Development spending will barely impact youths

Only 14 per cent allocation of the annual development programme for the fiscal year of 2021-22 will directly contribute to the development of youths although they make up a majority of the population, according to a think-tank yesterday.

"Sixty per cent of projects will have no positive impact on youths," said an analysis of the South Asian Network on Economic Modeling (Sanem).

The research organisation shared the findings of its analysis at a webinar on "National Budget 2021-22 from Youth Perspective", jointly organised by the Sanem and ActionAid Bangladesh yesterday.

While comparing the ADP allocation in the budget and the planned ADP allocation in the 8th Five-Year Plan, Sanem Senior Research Associate Eshrat Sharmin said several key ministries, including the Ministry of Primary and Mass Education, the Ministry of Youth and Sports, the Information and Communications Division and the Health Services Division, had received smaller budgetary allocations than planned.

In particular, the ADP allocation for the Department of Youth Development has seen a massive reduction in the latest budget, from Tk 42.6 crore in FY20-21 to Tk 1.9 crore in FY21-22.

In the analysis of the proposed ADP for 22 ministries for the next fiscal year, she said inadequate skill formation due to disruptions in learning activities, rising poverty and inequality, lack of nutrition, unwanted pregnancies and mental health issues will create a lasting impact on the socio-economic development of the country.

So, allocations needed to be increased for youth education, healthcare and job creation amid the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, speakers said, while calling upon the government to take steps to ensure easier access to stimulus packages for youths involved in the SME sector.

Addressing the programme, Sanem Research Director Prof Sayema Haque Bidisha said that youths had been affected by the ongoing pandemic through two main channels, namely education and employment.

On the one hand, the pandemic has exacerbated the digital divide and inequality in access to education. But, on the other hand, the pandemic has created several challenges for fresh graduates and new entrants to the labour force who are looking for decent employment.

The government must focus on making the national budget more youth-centric to reap the benefits of Bangladesh's demographic dividend, Bidisha said.

ActionAid Bangladesh Country Director Farah Kabir urged the government to focus on the youth and use their potential to drive economic prosperity within the country.

She also stressed the need to facilitate data collection and sharing between research organisations and policymakers to identify the worst-affected groups of the population and extend support to lift them out of their socioeconomic miseries.

Farzeen Ferdous Alam, chairman of Oggro Ventures, said some good initiatives were taken in the previous budget, but they had not been implemented appropriately.

Selim Raihan, executive director of the Sanem, said the budget allocation for the youth was severely inadequate.

"There remains a lack of special initiatives to solve the numerous crises faced by the young people during this time. Besides, there is a lack of supervision and evaluation in this regard," Raihan said.

Nahim Razzaq, a lawmaker, reiterated the concerns of the research team and panellists regarding the gaps in policies to address the challenges facing the young population.

Md Hasanul Islam, additional secretary of the Secondary and Higher Education Division; Mohammad Ismail, additional secretary of the social welfare ministry; Nashid Rizwana Monir, deputy secretary of the expatriates' welfare and overseas employment ministry; and Sabina Yeasmin, senior assistant secretary of the Technical and Madrasah Education Division, also spoke.