Budget to ensure economic emancipation, implement Vision 2021, say lawmakers

Treasury bench members Sunday appreciated the proposed budget for 2015-16 fiscal year describing it as pro-people, investment and business-friendly that would help implement Vision 2021 of the government by ensuring economic emancipation for common people, reports BSS.
Taking part in a general discussion on the proposed budget new fiscal plan, they said the government would be able to transform Bangladesh into a middle-income country by 2021 and developed country by 2041 by implementing the budget.
They said the budget is oversised indeed but it is time befitting, pro-poor and development-orient document that showed a vivid picture of the possibility of the future progress and prosperity of the incumbent government.
Commerce Minister Tofail Ahmed, Health Minister Mohammad Nasim, Education Minister Nurul Islam Nahid, State Minister for Foreign Affairs Md. Shahriar Alam, State Minister Youth and Sports State Minister Shri Biren Sikder, treasury bench members- Saber Hossain Chowdhury, AB Tajul Islam, AFM Ruhal Haque, M Abdul Latif, Motahar Hossain, Mostafizur Rahman, AFM Bahauddin Nasim, Nazrul Islam Babu, Kazi Nabil Ahmed, Reazul Karim Tansen, Manzurul Islam Liton Sadhon Chandra Majumder, Rezaul Hauqe Chowdhury, Mizanur Rhaman, Abul Kalam Azad, Akhter Jahan, Dilara Begum, Begum Zebunnesa Afroz, Wasika Ayesha Khan, Selina Jahan Lita, independent lawmaker Swapon Bhatachariya, opposition bench members - took part in the discussion on the budget.
Hailing the proposed budget, Tofail Ahmed said in the past Bangladesh did not see such a big budget, which is business-friendly, time-befitting and pro-people and quite possible to implement.
The minister referred to the government's impressive successes in the economy saying Bangladesh's export income was 348 million dollar in 1972 which rose to 31 billion dollar at present. There was no foreign reserve after Independence but now the foreign reserve stood over $ 25 billion and there was no remittance at all but it exceeded now to $ 15 billion dollar under the dynamic leadership of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.
Referring to the market prices that usually go up during the Ramadan and after the announcement of new budget, the minister confidently said due to people-friendly budget and side by side proper monitoring it was possible to arrest the price spiral of essentials.
"Necessary steps were taken to preserve the rights of consumers and a three-year Export-Import Policy will be announced soon. In the meantime, fraud business has been stopped, multi-level marketing was controlled and license for fake business institutions were cancelled," he told the House.
Terming Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Dhaka visit as a successful historic one, the commerce minister said, "An excellent business relation between the two neighbouring countries prevails right now and the amended Bangladesh-India business agreement is a millstone in the history through which goods of a country would get space of using another country's land to supply goods to third country."
Presenting a short picture of export income of readymade garment (RMG) sector, Mr Ahmed said, "The BNP government exported $10.49 billion which in last six-year of Awami League government went up to thrice, The targeted $ 33 billion export in this sector couldn't however achieve due to 93-day's destructive activities of BNP-Jama'at alliance in the name of hartal and blockade."
The country achieved about 81 per cent foreign currency from the RMG sector and $50 billion export income was targetted for the RMG sector within 2021, the minister added.
He called for reducing at a tolerable margin of one per cent service charge form the RMG sector proposed in the new budget allocation.
Referring to the trend of development, State Minister for Foreign Affairs Md Shahriar Alam said the country already earned worldwide appreciation as the development indicators are satisfactory, per capita income has increased to turn Bangladesh into a middle-income country in line with the vision of 2021.
He said, " Bangladesh is proceeding under the uncompromising leadership of Sheikh Hasina. We will do far better if the economic trend of development continues."
Earlier, Sunday's House proceedings began at 10:53 am with Speaker Dr Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury in the chair.