DHAKA — Religious Affairs Minister Kazi Shah Mofazzal Hossain, known as Kaykobad, told parliament on Wednesday that the government is continuing grants to religious institutions across faiths and paying monthly stipends to mosque-based religious workers.
The government is providing these grants to ensure smooth religious practice for people of all faiths and to support the development and preservation of religious institutions, he said.
The minister was responding to a question from Abul Kalam Azad Siddiqui, a ruling-party member of parliament representing the Tangail-7 constituency.
Imams, muezzins and caretakers at mosques are receiving monthly stipends of 5,000 taka, 3,000 taka and 2,000 taka respectively, he said. Grants are also being distributed in the current fiscal year to mosques, madrasas, Eidgahs, graveyards, Hindu temples, cremation grounds, Buddhist monasteries, Christian churches and cemeteries.
The Hindu Religious Welfare Trust will provide grants worth 4.5 crore taka (about $4.1 million) to religious institutions in the current fiscal year, the minister said. The Buddhist Religious Welfare Trust distributes special grants annually to Buddhist monasteries and places of worship on religious festivals. These grants are provided through allocations from the Prime Minister’s Relief and Welfare Fund. The trust’s own funds also support the renovation and repair of monasteries, places of worship and cremation grounds.
The Christian Religious Welfare Trust distributes annual festival grants to churches, places of worship and pilgrimage sites, the minister said. These grants are distributed through special allocations from the Prime Minister’s Relief and Welfare Fund. The trust’s own funds also provide grants for the renovation and repair of churches, places of worship and graveyards.
The government is continuing these grants to ensure that people of all faiths can practice religion freely and to support the development and preservation of religious institutions, the minister said.
বাংলায় মূল প্রতিবেদন পড়ুন · Read the original Bengali report