BD is no more a poor country, proposed budget to propel economic growth: Lawmakers

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SANGSAD BHABAN, June 24, 2018 (BSS) – Lawmakers participating in the
national budget discussion today said that Bangladesh is no more a poor
country now and the main target of the proposed national budget for 2018-19
fiscal is to propel economic growth.

They said the proposed budget after passage would also turn the country into
a middle income one by 2021 and a developed nation by 2041 under the
leadership of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.

Describing the proposed budget as a forward looking and development
oriented, Fisheries and Livestock Minister Narayan Chandra Chanda said all
the previous budgets and the proposed budget aimed at progressing toward a
certain goal to make the country to a prosperous one.

Referring Bangladesh a role model in Hilsha fish production, the fisheries
minister said Bangladesh is producing around 70 per cent hilsha compare to
all the hilsa produced countries in the world, adding that the hilsha production
has increased to 61 per cent in the last nine years.

Taking part in the general discussion on the proposed budget in the house,
State Minister for Youth and Sports Biren Sikder said, “Our target is to turn
the country into a developed nation by 2041 and the country is no more a poor
one as it [the country] has already become a developing nation under the
leadership of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.”

After the independence, Bangabandhu had turned the country into a least
developed one during his tenure, Biren said, adding, but after his assassination
no other government did any further progress during their regimes.

Recalling self sacrifices of 3 million martyrs, he said all these martyrs had
dedicated their lives with a dream to turn the country into a developed nation,
So, we have to materialize the dream of the martyrs and the present
government led by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is working to this end, he
added.

State Minister for Foreign Affairs Shahriar Alam today urged the people to re-
elect the Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina for maintaining the continuity of the
development under her leadership.

Bangladesh has now become a role model of development and if the prime
minister come to power again then the country will be a developed nation
during the stipulated time, Alam noted in his discussion.

Terming the budget a pro-people, the lawmaker said the proposed budget has
not imposed new tax.

The lawmakers urged the government to allocate a chunk of allocation for the
future of the blue economy as Bangladesh has won the wide sea area in the
Bay of Bengal so, the future of the country depends on the blue economy.

Even the proposed budget has also preferred the agriculture, health, education,
communication, Industry and Information and Communication
Technology(ICT), they said.

Treasury bench members Minister for Home Affairs Asaduzzaman Khan,
Information Minister Hasanul Haq Inu, Food Minister Advocate Quamrul
Islam, Cultural Affairs Minister Asaduzzaman Noor, Rezaul Karim Hira, Gazi
Amzad Hossain Milon, Mahfuzur Rahman, Direndra Devnath Shambu, Simin
Hossain Rimi, Nasrin Jahan Ratna, Shafiqul Islam Shimul, Subid Ali Bhuiyan,
Abul Kalam Azad, Dr Habib-e Millat, Yasin Ali, Monirul Islam, AKM
Rahmatullah, , Abdul Latif, Mir Shawkat Ali Badsha, Fazilatunnesa Bappi,
Kazi Nabil Ahmed , Kh. Azizul Huq Arzu , Momotaz Begom , Dr. Mohammed
Shamsul Hoque Bhuyan , Abul Kalam Md. Ahasanul Hoque Chowdhury ,
opposition lawmaker Dr. Md. Rustum Ali Faraji , Rawshan Ara Mannan ,
Advocate Begum Salma Islam , also took part in the general discussion on
budget.

On June 7, Finance Minister Abul Maal Abdul Muhith placed a Taka 4,645.73
billion national budget for 2018-19 fiscal setting the GDP growth target at 7.8
percent and detailing a set of programmes to transform the country into a role
model of modern and welfare state by 2041.

Earlier, the lawmakers paid rich tributes to Father of the Nation Bangabandhu
Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and most of his family members who were
assassinated on August 15, 1975 and all martyred during the War of
Liberation in 1971.