Primary and Mass Education Minister Mostafizur Rahman on Tuesday said that the proposed budget for fiscal 2017-2018 would help change the fortune of the common people, as it is a ‘realistic budget’.
“We have achieved our target of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) before 2015 with ensuring education for all and now our target to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) within the period of 2030,” he said, this while joining budget discussion in the House.
Highlighting his ministry’s success, the minister said that the primary school enrollment already has reached to nearly cent percent under the dynamic leadership of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.
“The enrollment of the students in the primary education now reaches to 97.96 percent where girls student enrollment is 98.82 percent while it [primary school enrolment] was 87.2 percent in 2005,”he said.
Rahman said, now the government is working to ensure quality and free education for all under the SDGs.
Bitterly criticizing the BNP for its negative remarks on budget, the primary and mass education minister questioned how they criticized the proposed budget because the Prime Minister introduced stipend programme for 1.30 crore primary students and money of the stipend would transfer on student’s mother’s mobile phone without hassle.
In the proposed budget, the government has allocated Taka 65,000 crore for education sector, he said, adding that it was Taka 58,000 crore in 2016-2017 and Taka 32,000 crore in 2012-13.
Taking part in the budget discussion, state minister for finance and planning MA Mannan said the government has undertaken risk to develop the country as well as improve common people’s living standard.
Regarding Value Added Tax (VAT) in the proposed budget, he said around 169 countries imposed VAT on their products, which is accepted globally.
“In our country 60 to 70 percent lower income people would not be affected by the VAT, as the government exempted VAT on essential products usually purchased by the lower income group people,” the state minister said.
Earlier, Finance Minister AMA Muhith on June 1 placed a Taka 4002.66 billion national budget for 2017-18 fiscal setting the GDP growth target at 7.4 percent and detailing a set of programmes to transform the country into a role model of modern and welfare state by 2041.
Taking part in the general discussion on the proposed budget for the fifth day in the house, the lawmakers from both treasury and opposition benches described the proposed national budget for the fiscal 2017-18 as a pragmatic, pro-people, balanced and welfare-oriented for speedy development.
They said the common people of the country have no negative criticism on the budget as it has been proved as a trustworthy financial instrument for the self-sufficient Bangladesh in near future.
The lawmakers strongly protested Begum Khaleda Zia’s remarks on the budget and said she (Khaleda) never thought of such big volume of budget in the country.
They expressed their optimistic view that the government would be able to implement the budget’s all development programmes to achieve the targeted 7.4 percent growth in the GDP next fiscal under the leadership of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, worthy daughter of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.
They mentioned that the country achieved tremendous success in different sectors including education, economic, technology, and agricultures under the charismatic stewardship of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.
As a proud mother Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina groomed her son Sajeeb Wazed Joy and daughter Saima Wazed Putul as successful human beings, who are now contributing to the country’s development as well as the world with their outstanding performance, the lawmakers added.
Treasury bench members – Khalid Mahmud Chowdhury, Shamsul Haq Tuku, Nazrul Islam Babu, Safura Begum, Shamsul Haq Chowhdury, Nabi Newaz, M Hasan Imam Khan, Kazi Nabil Ahmed, Sabia Nahar Begum, M Abul Kalam, Jatiya Party’s Chief Whip Tajul Islam Chowdhury, Worker Party’s Mostafa Lutfullah, Independent lawmaker Tahjib Alam Siddiqui also took part in the general discussion.
