Economic Reporter :
The South Asian Network on Economic Modeling (SANEM) has said that the proposed budget is traditional and therefore not in line with the extraordinary demands of the current situation.
“It (budget) was not a Covid-19 responsive budget,” said Dr Selim Raihan, SANEM’s Executive Director, in a post Budget discussion on the proposed budget for the 2020-21 FY in a virtual meeting on Saturday.
Dr Selim Raihan presented the keynote paper in the virtual meeting. In his introductory remarks, Raihan acknowledged the challenges of designing a budget in the current context of Covid-19.
He, however, said that the proposed budget is not Covid-19 responsive to the extent that it was required to be. “The budget has followed a rather traditional way and therefore is not in line with the extraordinary demands of the current situation,” he added.
He further said that while it is commendable that the allocation in health, education, agriculture, and social protection has been increased, it is not enough to meet the challenges of the crises induced by the pandemic.
A high-powered expert committee might be able to make proper utilisation of the increased allocation for the health sector, Dr Raihan said.
He further said, “While the budget does not address the mismanagement, corruption, and institutional weaknesses existing in the health sector, availability and accessibility of Covid-19 vaccines have also been left out of the discussion.”
Referring to the whitening of black money, Dr Raihan said that this measure has not been effective in the past and it discourages honest people. “Also, whether such provisions are in line with the constitution is a question,” he said.
The South Asian Network on Economic Modeling (SANEM) has said that the proposed budget is traditional and therefore not in line with the extraordinary demands of the current situation.
“It (budget) was not a Covid-19 responsive budget,” said Dr Selim Raihan, SANEM’s Executive Director, in a post Budget discussion on the proposed budget for the 2020-21 FY in a virtual meeting on Saturday.
Dr Selim Raihan presented the keynote paper in the virtual meeting. In his introductory remarks, Raihan acknowledged the challenges of designing a budget in the current context of Covid-19.
He, however, said that the proposed budget is not Covid-19 responsive to the extent that it was required to be. “The budget has followed a rather traditional way and therefore is not in line with the extraordinary demands of the current situation,” he added.
He further said that while it is commendable that the allocation in health, education, agriculture, and social protection has been increased, it is not enough to meet the challenges of the crises induced by the pandemic.
A high-powered expert committee might be able to make proper utilisation of the increased allocation for the health sector, Dr Raihan said.
He further said, “While the budget does not address the mismanagement, corruption, and institutional weaknesses existing in the health sector, availability and accessibility of Covid-19 vaccines have also been left out of the discussion.”
Referring to the whitening of black money, Dr Raihan said that this measure has not been effective in the past and it discourages honest people. “Also, whether such provisions are in line with the constitution is a question,” he said.
