The government is working to lift the poor out of poverty and the main target of the next budget for fiscal 2021-22 will be the country's poor, Finance Minister AHM Mustafa Kamal said.
He came up with the statement at a virtual briefing after attending two separate meetings on Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs and the Cabinet Committee on Government Purchase (CCGP) on Wednesday.
Asked about the surveys conducted by two research institutes on the poor, the Finance Minister said, “The target of the government is to alleviate the poverty and bring the poor in the mainstream of society.
“We’re working tirelessly to this end. And if they do research, the Bureau of Statistics will see if they have any information. We will accept their assessment. It has not been made yet, we will definitely let you know.”
“We need a big allocation in the budget to bring the poor into the mainstream, in which case we will have a new allocation in the social security sector”, he mentioned.
The country’s next budget will be dedicated to the poor people of this country and they will be the priority, he said adding that, so we will make room in the budget for people's livelihood.
Asked about the decision to give Tk 2,500 to 3.5 million people this year following mismatch in the last year, Kamal said, the reason for our mismatch is the direct transfer to the ID card or medium the marginalized or backward people have.
In many cases it is not suitable for transfer, that is why there is a little delay, he mentioned.
The decision of the government is to transfer money directly this time, he said adding that, “If we want to transfer directly, we have to develop the system. And once it gets into the system, it will be easier in the future. Then we can do a lot in less time.”
The Prime Minister has responded positively, so the distribution of the Tk 2,500 will begin soon, he said.
As per the decision of the government, around Tk 834.73 crore would be distributed this time among around 33.39 lakh low-income group people who have been affected by the current COVID-19 pandemic situation with Tk 2,500 each for every family through mobile financial services.
