Prime Minister Tareq Rahman has formally launched a monthly honorarium program for religious leaders serving in mosques and other places of worship across the country. The program was inaugurated on Saturday (March 14) at 11:20 am at the Osmani Memorial Auditorium in the capital. The initiative is part of the government’s electoral commitment to support religious institutions and improve the financial conditions of those who serve in them. Under this program, imams, muezzins and khadems of mosques will receive a monthly allowance. At the same time, priests and caretakers of temples, heads and deputy heads of Buddhist monasteries and pastors or priests of churches will also be brought under the honorarium scheme. Officials said the project is being introduced initially as a pilot program and thousands of religious service providers across the country have already been included in the first phase. The government expects that this initiative will improve the living standards of those involved in religious services and enhance their social recognition. According to the implementation plan, honorariums will initially be provided to religious personnel from 4,908 mosques across the country. In addition, the program will cover priests of 990 temples, heads of 144 Buddhist monasteries and priests or pastors serving in 396 churches. Under the pilot project, each mosque will receive a monthly allocation of 10,000 taka. From this amount, the imam will receive 5,000 taka, the muezzin will receive 3,000 taka and the khadem will receive 2,000 taka. For temples, the government has allocated 8,000 taka per month, where the priest will receive 5,000 taka and the caretaker will receive 3,000 taka. Buddhist monasteries will also receive 8,000 taka per month, with the head receiving 5,000 taka and the deputy head receiving 3,000 taka. Similarly, Christian churches will receive 8,000 taka monthly, from which the main pastor or priest will get 5,000 taka and the assistant pastor or priest will receive 3,000 taka. Authorities said the honorarium will be distributed through banking channels to ensure transparency and accountability in the process. The program also includes special bonuses during major religious festivals. Mosque officials will receive a bonus of 1,000 taka twice a year during Eid-ul-Fitr and Eid-ul-Adha. Meanwhile, priests, monks and church officials will receive a bonus of 2,000 taka during major festivals such as Durga Puja, Buddha Purnima and Christmas. However, religious institutions that are already receiving financial assistance from the government or from domestic and international organizations will not be eligible for this benefit. Government officials further said that around 275.7 million taka will be required to implement the program from March to June in the current fiscal year. If the project is fully implemented nationwide, the annual expenditure could reach around 44 billion taka. The government plans to expand the program gradually over the next four years so that religious leaders from all places of worship in the country can benefit from the initiative. Observers believe that the program will not only provide financial stability for religious service providers but also contribute to strengthening social harmony and respect among different religious communities across the country.