The allowance for the valiant Freedom Fighters of the country is going to see a significant jump of 66.66 per cent in the coming 2021-22 fiscal.
However, the budget allocation for the purpose would not see a massive rise as the number of Freedom Fighters fell by 23.37 per cent in the new published partial list of the Liberation War Affairs Ministry.
The total allocation for the purpose in FY20 and FY21 was Tk 33.85 billion each.
The allocation was Tk 32 crore and Tk 29.96 billion in FY18 and FY19 respectively.
According to the available data, the allocation was Tk 21.96 billion for around 185,000 Freedom Fighters in FY17 whereas the amount was Tk 19.20 billion for 180,00 freedom Fighters in FY16.
For 200,000 Freedom Fighters, the amount was Tk 12 billion in FY15.
The Prime Minister in February of this year had made an announcement while inaugurating the transfer of monthly allowance to freedom fighters and their families through electronic fund transfer system of the Bangladesh Bank that the allowances of the Freedom Fighters who are getting Tk 12,000 per month would be Tk 20,000 from the next fiscal.
At that time, the number of valiant Freedom Fighters who were in the government list was 205,206.Of them, the families of martyred war heroes are getting Tk 30,000 a month, while that of war-wounded ones are getting Tk 25,000.
The families of the seven Bir Shresthas, the highest gallantry award, are receiving Tk 35,000 while recipients of Bir Uttams get Tk 25,000, Bir Bikram Tk 20,000, and Bir Pratik Tk 15,000. The rest freedom fighters get Tk 12,000.
Wounded freedom fighters get free medical care and those without homes get housing.
Freedom fighters also get five festival bonuses from the government.
But in March 25, Liberation War Affairs published a partial list of Freedom Fighters containing 147,537 names while in May 9 it has published the final list (second part) of the names of the heroic freedom fighters (FFs) including an additional 6,988 names.
Liberation War Affairs Minister AKM Mozammel Haque while publishing the partial list told that the final list of freedom fighters will be published by June 30 after further scrutiny of the list of the freedom fighters who are getting allowances.
According to the sources in the Liberation War Affairs Ministry, the officials of the Ministry are working to prepare the list for finalising the number of the lists of Freedom Fighters, who will get the allowances.
"Soon the number and the total money will be sent to the Finance Ministry," a senior official said.
