Mirza Aziz pleads for reducing regional disparity

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FE Report
The goal of sustainable national development cannot be achieved without reducing regional disparity in the country, Finance and Planning Adviser A B Mirza Azizul Islam on Monday said.
He was speaking at a dialogue on "Regional Disparity in Bangladesh: An Emerging Concern" organised by Centre for Policy Dialogue in the capital.
It cannot be ignored that disparity between regions and districts are widening gradually despite achievements by the government in this regard, Dr Aziz said.
Many districts and upazilas lack infrastructural development, like gas and power supply. Public expenditure is lower in the divisions of Khulna and Rajshahi compared to Dhaka and Chittagong regions. Remittance earning is playing a significant role in widening the disparity between regions and districts. Poverty rate in those areas, where the inhabitants are receiving remittances from abroad, is lower than those regions having no overseas employment, he observed.
People of all the districts and upazilas have no equal access to education, health facilities, and vast areas of the country still remain outside the social safety net. These negative aspects are contributing to regional disparity, the finance adviser mentioned.
Speaking at the dialogue, Regulatory Reforms Commission chairman Dr. Akbar Ali Khan said decentralisation of power and equal infra-structural development in the country can play a significant role in reducing poverty in all upazilas of the country.
WB economists Ambar Narayan and Hassan Zaman presented keynote papers in the discussion with CPD chairman professor Rehman Sobhan in the chair.