Economic Reporter :
At least five percent of the total national budget has been sought for allocating the local government bodies to attain the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) through proper implementation of local development projects.
Governance Advocacy Forum (GAF), a platform that promotes democratic decentralisation, made the recommendation at a view-exchange meeting on ‘Local Government in Budget and Decentralisation Condition’ at Cirdap auditorium on Wednesday.
The forum also suggested allocation of a specific portion of tax money collected from different local resources to the local government bodies aiming to achieve the SDGs by 2030 and transform the country into a developed one by 2041 by accelerating development works at local level.
Information Minister Hasanul Haq Inu spoke at the meeting with GAF chairperson and Palli Karma-Sahayak Foundation (PKSF) chairman Dr Qazi Kholiquzzaman Ahmad in the chair.
Member of Parliamentary Standing Committee on the Ministry of Local Government, Rural Development and Co-operatives Fazle Hossain Badsha, MP, addressed the meeting as the special guest while GAF coordinator Mahsin Ali presented a keynote paper.
Addressing as the chief guest, Inu underscored formulating an identical framework for all the local government bodies by determining relationship among the local government tiers as well as relationship between the central and local governments.
He suggested providing more grant allocation to the local government institutions to accelerate development works at marginal level.
Observing that the control of public representatives over local government temporarily paralyses the local government system, the Information Minister stressed the need for giving political and administrative autonomy to the local government bodies to make them functional.
Although the local women representatives are being elected in polls, they have no administrative power to anything, he said. “That is why they should be empowered by determining their tasks specifically and giving them administrative power.”
National Human Right Commission (NHRC) member Prof Dr Akhtar Hossain, Municipal Association of Bangladesh (MAB) president Md Abdul Baten and Bangladesh Upazila Parishad Association (BUPA) president Md Mozammel Haque Sarker (Bakul) addressed the meeting as guests of honor.
Director of CARE Bangladesh’s Extreme Rural Poverty Programme Anowarul Haq and manager of Democratic Governance Project of ActionAid Bangladesh Nuzhat Jabin took part in the meeting as discussants.
At least five percent of the total national budget has been sought for allocating the local government bodies to attain the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) through proper implementation of local development projects.
Governance Advocacy Forum (GAF), a platform that promotes democratic decentralisation, made the recommendation at a view-exchange meeting on ‘Local Government in Budget and Decentralisation Condition’ at Cirdap auditorium on Wednesday.
The forum also suggested allocation of a specific portion of tax money collected from different local resources to the local government bodies aiming to achieve the SDGs by 2030 and transform the country into a developed one by 2041 by accelerating development works at local level.
Information Minister Hasanul Haq Inu spoke at the meeting with GAF chairperson and Palli Karma-Sahayak Foundation (PKSF) chairman Dr Qazi Kholiquzzaman Ahmad in the chair.
Member of Parliamentary Standing Committee on the Ministry of Local Government, Rural Development and Co-operatives Fazle Hossain Badsha, MP, addressed the meeting as the special guest while GAF coordinator Mahsin Ali presented a keynote paper.
Addressing as the chief guest, Inu underscored formulating an identical framework for all the local government bodies by determining relationship among the local government tiers as well as relationship between the central and local governments.
He suggested providing more grant allocation to the local government institutions to accelerate development works at marginal level.
Observing that the control of public representatives over local government temporarily paralyses the local government system, the Information Minister stressed the need for giving political and administrative autonomy to the local government bodies to make them functional.
Although the local women representatives are being elected in polls, they have no administrative power to anything, he said. “That is why they should be empowered by determining their tasks specifically and giving them administrative power.”
National Human Right Commission (NHRC) member Prof Dr Akhtar Hossain, Municipal Association of Bangladesh (MAB) president Md Abdul Baten and Bangladesh Upazila Parishad Association (BUPA) president Md Mozammel Haque Sarker (Bakul) addressed the meeting as guests of honor.
Director of CARE Bangladesh’s Extreme Rural Poverty Programme Anowarul Haq and manager of Democratic Governance Project of ActionAid Bangladesh Nuzhat Jabin took part in the meeting as discussants.
