Soft car loan for all cadre service officials

The government has planned to bring all officials up to the rank of deputy secretary of 28 cadre services to bring under interest-free car loan program. The decision has followed a demand made by the officials of cadre services of the government, ministry of public administration sources said.

Before accepting the demand of all cadre services to avail the interest-free car loan program, the government decided to include the deputy secretaries of the administrative cadre in the first batch to avail the opportunity. So long officials of the rank of joint secretary and above of this cadre used to get this facility.

With the inclusion of the deputy secretaries of the administrative cadres, a total of new 1552 deputy secretaries, 798 joint secretaries, 455 additional secretaries and 322 secretaries will  enjoy the interest-free car loans from the current month October, the sources said.

A gazette notification on expansion of the interest-free car loan facility is being prepared for app-roval by the government. The government introduced the program in 2014 for the government officials who have been enjoying the car facilities. Sec-retaries, additional secretaries and joint secretaries of the government have so far avail the facility.

The government first offered loan of Tk 25 lakh each to the secretaries, additional secretaries and joint secretaries for buying cars. Thereafter, the amount of loan was increased to Tk 30 lakh in keeping with price hike of cars. The government then made a provision to grant Tk 50 thousand to each loan holder every month as salary of the driver, fuel costs and maintenance  of his car. Later it has  been increased to Tk 55 thousand a month.

The  interest-free car loan has been availed by all secretaries, additional secretaries, joint secretaries, joint chiefs of BCS Economic cadre and the joint secretary (Drafting) of the Legislative and Parliamentary Affairs, the sources said.   The ministry of public administration at a meeting on Thursday formed a committee headed by Zahiruddin Ahmed, Additional Secretary of the Ministry of Public Administration to finalize the interest-free car loan program's expanded coverage to include the other cadre services.

After approval of the new policy, all officials of the cadre services will be entitled to have the interest-free car loan, the sources said. Mushi Shahabuddin Ahmed, Commissioner of the Government Transport Pools told the Asian Age that the new interest-free car loan would increase the amount of loan. "The new policy will come into effect from October" he said adding that it would minimize the disparity among the cadre services.