Treasury bench member Altaf Hossain Chowdhury on Saturday said in Jatiya Sangsad that the proposed national budget for the FY27 provides a bold and pragmatic roadmap to revive the country’s devastated economy and lay the foundation for sustainable development, reports BSS.
Taking part in the general discussion on the proposed budget in the Jatiya Sangsad, he said the government had formulated the budget with a realistic approach to address economic challenges and accelerate growth.
Referring to Prime Minister Tarique Rahman’s recent visits to Malaysia and China, Altaf described the China tour as “a highly successful high-level visit” that added a new dimension to Bangladesh’s diplomatic engagements. “In all standards, it (PM’s Malaysia-China visit) was a high-voltage visit,”
He said the Prime Minister’s meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping would further strengthen bilateral relations between the two countries. On behalf of Parliament and the people, he congratulated and thanked the Prime Minister for the successful visits.
The lawmaker said most members of the current Parliament had suffered persecution, politically motivated cases, imprisonment and harassment during the tenure of the previous government and had reached Parliament through a long democratic struggle.
Highlighting the government’s achievements during its first four months in office, Altaf Hossain Chowdhury said allocations had already been made under the Kabikha, Kabita, TR and VGF programmes.
He added that the government had also implemented a wide range of public welfare initiatives, including grants for mosques, temples, churches and pagodas, allowances for imams, muazzins, priests, pastors and Buddhist monks, as well as old-age, widowhood, maternity and disability allowances.
He said the government had also introduced Family Cards, Health Cards and Agriculture Cards and waived agricultural loans to support farmers and low-income people.
Altaf said Finance Minister Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury, under the direct supervision of Prime Minister Tarique Rahman, had prepared the Tk 938,000 crore budget despite a difficult global economic environment.
He noted that the budget had been formulated at a time when the world continued to face major challenges, including the Russia-Ukraine war and instability in the Middle East.
Congratulating the finance minister, Altaf said the proposed budget was timely and well-suited to addressing the country’s economic realities while supporting long-term development.
Bd-pratidin English/TR
