Staff correspondent :

Information and Broadcasting Minister and Awami League Joint General Secretary Dr Hasan Mahmud today said Bangladesh would move ahead indomitably towards exulted development overcoming all obstacles under the dynamic leadership of Bangabandhu’s daughter Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.The minister made the remarks while addressing the general discussion on the national budget for 2023-24 fiscal at the Jatiya Sangsad.
Terming the proposed budget as people-friendly and welfare oriented, Hasan said about 12 crore people of the country would come under the social safety net programme as the proposed budget has allocated Taka 1,26,272 crore for it which is 16.58 percent of the total budget. Of them, about two crore people will get allowances, he added.He said the universal pension scheme will be launched in the country from the financial year 2023-24.
Rejecting all usual criticisms on budget issues, he said the profession of the Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD) is to criticise and thus they collect their fund. Their usual criticism is the budget deficit.
But, he said, the budget deficit of the country is 5.2 percent while the deficit in India is 5.9 percent, in the USA 6 percent and in the UK 5.5 percent. This means, the budget deficit of India, the UK and the US is more than Bangladesh, he noted.The minister highlighted the budget criticism of BNP and Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB) for the last five years. The TIB, since 2019 to this year, has claimed that the proposed budget doesn’t have specific financial direction while BNP claimed that mass people have no interest in the budget and it is highly ambitious, said Hasan.But, the reality is that the implementation rate of the budget is 97 percent in the last 14 years, he said.
About the position of Bangladesh in various global indexes, the minister said the position of the country is fifth across the globe and second in Oceania Region in women empowerment in politics. Bangladesh is one of the top three countries making the highest progress in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) set by the United Nations, he added.He said the position of Bangladesh has advanced two steps compared to last year and the position is third in South Asia in the World Democracy Index while the country is 73rd among 167 countries in the world. The position of Bangladesh is 32nd in the cyber security index among the 180 countries while its secured first position in South Asia, said Hasan.
Citing different global median acclamations about the Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, he said The Washington Post, an influential newspaper of the US, has published an article about Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina titled ‘This woman is a force’. The US President Joe Biden has said that Bangladesh is an example of economic progress and a country of hope and growth before the world, the minister added.
He said the renowned magazine Financial Times has published an article named ‘What Bangladesh can teach others’. During her (Sheikh Hasina) recent visit in the United Kingdom (UK) Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has said “You’re an inspiration for us. I’m following you for many years. You’re a successful economic leader”, Hasan added.

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