The proposed budget for 2015-16 would further ease the way towards achieving higher GDP growth rate as it is a people-oriented and business-friendly fiscal document. it is designed most realistically in view of the current pace of development, reports BSS.
Taking part Monday in the general discussion on the new budget in the Jatiya Sangsad, the treasury bench members expressed this opinion saying the proposed budget would greatly help further boost the country's economy to bring into reality the dream of Bangladesh becoming a middle-income country by 2021.
They said some critics described the proposed budget as a highly ambitious one but the reality is that it has maintained the continuity of upward trends as the country has scored progress in most fields under the leadership Prime
Minister Sheikh Hasina.
State Minister for Home Affairs Asaduzzaman Khan, treasury bench members - Advocate Sahara Khatun, Nuruzzaman Ahmed, Fahmi Golandaj Pavel, Major General (retd) Abdul Wahab, Begum Fazilatunnesa, Pankaj Nath, Begum Lutfunnesa, Abdul Majid Mandal, Begum Nasima Ferdousi Umme Kulsum Smrity, Chhabi Biswas, Begum Selina Akhter Banu, Umme Razia Kajol, Husne Ara Lutfa Dalia, and opposition bench members - MA Hannan, Selim Uddin, Salauddin Ahmed Mukti and Rawshan Ara Mannan took part in the discussion.
State Minister for Home Asaduzzaman Khan hailed the proposed budget saying, "We are proceeding towards development and the budget is continuing an upward trend." He said the fiscal measures have indicated that Bangladesh is heading towards achieving the target to be a middle-income country by 2021.
Referring to a study of the World Bank, he mentioned in the House that Bangladesh is one of the fifth countries of the world, already bagging tremendous advancement on all key economic fronts.
"The country has achieved outstanding progress in almost all sectors with especially a revolutionary change in agriculture making Bangladesh self-sufficient in food. Even rice is now being exported, investment trend is good enough, per capita income has risen to a satisfactorily level and the foreign exchange reserve has increased significantly," he said.
Speaking on drug abuse, the State Minister emphasised on waging a social revolution against the forbidden drugs and creating mass awareness against the contraband items. Participating in the budget discussion, former Home Minister Advocate Sahara Khatun termed the proposed budget a very positive plan to see Bangladesh a self-reliant country in future.
In the budgetary allocation, she demanded of the government to sanction Tk 10,000 as allowance for each freedom fighter. Ms Sahara also congratulated Tulip Siddiqi and two other Bangladeshis for their landslide victory in the British parliament election. "Bangladesh is proud of their achievement," she said.
He termed the proposed budget a people-oriented that would help ensure development of the country.
