Lawmaker Fazle Hossain Badsha has said there is nothing remarkable in the allocation for freedom fighters and marginalized people in the proposed budget for the 2019-20 fiscal year.
He made the statement at a ‘citizens’ reaction and meeting’ on the proposed budget, organized by Democratic Budget Movement at the National Press Club in Dhaka on Monday.
Marginalized people, members of the civil society, politicians, cultural activists, and others came up with similar observations at the meeting.
Fazle Hossain alleged that allocations have been made without taking opinions of parliamentary members, and sector specialists.
The Workers Party leader said: “Neither experts' and general people's nor parliamentary members' opinions are reflected in the proposed budget. It is totally a political budget.
"The government claims they are starting the 4th industrial revolution, but the key sector (education) of industrialization has been deprived in this budget.”
The government has proposed an increase in the education sector by 17% to Tk61,118 crore in the budget for the next fiscal year.
Allowance for freedom fighters has increased only by Tk2,000 in the budget. On the other hand, farmers have also been neglected. It is an anti-people budget, Fazle Hossain claimed.
Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal (JaSad) General Secretary Nazmul Haque said: "The proposed budget is to protect looters and criminals. Then again, the government has said implementation of this budget is a big challenge.
"I think there is no big challenge without remedy for corruption."
Representative of Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB) Zakir Hossain said: "There is boost for corruption through giving the scope for whitening black money. This means a group of people is making money and laundering it abroad without sustainable economic development in the country.”
Socialist Workers Front General Secretary Rajokuzzaman Roton said: “The people will suffer because of the budget deficit. The government will make up the deficit by collecting money from the people or by hiking the price of essential products.”
Ganasanghati Movement Coordinator Jonade Sakki said: "This budget is totally dependable on foreign loans. This puts more burden on the marginalized people.”
Bangladesh Communist Party Secretary Abdullah Al Kafi said: "This budget does not provide the people with hope and expectations, and if passed, it will increase the gap between the rich and the poor.
On June 13, the government proposed a mammoth national budget of Tk523,190 crore for the 2019-20 fiscal year.
