JS-22 Tk 39,573 crore proposed for LGRD

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JS-22

BUDGET-LGRD

Tk 39,573 crore proposed for LGRD

DHAKA, June 11, 2020 (BSS) – Finance Minister AHM Mustafa Kamal today proposed allocating Taka 39, 573 crore for the local government and rural government sector in the budget for the fiscal (FY) 2020-2021.

Delivering his budget speech in the Jatiya Sangsad this afternoon, he said it was Taka 37, 886 crore in the revised budget of the sector in the previous 2019-20 FY.

This year’s proposed allocation is Tk 1,687 crore lower than the previous allocation one.

The finance minister said the idea of rural development in Bangladesh was one of the key driving forces behind the nation’s independence as Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman considered rural development as the central philosophy of development and prosperity.

He said Bangabandhu incorporated a provision in Article 16 of the Constitution of People’s Republic of Bangladesh to gradually remove the disparity between the urban and rural areas.

In line with this, the finance minister said, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina made a vision that all villages in the country must be planned and developed and the incumbent government in its Election Manifesto, 2018 made a commitment under the concept of ‘My Village -My Town’ to expand town-based facilities to all villages and build the ‘Golden Bengal’ dreamt by Bangabandhu.

Referring to various development works in this sector, the minister said the commitment to increase rural road network coverage from 35 percent to 35.75 percent is being implemented fully.

“In the last 11 years from 2009 until February 2020, a total of 62 thousand 149 kilometers of rural roads has been built. This covers construction of 93.84 percent of upazila roads, 79.32 percent of union roads and 20 percent of rural roads. The expansion of this rural road network is contributing to the rapid expansion of rural economy,” he added.

Kamal informed the Jatiya Sangsad that in addition to these development works in rural areas, targets have been set to construct 830 kilometers of roads and footpaths, 250 kilometres drains and 3 thousand metres bridges or culverts in small and big cities.

Following the implementation of all these infrastructural development works, direct employment for 12 crore man-hour, and a huge opportunity for indirect employment will be created, the minister added in his budget speech.

BSS/ASG/SIR/GA/1825 HRS