The Cabinet yesterday approved the draft of 'the Government Telephone, Cellular and Internet Policy-2018, raising the mobile phone allowance for the ministers and the secretaries to Tk 75,000 from Tk 15,000, reports UNB. The Cabinet approved the draft policy bringing some changes in the existing policy framed in 2004. Cabinet Secretary Mohammad Shafiul Alam briefed reporters at the Secretariat after the cabinet meeting held at the Prime Minister’s Office with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in the chair. According to the draft policy, those who are entitled to get mobile phone like ministers, state ministers, deputy ministers, all secretaries, including acting secretaries, will get Tk 75,000 instead of Tk 15,000 to buy a mobile phone set, the Cabinet Secretary said.

He said the allocation has been increased in line with the present market prices of Android mobile sets. As per the existing policy, there is no ceiling for mobile phone bill for ministers, state ministers, deputy ministers and secretaries, the Cabinet Secretary said.

He said joint secretaries are now entitled to get Tk 600 as monthly mobile bill, which has been increased to Tk 1,500 in the draft policy. But joint secretaries are not entitled to get allocation for purchasing mobile set. The Cabinet also gave directives to incorporate the telephone and mobile phone facilities for Supreme Court judges in the policy.

Besides, the Cabinet gave the final approval to the draft of ‘Housing and Building Research Institute Bill 2018, bringing some minor changes to the existing law and translating it into Bangla.

Shafiul Alam said the move to enact the new law came as the Housing and Building Research Institute was established with an ordinance promulgated during the military regime in 1977. “There’s no big change here except the clauses related to the committees,” he said.

The Housing and Public Works Minister will be the chairman of the Governing Council of the institute, while the Director General of the institute will be the head of the Executive Committee, said the Cabinet Secretary.