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Finance Minister A H M Mustafa Kamal today affirmed the government capacity to implement the proposed high amount budget despite Covid-19 onslaughts saying the fiscal document was drafted keeping in consideration the impending challenges.
“We’ve formulated this budget going beyond the convention against the backdrop of the novel coronavirus pandemic,” he told a post budget press conference through virtual media.
The minister added that the government was equipped with required infrastructures for translating into action the budgetary proposals while Bangladesh earlier had succeeded in overcoming many challenges as well.
“We can expect that we can implement the budget the way we framed it this time,” Kamal said.
Kamal was accompanied by Agriculture Minister Dr M Abdur Razzaque, Planning Minister MA Mannan, Prime Minister’s Economic Affairs Adviser Dr Moshiur Rahman, Energy Adviser Dr Tawfiq-e-Elahi Chowdhury at the virtual media briefing.
Bangladesh Bank Governor Fazle Kabir, Finance Division Secretary Abdur Rouf Talukder, National Revenue Board (NBR) Chairman Abu Hena Md Rahmatul Muneem and Plannig Commission’s General Economics Division (GED) member Prof Dr Shamsul Alam, joined the briefing, among others.
Kamal yesterday placed a Taka 5,68,000 crore national budget for the coming fiscal at Jatiya Sangsad setting a target of attaining a 8.2 percent GDP growth expecting to keep up the economy’s momentum, offsetting the impact of the pandemic.
He reiterated remarks of his budget speech saying, a prime target of this year’s “non conventional” budget was to save peoples life, combating the COVID-19 onslaughts.
“The Prime Minister (Sheikh Hasina) issued directives to ‘spend first’ to save people,” Kamal said adding sources of required money would be explored subsequently in view of current extra-ordinary situation.
He added: “This time we’ll spend money first and then make our earnings.”
The minister said for logical reasons the budget laid extra emphasis on food, medical treatment, employment generation, rural infrastructures.
