Bangladesh Economic Association (BEA) has hailed the government's decision to bring all the citizens, aged 60 and above of the country under the pension facility.
In a statement the BEA leaders expressed it's gratitude and thanks to the PM for this milestone decision, taken earlier on February 17.
The statement mentioned that the President of the Bangladesh Economic Association, Prof. Dr. Abul Barkat and his delegation presented a written proposal to introduce a 'universal pension system' for senior citizens in the 'Pre-Budget Discussion' with the Ministry of Finance in the last fiscal year 2020-21. Prof. Dr. Abul Barakat in his research article called ’Boroparday Samaj- orthoniti- rastro: virus er moha biporjoy theke shovon Bangladesher sondhane’ (In search of a better Bangladesh from the catastrophe of the virus') published in 2020 mentions, “The number of helpless, destitute and lonely elderly people is increasing. At the same time, in the catastrophe of Covid-19, the lives of the elderly people are being vulnerable more than before. And for all these logical reasons, it is important to build an 'old nest' (not an 'old age home') for the elderly. The issue is a priority in the budget. We are proposing to set up a new department under the Ministry of Social Welfare called 'Veteran Philanthropy Department' and allocate a budget of Tk 5,000 crore for this. ”
It should be mentioned here that the Bangladesh Economic Association was first established in 2012 by. Under the leadership of Prof. Dr. Abul Barkat.
