Home budget set to spike by 25pc next fiscal

The home ministry sought to pump up the budgetary target for the next fiscal by Tk 30.48 billion (3,048 crore) or over 25.36 per cent from the projection in the medium-term budgetary framework (MTBF) in view of the current political tensions.
"We don't know when the blockade and hartal programmes will end. For this reason, we have sought an additional fund for the next fiscal year (FY) to meet our regular and unexpected costs. We can call it a 'precautionary measure'," a senior official of the Ministry of Home Affairs (MoHA) told the FE.
The government allocated Tk 120.14 billion to meet development and non-development expenditure of the MoHA in the FY 2015-16 under the MTBF.
But recently the senior secretary of the MoHA sent a letter to the senior secretary of the MoF seeking the additional allocation of Tk 30.48 billion.
Besides, fresh recruitments are going on for Bangladesh Police, Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB), Bangladesh Ansar and Village Defence Party, the Department of Prisons, Fire Service and Civil Defence, Coast Guard, the Department of Narcotics Control, and the Department of Immigration and Passport.
 For that reason, the additional allocation of Tk 30.48 billion would be needed to meet the expenses on account of salary and allowance, energy, land acquisition, construction of buildings and infrastructure and the extra vigil against anarchy in view of the current restive politics, sources said.
When contacted, State Minister for Home Affairs Asaduzzaman Khan declined to comment on it as he was busy at a meeting.
Against the backdrop of the 20-party alliance's non-stop blockade, coupled with frequent hartal calls, the expenditure of the ministry was increasing day by day on account of the extra vigil against the recent string of violence, sources said.
Recently, the ministry of finance (MoF) cleared about Tk 600 million from the government's unexpected expenditure fund till date. The amount was spent for meeting the costs of food, fuel and patrol by law enforcement agencies. More requests for allocation for law enforcement agencies by MoHA had  been remaining pending, they said.
About Tk 113.57 billion has been allocated in the current FY. Of the allocation, about Tk 9.03 billion has been set aside for the development sector and Tk 104.66 billion for the non-development sector, according to a high official said.
Recently the MoF allocated an additional amount of Tk 17 billion in the revised budget of the current FY for the non-development sector of the MoHA. As a result, the total non-development budget stood at Tk 121.76 billion in the ongoing FY, he said. The development allocation for the home ministry was not yet revised, he added.
Senior Secretary of MoHA Dr Md Mozammel Haque Khan could not be reached for his comment over phone in this connection despite repeated attempts.     
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