A post-budget analysis has said that although Bangladesh's economic performance has improved, the fruits of this success are yet to reach the public.
Brac and the research firm Institute for Informatics and Development (IID) organised a discussion on the FY2017-18 budget on Wednesday at Brac Center in the city.
The keynote paper was presented by Prof Dr Abdul Bayes, the head of Brac's Research and Evaluation Division and IID CEO Syeed Ahmed.
“Bangladesh may be on the highway of growth, but it is still a long way to development highway,” Prof Bayes said in his presentation.
“After being stuck at 6.5% for several years, Bangladesh's growth rate has finally begun to climb. But there are still some problems. Despite the growth, social development has not accelerated as expected.”
Finance Minister AMA Muhith presented his budget for FY2017-18 in parliament on June 1, titled “Bangladesh on Development Highway: The Time is Ours,” setting a goal of 7.4% GDP growth for the fiscal year.
“Just because there has been economic growth does not mean its benefits will reach the people. We need to ensure inclusive development to get the benefits to everyone,” Bayes said.
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“For this the government needs to include private organisations and non-government development organisations in its development activities.”
Syeed Ahmed identified four characteristics of the proposed budget – pre-election, expectations and growth-oriented, compromising in the education sector and middle-class-dependent.
“It is hard to tell how much of the government's aim will be successful, given the fact that major infrastructure projects do not offer that many employment opportunities for Bangladeshis,” he said.
To resolve this, he recommended project-based skill development programmes and employment.
Economist AB Mirza Azizul Islam said that there had been no progress in the implementation of public-private partnership.
“There is an office under the prime minister dedicated to this purpose, but still there is no progress. This needs looking into,” he said.
He said the government needed to involve NGOs in the proper implementation of the budget.
Brac Microfinance and Ultrapoor Programme Director Shameran Abed said the government’s decision to expand the scope and allocation of the social safety net was praiseworthy.
“But there are still some problems in identifying the ultrapoor. A large part of this allocation is taken away by people who are solvent. The government needs to coordinate with non-government development organisations to get better results,” he said.
Brac and IID also released the results of a survey done on the budget during the event.
The two NGOs interviewed more than 5,000 people across 64 districts to find out their views over the impacts of budget announcement on their daily lives.
The survey revealed that over half of the people in the country think prices of essentials go up every time a national budget is announced.
According to the survey, 51.5% people give the greatest importance to their children's studies.
Brac Education Programme Director Dr Shafiqul Islam, Nutrition and Population Programme Head Dr Md Ariful Alam and Community Empowerment Programme Head Farhana Hafiz also took part in the discussion.
Thursday, June 04, 2026
