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KAMAL-BUDGET-FY21-3 DHAKA
The finance minister said the government has started implementing the VAT Act, 2012 and to make it a success, activities such as increasing required manpower, procuring necessary equipment, and enhancing capacity of officials will continue in the coming fiscal year 2020-21.
“The largest portion of government revenue is collected through the different outfits of the National Board of Revenue (NBR). Therefore, necessary steps to enhance the institutional capacity of the NBR will continue in the next fiscal year.”
Highlighting the importance of the health sector in the budget, Kamal said, “We have taken all out measures to improve the health sector. To combat the COVID-19 pandemic, we are implementing different progrms worth Tk. 5,500 crore under the Health Services Division. The government will do whatever is required to be done to address the pandemic.”
To fulfill emergency requirements, Kamal proposed to allocate Tk. 10,000 crore as lump sum.
He also proposed to form an ‘Integrated Health-Science Research and Development Fund’ of Tk. 100 crore to finance the activities for the development of research in health-education and science and technology.
A high-powered committee consisting of experienced researchers in the health sector, nutritionists, public health experts, sociologists, economists, environmentalists, civil society and other suitable representatives will be formed to manage this Fund efficiently and effectively.
In the agricultural sector, various steps will be needed in production, marketing and different other areas to tackle the imminent challenge of food scarcity, Kamal said, adding that Prime Minister has given directives to ensure that not even an inch of land is left without farming so as to ward off any possibility of food scarcity in the aftermath of COVID-19.
Highlighting the features of the social safety net programmes, he said government has allocated Tk 95,574 crore in the social safety net programmes, which is 16.83 percent of total budget and 3.01 percent of GDP in FY 2020-21. In last year’s revised budget, the allocation was Tk. 81,865 crore.
“We have been increasing the allocation in the social security sector every year to improve the lives of the poor. By now, about one-fourth of families in the country have been brought under the social security programme,” Kamal said in his budget speech.
He said all poor senior citizens in 100 upazilas, most prone to poverty due to the coronavirus outbreak, will be brought under the old age allowance as per the existing policy. This will add 5 lakh new beneficiaries, and an additional allocation of Tk. 300 crore will be provided to this programme.
Besides, all widows and women deserted by their husbands in 100 upazilas, most prone to poverty due to the coronavirus outbreak, will be brought under the coverage of the allowance programme for widows and women deserted by their husbands as per the existing policy, Kamal said.
This will add 3.50 lakh new beneficiaries, and an additional allocation of Tk. 210 crore will be provided to this programme, he said, adding that the number of beneficiaries of the allowance for insolvent persons with disabilities will be increased to 18 lakh following the latest disability identification survey and this will add 2.55 lakh new beneficiaries, and an additional allocation of Tk. 229.50 crore will be required for this purpose.
MORE/ASG/GM/GA/1724 hrs