Terming the stimulus package announced by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina as unprecedented, Information Minister Dr Hasan Mahmud on Sunday said the declared economic package is being hailed by every people, report BSS.
“Every people hailed the package declaration which brings all people- from beggar to industrialist- under the stimulus package to overcome the possible COVID-19 impact on the country’s economy,” he told at a video conference from his residence in the capital.
The information minister said the government is relentlessly working to ensure and protect the lives and livelihood of every people of the country.
“We firmly believe that Bangladesh would become a role model before the world to combat Coronavirus through proper implementation of the economic package declared by Bangabandhu’s daughter Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina,” he added.
Hasan said the economic package, which was declared by the head of the state, is more compared to many neighbouring countries even from India.
“Bangladesh has declared Taka 72,750 crore, which is nearly 2.52 percent of GDP while India has declared 0.8 percent of their GDP. The economic package of Bangladesh is nearly 8.66 billion US dollar,” he added.
The information minister said Bangladesh’s premier has already taken various pragmatic steps to protect the country’s people from the COVID-19 impact.
“We have kept the virus under control through our proper and time befitting steps. But the government is not sitting idly and it takes all out steps,” said Hasan, also Awami League joint general secretary.
He said every people congratulated the declaration of prime minister as she brought all people, including labours, baggers, small and medium industry owners, under the economic package. The government has already begun distributing food free of cost, he added.
Hasan said the government has taken a plan of Taka 680 crore to distribute as cash among 30 lakh more families. Besides, the government’s notable programmes are distributing food materials free of cost, selling rice at Taka 10 per kg, distributing cash among targeted communities, widening the coverage of the old-age allowance, widow allowance and allowance for the women oppressed by husbands to cent percent in 100 most poverty-prone upazilas of the country, he added.
The information minister said many packages among the declared Taka 72750 crore are revolving packages. And it would be possible to finance about Taka 1,36,000 crore through the revolving packages, he added.
