesh Bank Governor Ahsan H Mansur, Finance Secretary Md Khairuzzaman Majumder, National Board of Revenue Chairman Abdur Rahman Khan, Ministry of Labour and Employment’s secretary AHM Shafiquzzaman, and NPA’s executive chairman Kabirul Izdani Khan were present at the meeting.
According to the finance ministry officials, so far, 372,378 people have registered under these schemes.
The total amount of contributions collected is Tk 131 crore, with around Tk 125 crore invested in treasury bonds.
The pension scheme, which began last year on August 17, offers four different categories: Probash (for expatriates), Progoti (for private-sector employees), Surakkha (for self-employed workers), and Samata (for low-income individuals).
The Samata scheme, aimed at low-income earners with an annual income of up to Tk 60,000, has attracted the highest number of participants.
It requires a monthly contribution of Tk 1,000, with Tk 500 paid by the government. Currently, 285,884 scheme holders have registered for Samata, contributing a total of Tk 41.7029 crore.
The Progoti scheme for private-sector employees has collected the most contributions, with Tk 47.2505 crore from 22,410 scheme holders.
On the other hand, the Probash scheme for expatriates has seen only 910 scheme holders register, with contributions amounting to Tk 4.85 core.
The Surakkha scheme, designed for self-employed individuals like farmers, rickshaw pullers, and artisans, has registered 63,174 scheme holders, collecting Tk 37.163 crore.
On August 17, 2023, the government launched a universal pension programme. Later, it introduced “Prottoy” for new staff in various government and state organizations, but withdrew it after protests.
Another Programme, “Shebak,” for those joining government service after July 1, 2025, was also canceled.