Clicky
Business

Budget inequality fails to ensure desired uplift

Experts say at BEA webinar


Published : 19 Mar 2022 09:27 PM

Land, population and even education have not been able to play a significant role in reducing the poverty rate due to lack of emphasis on socio-economic inequality and real human development in the national budget. 

Speakers on Friday at a virtual event organized by the Bangladesh Economic Association on "Alternative Budget Proposal 2022-23 Preparatory Discussion: Exchange of views with representatives of Barisal region" made the claim. 

They said that the Barisal division could not continue to reduce poverty even with the highest literacy rate of 15.53 percent due to the short-sightedness of the policy makers and unequal budget allocation.

The meeting was chaired by Economic Association President Professor Abul Barkat.

He said that the dream of establishing a prosperous Bangladesh will remain if the structure of national budget is not oriented towards poverty-inequality, nature-care, production and productivity increase, industry-agriculture-employment-human resources-human capital and technology development. 

He said “The ‘growing GDP’ being established in the name of high growth on the basis of ‘false GDP’ would not alleviate the sufferings of the majority of the people of the country in any way. This is the reason why when it comes time to announce the national budget, the faces of the common people remain disappointed.”

General Secretary of the Economic Association, Professor Md Ainul Islam said that the budget is not only an allocation of some money, it is also aimed at achieving qualitative change. After proper analysis and analysis in the light of political economy from the point of view of poverty-inequality-deprivation and development, Bangladesh Economic Association presented an alternative budget proposal for the nation.  Local college-university professors, academics, lawyers, farmers, human rights experts, development and cultural activists, businessmen and journalists presented their various demands for inclusion in the national budget in the light of regional issues and possibilities.

Delegates from various walks of life in Barisal Division said that due to climate change, coastal location, lack of industrial development and unequal development allocation, including major projects will not be efficiently effective unless proper and far-reaching planning is done. 

They demanded special projects in river navigability and excavation, establishment of agricultural and technical universities and research centers, construction of four-lane roads, construction of railway lines and effective allocation in the national budget for Rakhine tribes and small ethnic groups of Patuakhali and Barguna.

In addition to the leaders of the Executive Committee of the Bangladesh Economic Association, Professor Shah Sajeda and Jyotirmoy Biswas, Assistant Professors Dr Shamim Ahsan and Mohsin Ul Islam, Patuakhali Mayor Mohiuddin Ahmed, Fazlul Quader Mollah, Pulak Chatrzi, Monir were present among others.