Ministry announces raise in salaries of govt employees

Kabul, October 8, 2006 (Pajhwok Afghan News) - As proposed by the lower house of parliament, the Ministry of Finance has announced manifold increase in salaries of all government employees.

The announcement was made by Finance Minister Anwarul Haq Ahadi while briefing parliamentarians after he was summoned by the lower house. The minister said under the new arrangements, the raise in salaries would range from $80 to $800. He said the World Bank had agreed to pay the salaries to government employees.

Ahadi said the administrative reforms commission would review the existing structure of salaries and would announce the increase according to different slabs. Due to the preoccupation of the reforms commission, the plan might not be implemented this year, said the minister.

Regarding the high scale of salaries, the minister said the number of people getting salaries from $15,00 to 7,000 was very low. Their number was not more than 68. Those people were employed by the government or some foreign agencies as experts, he informed.

Other government employees, who are getting higher salaries, are: Members of the Supreme Court ($3,000/month), Chief Justice and speakers of the two houses of parliament ($3,500/month), Vice Presidents ($4,000/month), members of parliament ($1,100/month) and deputy ministers and governors ($1,000/month).

Ministers in the new set up were getting $2,000 monthly salaries in addition to $1,000 as additional expenditures and entertainment allowance, said the minister.