GED seeks experts' opinion in rethinking priorities

As the country is grappling with worsening coronavirus situation, General Economics Division (GED) of the Ministry of Planning has sought experts opinion in rethinking priorities and resource allocation currently outlined in the Eighth Five Year Plan (8FYP), consequent sectoral reallocation, and adjustments to the Plan's macroeconomic framework, reports UNB.

The development came from a policy webinar styled 'Coping with Covid-19: The case of Bangladesh arranged by the government, BRAC Institute of Governance and Development (BIGD), BRAC University; and the International Growth Centre (IGC)'.

Bangladesh's Eighth Five Year Plan (8FYP) is set to go into effect next month (July 2020), and the country's national budget for fiscal year 2020-21 (FY '21) was proposed in the Jatiya Sangsad (parliament) on Thursday afternoon.

Professor Siddiqur Rahman Osmani (Ulster University) presented at the webinar an integrated policy framework.

He elaborated on the types and phases of proposed policy instruments, linking them to major components of the economic support package, and the emphasis on the government's priority to revamp the public health system.

Planning Minister MA Mannan joined the programme as the chief guest while Professor Waiduddin Mahmud, Senior Adviser of IGC; Dr Hossain Zillur Rahman, Executive Chairman of PPRC; Dr KAS Murshid, Director General of BIDS; Dr Sadiq Ahmed, Vice Chairman of Policy Research Institute; Dr Zahid Hussain, former lead economist of the World Bank; and Dr Debapriya Bhattacharya, Distinguished Fellow of CPD were present as discussants.