Price of essentials to be kept stable by increasing domestic production
Friday, 17 April 2009
Food and Disaster Management Minister Dr Muhammad Abdur Razzaque Thursday said the government would keep prices of essentials within the purchasing capacity of common people through increased domestic production and import, reports UNB.
"This is the top most priority of the current government among the seven priority issues… we'll be able to ensure food for all by boosting domestic production and through import," he said at a roundtable at the Jatiya Press Club in the city.
Shomonnoy, a non-government social development organisation, in association with another NGO, Manusher Jonno, arranged the roundtable titled 'Budget and Social Safety Net Programmes: Perspective of Marginalised'.
Former Bangladesh Bank (BB) Governor Dr Farash Uddin and economist KAS Murshid, among others, spoke at the roundtable presided by Shomonnoy Chairman Dr Atiur Rahman.
Addressing as chief guest, the Food Minister said they would not scrap the 100-day employment generation programme, which was initiated by the immediate past caretaker government.
"We'll resume the programme in time after review and proper planning to ensure transparency and accountability… it was taken hurriedly without fixing the target group and sans any plan," he said, adding:
"We suspended it for irregularities and for lack of plan."
Dr Razzaque expressed the hope that the next budget would be pro-people, pro-rural and pro-marginalised, as the government under the leadership of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has been working to eradicate poverty from the country.
He called upon all to work together so that the word 'monga' is no more heard in Bangladesh. "It's a country of great possibilities. If we can utilise the possibilities correctly, there will be no 'monga' in Bangladesh," he said.
The food minister assured that the social safety net would be expanded and the government would introduce more economic activities in rural areas. "It'll not work if we only ensure food for them, we need to ensure their income generation," he said.
"This is the top most priority of the current government among the seven priority issues… we'll be able to ensure food for all by boosting domestic production and through import," he said at a roundtable at the Jatiya Press Club in the city.
Shomonnoy, a non-government social development organisation, in association with another NGO, Manusher Jonno, arranged the roundtable titled 'Budget and Social Safety Net Programmes: Perspective of Marginalised'.
Former Bangladesh Bank (BB) Governor Dr Farash Uddin and economist KAS Murshid, among others, spoke at the roundtable presided by Shomonnoy Chairman Dr Atiur Rahman.
Addressing as chief guest, the Food Minister said they would not scrap the 100-day employment generation programme, which was initiated by the immediate past caretaker government.
"We'll resume the programme in time after review and proper planning to ensure transparency and accountability… it was taken hurriedly without fixing the target group and sans any plan," he said, adding:
"We suspended it for irregularities and for lack of plan."
Dr Razzaque expressed the hope that the next budget would be pro-people, pro-rural and pro-marginalised, as the government under the leadership of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has been working to eradicate poverty from the country.
He called upon all to work together so that the word 'monga' is no more heard in Bangladesh. "It's a country of great possibilities. If we can utilise the possibilities correctly, there will be no 'monga' in Bangladesh," he said.
The food minister assured that the social safety net would be expanded and the government would introduce more economic activities in rural areas. "It'll not work if we only ensure food for them, we need to ensure their income generation," he said.