Treasury bench members has described the proposed national budget for the fiscal 2019-20 as ‘not highly ambitious’ but as a ‘time-befitting and pragmatic’ one saying it would help propel the economic growth and ensure the welfare of the people, reports BSS.
Finance Minister AHM Mustafa Kamal on Jun 13 rolled out a Tk 5.23 trillion national budget for 2019-20 fiscal setting the GDP growth target at 8.2 percent and delineating a set of programmes to transform the country into a role model of modern and welfare state by 2041.
Taking part in the general discussion on the fiscal plan in parliament on Tuesday (Jun 18) with Speaker Dr Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury in the chair, they said the present government led by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina could able to stable the growth rate of the country at more than 6 per cent in the last ten years and the proposed budget would ensure the welfare of the people by implementing the estimated growth rate at 8.2 per cent.
Opposing the comment on the proposed budget as a highly ambitious, treasury bench lawmaker Professor Ali Ashraf, who initiated the general discussion, said “I disagree with the comments made by certain quarters on the proposed budget after it was placed in the parliament as all the previous budgets were placed aiming to the welfare of the people.”
Considering the socio-economic situation of the country, Ashraf said, more than 4 crore people have already entered into the medium income threshold, so there is enormous scope to increase the size of the budget by widening the purview of tax.
Terming the proposed budget as the elevator of further development, Ashraf said, “There is no specific criticism on budget, civil societies could not make any particular setback of the budget.”
Taking part in the general discussion, another treasury bench lawmaker Abdul Mannan of Bogura-1 told the Jatiya Sangsad that the proposed budget is unique one compared to the budgets in the past as the proposed budget has allocated Taka 100 crore startup fund for the new entrepreneurs and also another Taka 100 crore for the people of river erosion areas across the country.
The lawmakers prayed to the Almighty Allah for the long life of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, so that she can materialize the dream of the Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman through her outstanding performance.
Treasury bench member Pankaj Devnath of Barishal-4, Saifuzzaman of Magura-1, Md Habibe Millat of Sirajgonj-2, Khaleda Khanam, Kanij Fatema Ahmed, Aroma Dutta, Sayeda Rubina Akhter, Sheikh Anne Rahman, Workers Party lawmaker Lutfun Nesa Khan and BNP lawmaker Mosharraf Hossen of Bogura-4, took part in the discussion.
Earlier, they paid their cordial tribute to the memory of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, four national leaders, martyred freedom fighters and also those who made their utmost sacrifices during the War of Liberation and all subsequent democratic movements in the country.