National Sports Council (NSC) on Sunday decided to increase the monthly allowance from Tk 3000 to Tk 20,000 for the living members of the Swadhin Bangla Football Team, following a directive from the Ministry of Youth and Sports.

Currently, 19 members of the Swadhin Bangla football team are alive.

The decision will come into effect from today. The Ministry of Youth and Sports formed a three-member committee comprising its joint secretary Dr Sheikh Mohammad Jubayed Hossain, deputy secretary of Ministry of Liberation War Affairs and NSC's finance director Saidur Rashid in regards to the matter.

The NSC has been disbursing a monthly allowance of Tk 3000 to the living members of the Swadhin Bangla Football Team from its own funds for the last 21 years but many members of the team had requested for a hike in the allowance.

The committee, which was formed on December 23, 2023 and submitted the report on January 13, 2025, said in its report that Tk 3000 allowance is negligible considering the current economic situation and inflation. The committee pointed out the fact that the Ministry of Liberation War Affairs disburses Tk 20,000 to each listed freedom fighter.