The speed with which the stimulus packages were announced to fight the economic fallout of Covid-19 pandemic and it’s wide-ranging scope on abuse surprised many. However, of the total amount of Tk 1,21,000 crore, 39.23 per cent was disbursed in six months till October 31.
Experts supposed that the selection of the sectors and the allocation of the funds were based on quick guesswork. This disconnection from reality runs the risk of defeating the objectives of the policy behind the stimulus packages.
More seriously, it is being suspected whether or not some of the allocations were made unjustifiably because of lobbying by particular interest groups. There are also rumours that some sectors getting away with funds too soon and on very generous terms, they added.
Media reports on Saturday said that the bailout packages were announced at different times after March. The government’s combined support accounts for 4.34 per cent of the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP). A total of 3.54 crore people have received assistance from various stimulus-cash-food support packages over the period, said a Finance Ministry report, adding 76 lakh firms, entrepreneurs, and other beneficiaries got loan facilities under the economic bailout scheme.
We have enough information of widespread plundering of public funds. It is unimaginable that even an individual holding position of influences could easily amass a billion of taka abroad. It is claimed by the government that just because nobody is claiming the money the government is helpless to get the money back. We find it unbelievable. If the money is illegally taken out from our country the real owner of the money is the government.
The government has no public accountability and surrounded mostly by unimaginably incompetent and dishonest people that we do not know what to believe and what not to believe. We are living with a dysfunctional government. Being under bureaucratic leadership the government cannot improve itself.
