Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB) has said the government announced incentives have no guarantee to reach the Covid-19 affected people from all classes and professions.
The civil society organisation, dedicated to fighting against corruption, said this in a study report titled ‘Governance Challenges in Tackling Coronavirus’ through a virtual press meeting on Monday.
The report said, in 90pc areas, the right individuals received relief half or less in proportion to their demand, while in 82% areas, relief materials were distributed at the same proportion of demand.
People received almost no relief in 6.7pc areas, it said.
In reference to a Brac survey, the report said only 14pc of people from the lower-income groups got relief.
There were allegations, it said, 82pc beneficiaries were listed for receiving relief due to political consideration.
Besides, the study found there were 100pc irregularities in the disbursement of direct cash (Tk2,500) to the poor hit hard by the Covid-19 lockdown.
In the wake of Covid-19 outbreak in Bangladesh, the government declared 19 stimulus packages of Tk103,117 crore (3.3pc of total GDP), the report said, these are basically businessmen friendly incentives.
There is no arrangement to overcome the fall of aggregate demand in the incentive packages, it said.
The incentives also lack adequate allocation in ensuring food security and for about five crore jobless people in the informal sectors, TIB said.
The Bangladeshi branch of the Berlin-based Transparency International said for the agricultural sector, there is no incentive for small farmers and those who cultivate lands of others. There is no announcement of farm loan waiver while there are more opportunities for middlemen to get loans in the marketing of agricultural products.
The loan defaulters have been facilitated to avail the opportunities of incentive, it said.
Restriction on freedom of expression
Mentioning data from ARTICLE 19, a British human rights organization focusing on the defence and promotion of freedom of expression, TIB said 67 cases were filed and 37 journalists were sued under the Digital Security Act 2018 after the outbreak of Covid-19 pandemic, for publishing reports of relief embezzlement.
According to CGS-DU, it said a total of 88 people, including journalists and cartoonists, were arrested in 79 incidents on charges of spreading false information and rumours about coronavirus on social media.
