Next budget to put priority on HR development: Muhith

Finance minister AMA Muhith Tuesday reiterated that the government would place importance on human resources development and the social sector as it frames next fiscal's budget.
"In the past, we spent a lot of money on road and infrastructure. This time we'll give priority on human resources development and the social sector," he said.
Muhith disclosed his government's priority list in a pre-budget discussion with the representatives of the non-government organisations, held in the city.
The finance minister said the upcoming budget size will be nearly Tk 3.0 trillion, where the human development, health, education and skill development will get priority.
He said both poverty and social disparity in Bangladesh are going down as the government is aware of the issues.
Muhith said the government has moved away from social safety-net programme to support the vulnerable group to "social protection" for the poorest.
He said "Although social protection is a broad thing, our policy is now biased toward the poorest segment," that includes, among other groups, mal-nourished people and the elderly.
In an upbeat note, the finance minister said that there would be no poverty in Bangladesh by the year 2030.
Currently, the country's poverty rate has dropped to 24 per cent and the extreme poverty rate to only 9-11 per cent, he added.
Responding to criticism by some NGO representatives, Muhith said "I have question about the environmental study of different non-governmental organisations on the impact of the proposed Rampal power plant on the Sundarbans."
"I don't think there will be a significant impact on the Sundarbans through the Rampal power plant. I was SDO in that area during my early days in the civil service. I visited all those areas. But I do not think that the Rampal site will be a cause of destruction for the Sundarbans," he added.
About the possible impact for the Rooppur nuke power plant, the finance minister said, the government is taking "highest protective measures".
"But it is not a right time to comment on the nuke plant at this moment. It will take a few more years to establish. Then we can discuss more on it," he added.
Some NGO representatives, who attended the meeting, opposed the government's move to set up the coal-based power plant at Rampal, saying it may affect the bio-diversity of the Sundarbans environments. They also expressed their reservation about the Rooppur nuke power plant at Pabna.
While aware of the health hazards associated with genetically modified food, Muhith defended the rationale of introducing this type of food in Bangladesh, saying the densely populated country needs this to feed its growing population.
The finance minister said the metro-rail project, now under construction, will dramatically improve Dhaka city's "terrible" traffic congestion.
He said the metro-rail will carry a good number of passengers, which will reduce pressure on the road resulting in less traffic jam.
Among the critics, environmental activist Abu Naser Khan said the Rampal coal-fired and Rooppur nuke plants will be hazardous for the environment as well as for the people in the country.
He urged the finance minister to stop financing such power plants that harm environment.
Urbanisation expert Prof Nazrul Islam said the government should allocate more money for building skilled  workforce and should take special focus on the slum children.
Ahsania Mission chief Rofiqul Islam urged the finance minister to enhance the allocation in the national budget for the education expansion with giving special focus on research and development.
Some women rights advocates urged the finance minister to prepare a gender sensitive budget so that the female in the society can boost their capacity and contribute to the economy properly.
Among others, Bangladesh Bank Governor Dr Atiur Rahman, National Board of Revenue Chairman Najibur Rahman, Planning Secretary M Shofiqul Azam, additional finance secretary Jalal Ahmed, additional ERD secretary Kazi Shofiqul Azam, educationist Professor Abdullah Abu Sayed, Secretary of SHUJAN Dr Badiul Alam Majumder, and others were present at the pre-budget discussion.
    kabirhumayan10@gmail.com