ZCZC
BSS-31
DIALOGUE-SOCIAL-PROTECTION
Need to enhance cash transfers to marginalized, affected households; speakers
DHAKA, June 17, 2021 (BSS) – Speakers at a virtual dialogue today said that there
is a need to enhance cash transfers to the marginalised and affected households as COVID-19 – initial budget allocation should not be a constraint to this end.
They also said higher coverage and budgetary allocation are required for SSNPs in the form of cash transfer while households need to withstand the immediate loss of income and reduced expenditure.
They also said cash transfer should be seen as an effective tool for supporting the needy and triggering supply-side response in the economy.
Besides, higher consumption expenditure will also help to boost domestic demand and create opportunities for employment.
These observations emerged at the virtual national dialogue on Social Protection and Employment in Budget FY2021-22: Was the focus adequate? held today organised by the Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD) and Oxfam in Bangladesh in association with the Citizen’s Platform for SDGs, Bangladesh, said a press release.
The speakers said there is a need for a transparent and clear reporting of stimulus packages for FY2022.
The stimulus packages will need to be redesigned in view of the experience (lower access and availability as borne out by the survey conducted by CPD) of the past year.
While making the keynote presentation, Towfiqul Islam Khan, Senior Research Fellow, CPD said that access to information, transparency, costs involved in accessing services, timing, innovation by service providers, redressal of grievances, whole of society approach, zero tolerance and reliable data are vital factors that the presentation recommended from the perspective of mid-course revision and implementation of the social protection budget.
Professor Ali Ashraf, MP, Former Deputy Speaker of the Parliament and Chairman, Parliamentary Standing Committee on Government Assurances and Rashed Khan Menon, MP, Chairman, Parliamentary Standing Committee on Ministry of Social Welfare were present as Guests of Honour at the dialogue.
Professor Ali Ashraf, MP stressed on the need for expanding the tax net which would allow higher government expenditure in vital sectors like social protection.
Rashed Khan Menon, MP highlighted that the budget formulation process needs to be more participatory through discussion with various stakeholders before preparing the budget.
CPD’s Chairman, Professor Rehman Sobhan also spoke at the event. He re-emphasised on how social protection allocation figures would be very low if social protection was re-categorised as per the reccomendations from the dialogue.
Professor Sobhan also highlighted the importance of such dailgoues to form a link between the grassroots and the policymakers.
Dr Laila Ashrafun, Professor and Head, Department of Sociology, Shahjalal University of Science and Technology, Dr Manisha Chakraborty, Member Secretary, Bangladesh Samajtantrik Dal, Barisal District Committee,
Shams Mahmud, Former President, Dhaka Chamber of Commerce & Industry (DCCI) and Honorary Consul, The Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, Ashekur Rahman, Assistant Resident Representative, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) also spoke at the dialogue.
Dr Debapriya Bhattacharya, Team Leader of the Project, Distinguished Fellow, Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD) and Convenor, Citizen’s Platform for SDGs, Bangladesh chaired the session.
Presenting a summary of the discussion session, Professor Mustafizur Rahman, Distinguished Fellow, CPD said that poverty is a multidimensional problem, thus, it should be dealt accordingly. He reiterated the need for data and a participatory budget formulation.
Dr Fahmida Khatun, Executive Director, CPD, and Dr Dipankar Datta, Country Director, Oxfam in Bangladesh, shared their views at the dialogue.
The dialogue was organised with the objective of assessing the national budget in light of survey-based findings on the emerging social protection and employment scenario in view of COVID-19.
Shah Alam, Ms Ajeda Begum, Md. Motiar Rahman, Ms Sheuly Akter, Ms Parita Rani, Ashraf Ali, Ms Soheli Parvin Jhorna and Hasanur Rahman Jhantu spoke on behalf of the CBOs of 13 districts.
The dialogue was organised as part of the project titled ‘Enhancing the participation of community-based organizations (CBOs) and civil society organizations (CSOs) in democratic governance in Bangladesh’ which is being implemented by the CPD and the Oxfam in Bangladesh, with support from the European Union in Bangladesh.
Government officials, academicians, development workers, NGO representatives, private sector representatives, representatives from civil society organisations, and media among others to took part at the dialogue.
BSS/PR/GM/1851 HRS