ZCZC
BSS-02
ECONOMY-2018
Economy to perform better in 2018
By Golam Moin Uddin
DHAKA, Dec 29, 2017 (BSS) – The government is expecting that the country’s economy will perform better in 2018 after maintaining steady progress in major fronts in the outgoing year 2017. Economic analysts are also confident about brighter future.
Taking to BSS, State Minister for Finance and Planning MA Mannan and Eminent Economist Analyst and former Director General of the Bangladesh Institute of Development Studies (BIDS) Dr Mustafa K Mujeri expressed their high optimism of achieving targeted economic growth next year.
“The year 2017 turned out to be very well for Bangladesh in terms of economic performance as there were many achievements,” said MA Mannan.
He noted that Bangladesh was able to attain a record 7.28 percent growth in the last fiscal year that ended in June, which was an “excellent performance”.
About the growth prospect in the current fiscal year ending in June 2018, the state minister was also very much optimistic of achieving the fiscal target of 7.4 percent saying, “We’re hopeful about achieving that or reaching very close to that target”.
Mannan said despite various natural calamities in the outgoing year like incessant rain and early and pro-longed flood, the general point to point inflation was around 5.0 percent.
About the implementation of mega and big projects, he said the implementation of the Padma Bridge project and work on Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant have become visible while the double track Dhaka-Chittagong railway line is likely to be ready by mid next year.
He also informed that the Bangabandhu Satellite is likely to be launched in the orbit soon, which is expected to open up a wide range of potentials for the country in the telecommunication sector.
The state minister said despite damages of food grains and crops in the current year due to natural disasters like incessant rain and flood, there was no food crisis in the country, he added.
Mannan said that power sector attained huge successes in 2017 as the coverage of power now reached 85 percent and every household would come under the power network by 2019 ahead of the targeted year of 2021.
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