Accountability, transparency hold key to success

FE Team | Published: April 01, 2015 00:00:00 | Updated: November 30, 2026 06:01:00

FE Report
People from 45 districts placed Tuesday a number of budget-related demands, including enhancement of fiscal allocations on education and health and bottom up approach for the policymakers.
They also called for more effective measures to ensure transparency and accountability in social safety-net programmes in the upcoming budget for 2015-2016 financial year (FY).
The public demands of 45 districts were placed in a pre-budget discussion organised by Sushasoner Jonny Procharavizan (SUPRO) at AS Mahmud Seminar Hall of the Daily Star building in the capital.
The people suggested some changes in existing budget formulation process like budget dependent on direct tax and a clear picture of income generation alongside annual expenditure in the district-level budgets considering areas and demands of the districts.
Demand-based fiscal allocation for the sustainable development of agriculture sector, ensuring public participation at every level of budget formulation and creating a space for public opinion after making its draft public three months before the final budget were also recommended by them.
Presenting position paper, Supro campaign coordinator Sakera Nahar said they organised pre-budget discussions in the districts and outcomes of the discussions have already been sent to the Ministry of Finance for their consideration before making the budget.
It said public expectations are not properly reflected as budget formulation, fiscal allocation, policy fixation and implementation are done centrally because of top-down approach.
It said characteristic and demands of an area need to be considered before making any allocation for districts as each district has different population-size and demands.
According to the position paper, budgetary allocation on education and health need to be enhanced to 6.0 per cent and 3.0 per cent in place of existing 2.43 per cent and less than 1.0 per cent respectively.
Speaking on the occasion, lawmaker Fazle Hossain Badshah said the findings of the pre-budget discussions should be communicated to the bureaucrats, who normally play the major role in preparing the national budget.
"The parliamentarians in that case have nothing significant to do," he said, adding that the government would have to take the initiative to bring back agricultural insurance for the wellbeing of the sector.
Vice-president of a Parliamentary Caucus on National Planning and Budget Mir Shawkat Ali Badshah hailed the move of Supro, saying that it will take time to make a national budget, which will reflect the expectation of people at the grassroots level.
"But, we've to continue such campaign," he said, adding that the people's representatives will have the courage and power to show transparency and accountability in their activities as they are being empowered by the voting of people.
Lawmaker Selina Begum, SUPRO director Alison Subrata Baroi and its national council member Shamima Akter Moonmoon were also spoke on the occasion.
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