SANGSAD BHABAN, June 26, 2019 (BSS) – Lawmakers today said the gradual increase of the proposed budget outlay would bolster country’s economy by creating employment for the youths and build a digitalized country launching landmark development in the Information communication and technology (ICT) sector.
Taking part in the general discussion for the eighth consecutive day on the proposed budget for 2019-20 fiscal in the Jatiya Sangsad, the lawmakers said the proposed budget will create huge employment, cut poverty and build a digitalized one by 2021 and 2041.
Finance Minister AHM Mustafa Kamal on June 13 in the Jatiya Sangsad unveiled a Taka 5,23,190 crore national budget for 2019-20 fiscal setting the GDP growth target at 8.2 percent and delineating a set of programmes to transform the country into a role model of modern and welfare state by 2041.
Referring to create employment in the proposed budget, Health Minister Zahid Malique said, “Industrialization and stability of the share bazaar which have been mentioned in the budget would create a scope of new employment, adding that even the decline of the bank interest rate into a single digit would also create huge investment in the country.”
Approximately 2 crore youth voters for the first time have mandated the ruling Awami League in the 11th parliament elections, said the minister, adding that so the budget is containing a reflection considering the expectations of the young voters.
In addition to this, Malique said 1.13 crore more people have also been brought under the safety net programmes in the proposed budget, which resulting in to reduce poverty as a whole.
Highlighting the ongoing GDP growth as significant, Land Minister Saifuzzaman Chowdhury said according to a report of the Asian Development Bank (ADB), Bangladesh will see a fastest GDP growth in Asia compared to other Asian countries in 2019.
Bangladesh has been forecasted 8 per cent GDP growth while it would be 7.2 per cent for India, 3.9 per cent for Pakistan, 6.8 per cent Vietnam, 6.6 per cent for Malaysia, 6.2 per cent for Hong Kong, 4.5 per cent for Thailand, 3.5 per cent for Nepal and 5.6 per cent for Sri Lanka, the minister added.
Regarding the ICT development, State Minister for ICT Zunaid Ahmed Palak said “we have set a target to bring 90 per cent citizen service in online, connecting 90 per cent people with internet service, create employment of 20 lakh youths in the sector and to enhance ICT export earning up to 5 billion US dollar by 2021.”
“We have set three light houses in our action plan —my village my town, potency of youths and good governance and we are working to implement these three light houses,” he told the House.
Terming the proposed budget as a good one, former Information Minister Abul Kalam Azad said “we need skilled people in the administration to implement the budget, adding that country’s current GDP growth is 7.86 per cent and we have to keep it up for achieving the status of a developing country.”
“Proposed budget is eight times bigger compared to the budget placed by the BNP and the proposed budget did not create extra burden on the common people,” said Deputy Minister for Water Resource Enamul Haq Shamim.
Criticizing the proposed budget, Jatiya Party lawmaker Fakhrul Imam said the proposed budget of Taka 5,23,190 crore is almost 636 times higher compared to the budget of Taka 786 crore which was placed by the then finance minister Tazuddin Ahmed immediately after the independence.
In terms of ideology, the budget placed by Tazuddin Ahmed was pro socialism, but the present budget is pro capitalism which is totally opposite to the budget placed by Tajuddin Ahmed, he added.
The proposed budget has protected the rich people, but it [proposed budget] has no safety for the lower and middle income people, the opposition lawmaker said.
Imam, however, said in his budget discussion that the discrimination in budget during the regime of Bangabandhu was only 0 .24 which means no disparity during the budget in 1974. But now Bangladesh has scored first position in case of rising rich people and creating disparity across the world.
Bangladesh has also proved its inefficiency in realizing the revenue earning, he said, adding that country’s revenue earning is only 13 per cent while it is 25 per cent for Afghanistan, 30 per cent in Bhutan, 21 per cent in China and 24 per cent in India and Maldives.
Treasury bench member , Minister for Textiles and Jute Golam Dastigir Gazi, Local Government and Rural Development (LGRD) Minister Tajul Islam, State Minister for Social Welfare Sharif Ahmed, Deputy Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change Habibun Nahar, Ramesh Chandra Sen, Shahjahan Khan, AB Tajul Islam, Shahjahan Kamal, Mohibur Rahman Manik, Sherin Ahmed, Aslam Hossain Saudagar, Kazim Uddin Ahmed, BM Kabirul Haque, Ayesha Ferdous, Nazim Uddin Ahmed, Bodruddoza Md Farhad Hossain, Zafar Alam, Anwer Hossain Khan, Kazi Kaniz Sultana, Ayeen Uddin, Akhteruzzaman, SM Shahjada, Mozaffar Hossain, Khodeza Nasreen Akhter Hossain, Jatiya Party lawmakers Nurul Islam Talukder, Panir Uddin Ahmed and Nazma Akther and BNP lawmaker Md. Aminul Islam, took part in the discussion.
Earlier, they paid their cordial tribute to the memory of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, four national leaders, martyred freedom fighters and also those who made their utmost sacrifices during the War of Liberation and all subsequent democratic movements in the country.