Budget given keeping world situation in mind: PM

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina today said the national budget for fiscal year 2024-25 was given keeping the current global situation in mind as the government wants to move ahead in a conservative way and fulfill the fundamental rights of people.

“We have to proceed with the plan, keeping the world situation in mind . . . we want to move ahead in a conservative way, and fulfill the fundamental rights of people,” she said

The premier said this while delivering her address as the chair at a discussion organized on the occasion of the historic Six-Point Day.

Bangladesh Awami League (AL) organized the meeting at its office in city’s Tejgaon area.
Referring to different people’s observation on why the growth percentage is low in the budget, the premier said her government wants to move forward in a conservative way from now on so the countrymen don’t feel any suffer.

Sheikh Hasina, also AL president, said, “Actually, we want to meet the necessity of people. And we have formulated the budget keeping it in our mind.”

The AL chief said the last budget of BNP government was just Taka 62,000 crore, while the then caretaker government placed a budget of Taka 68,000 crore.

“But, we have unveiled TK 7,97,000 crore national budget this time, and in this budget, few fundamental rights of people such as education, health, agriculture, local industries, social safety net, have been given priority,” she said.

Measures have also been taken to make the people’s livelihood developed, she added.

Talking about the global high inflation, the premier said the people with limited income have been suffering from inflation.

“But we’ve introduced family cards for the limited-income people so that they can purchase several essential commodities like rice, pulse and edible oil at fair price. We’re providing food to those who are extremely poor,” she said.

The government is also providing financial assistance to the people under some 150 social safety programmes, giving free textbooks to school students, offering people some 30 types of free medicines from the community clinics, she added.

Sheikh Hasina said, “The price of commodities usually go high during every monsoon season. Keeping it in mind, we’ll start the sale of commodities through family cards.”

She went on saying that now the biggest challenge is to control inflation, particularly food prices, mentioning that it is needed to enhance food production and supply.

About the budget deficit, the prime minister said 4.6 percent deficit has been kept in the budget this time, adding, the budget deficit in many countries, even developed ones in the world, is higher than it.

She reiterated her call not to leave even a single inch of land uncultivated to boost food production in the country amid the current global situation.

About the provision for legalizing the black money, she said that it (black money) should be brought into the legal network first.

“The money should be allowed to come to the appropriate place (the banking channel) first with payment of a nominal amount of money (tax) and then they will have to pay tax regularly…. If you go to catch fish, you need to provide feed,” she said.

Talking about the scope for whitening the black money, the prime minister said many raised questions regarding black money and argued that it would discourage legal tax payers.

She said, “It’s not right, rather the fact is that the price of everything went up and the owner of one katha land is a millionaire (kotipoti). But none sell land at the government rate, rather sell it at higher prices”.

So, they keep the surplus money received from the sale of land outside the banking network, she added.

The prime minister said the historic Six-Point Demand was the “Magna Carta” for the Bengali nation, which ultimately brought independence of the country.

“The six-point was the Magna Carta for the Bengali nation. We achieved our independence through this Six-Point,” she said.

Drawing a comparison of deprivation between the then East Pakistan (now Bangladesh) and West Pakistan, she said Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman had strongly protested the long lasting deprivation.

“Everything whatever was needed to remove that deprivation, he (Bangabandhu) reflected in this Six-Point demand,” she said.

Sheikh Hasina, also the eldest daughter of Bangabandhu, highlighted how the Father of the Nation carried out campaigns through every corner of the country to make the Six-Point demand popular among the people.

She asked her party men to read the book titled “Secret Documents of Intelligence Branch on Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman”, saying that AL men should read the book and know how he (Bangabandhu) made the nation inspired with the spirit of independence through his struggles.

“He (Bangabandhu) had wanted to free the people of this country from deprivation. This is why he placed this Six-Point Demand,” she added.

Sheikh Hasina said AL had gained absolute majority in the entire Pakistan in the 1970 election under the leadership of Bangabandhu.

Mentioning that there was a 20-party alliance as the rival of Awami League in the 1970 election, she said, “Now there is also a 20-party alliance as our rival…. That 20 doesn’t go away anymore. That 20 still remains like carbuncle.”

The AL president asked her party men to stand beside the people and work for them.

Presidium Members Sheikh Fazlul Karim Selim, Shajahan Khan, Advocate Qamrul Islam, and Dr Mostafa Jalal Mohiuddin, Liberation War Affairs Secretary Advocate Mrinal Kanti Das, Science and Technology Affairs Secretary Engineer Md Abdus Sabur, Central Working Committee Member Advocate Sanzida Khanam, Dhaka South AL General Secretary Humayun Kabir, Dhaka North AL General Secretary SM Mannan Kochi, Dhaka District AL General Secretary Poniruzzaman Tarun, among others, also spoke.

AL Publicity and Publication Secretary Dr Abdus Sobhan Golap and his deputy Syed Abdul Awal Shamim conducted the discussion meeting.

AT the outset of the programme, the prime minister visited a photo exhibition on the occasion of the historic Six-Point Day at the venue.

On June 7 in 1966, Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman launched a massive movement against the misrule of the then Pakistanis on the basis of the 6-point demand, the “Magna Carta of the Bangalees”, seeking autonomy for the then East Pakistan.

Eleven people, including Manu Mian, Shafique and Shamsul Haque, were gunned down by the police and paramilitary EPR on June 7, 1966 in Dhaka and Narayanganj during a hartal called for the release of Bangabandhu and other leaders detained for launching the Six-Point Movement against the then barbaric ruling clique.

Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman launched his historic six-point political and economic programme in Lahore on February 5 in 1966, aiming at attaining greater autonomy for the then East Pakistan in the backdrop of exploitation and discrimination by the then Pakistani rulers.

The six demands were creating provision in the constitution for a Federation of Pakistan in its true sense based on the Lahore Resolution, the federal government will deal with only two subjects: Defence and Foreign Affairs, introduction of two separate but freely convertible currencies for East and West Pakistan, vesting the power of taxation and revenue collection with the federating units, maintaining two separate accounts for the foreign exchange earnings of the two wings and creation of a separate militia or paramilitary force for East Pakistan.

The Pakistani atrocities intensified the movement for provincial autonomy turning it into the historic mass upsurge in 1969 that subsequently caused the downfall of the reign of dictator Field Marshal Ayub Khan. (BSS)