State Minister for Foreign Affairs Shama Obaed Islam on Sunday called for a special budget allocation to rehabilitate grassroots leaders and activists who were victims of political persecution in the past.
Participating in the general discussion on the proposed budget for the 2026-27 fiscal year in the National Parliament, she said thousands of grassroots leaders and activists, particularly poor people in villages, had suffered persecution over the past 17 years and continued to live in hardship.
"It is necessary to allocate budget for thousands of our grassroots leaders and activists, poor leaders and activists in villages who have been persecuted in the past 17 years. They are still in a state of uprootedness; we have to think about them," she said.
Speaker Hafiz Uddin Ahmed Bir Bikram presided over the session.
Shama Obaed described the proposed budget as realistic, people-friendly, inclusive and progressive, saying it was not a "daydream" and could be successfully implemented by the current government.
She said a budget is not merely a statement of income and expenditure but a reflection of the government's political commitment. According to her, the proposed budget is humane, innovative, inclusive, progressive and women-friendly.
The state minister added that the budget places special emphasis on investment-led growth, one-stop services, banking sector reforms, control of bad loans, and the empowerment of youth and women entrepreneurs.
Bd-pratidin English/ Jisan
