Mentioning that the government is concerned about inflation and is making efforts to control the factors leading to it, Finance Minister AHM Mustafa Kamal on Friday assured that if necessary, food will be imported to curb inflation.
“When we assumed power, the inflation rate was 12% and we are confident that we can reach that target,” he said during the post-budget press conference for the 2023-2024 fiscal year at the Bangabandhu International Conference Centre (BICC).
AHM Mustafa Kamal said the loan the government has secured from the IMF equals their remittance for one and a half months.
Though the projected inflation rate for the ongoing 2022-23 fiscal year was 5.6%, the rate for the 2023-24 fiscal year stands at 6%, said the finance minister.
AHM Mustafa Kamal highlighted that the forthcoming budget serves the interests of everyone, from the poor to the rich.
He also assured that the reserves would normalize within a few months.
The minister emphasized: "All our budgets are election budgets. Every year, we present the budget with the welfare of the people in mind."
Finance Minister AHM Mustafa Kamal on Thursday unveiled a Tk7,61,785 crore proposed national budget for the 2023–24 fiscal year in the national parliament with a major focus on containing inflation, generating jobs, efforts towards building a ‘Smart Bangladesh' and addressing the challenges of the fourth industrial revolution (4IR).
The budget size is likely to be Tk1,01,278 crore higher than the revised budget of Tk6,60,507 crore in the outgoing fiscal year.