Treasury bench members on Wednesday described the proposed national budget for the fiscal year 2016-17 as time-befitting, pragmatic and investment-friendly which would bring benefit for the mass people.
Taking part in the general discussion on the proposed budget in parliament,
they said the budget is not ‘ambitious one’ rather it is a poor-friendly.
They said if all concerned put in their best efforts from their respective positions, it would not be tough to implement the planned development programmes and the new budget.
The lawmakers also termed the new budgetary allocation as a brave step for a developing country like Bangladesh but it was exclusively possible due to charismatic, visionary and farsighted leadership of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, daughter of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.
Finance Minister AMA Muhith on June 2 rolled out a Taka 340,605 crore national budget for 2016-2017 fiscal setting the GDP growth target at 7.2 percent and delineating a set of programmes to transform the country into a role model of modern and welfare state by 2041.
During the discussion, treasury bench member Prof Ali Ashraf termed the budget highly ambitious and said the fiscal plan is a document of real development.
“Due to pragmatic steps of the government and necessary allocation in different sectors, Bangladesh witnessed a tremendous infrastructure development, an increased literacy rate and a significant fall in dropping-out in primary school,” he added.
He said the allocation in the proposed budget should use properly and it
would boost the country’s economy further in
education, power, agriculture, health, gas and other areas.
Treasury bench member Panchanon Biswas brushed aside the comments
of some critics and said the democratically elected government has placed a visionary budget to ensure time-befitting development.
Another treasury bench member Abu Syed Al-Mahmud Swapon stressed the need for concerted efforts to gear up the development activities of the country.
“The proposed budget is equity, development and welfare-oriented,” he said hailing the new fiscal measures that depict the way to transform the country into a role model of modern and welfare state by 2041.
Treasury bench member Israfil Alam and independent lawmaker Tahjeeb Alam Siddique also took part in the discussion.
