Unrealistic or time-befitting?
BNP, Jatiya Party and other political parties yesterday said the proposed budget for 2021-22 fiscal is unrealistic and not implementable while ruling Awami League hailed the budget terming it participatory and time-befitting.
In an instant reaction, BNP standing committee member Moyeen Khan said in the 50 years of independence, the AL government has given the country a budget which can be termed "borrowing budget" or debt budget.
He said the overall budget deficit will be Tk 214,681 crore, which is 35.5 percent of total budget -- more than one-third. This has to be met through loans from foreign or domestic sources, he said.
In the past, BNP has repeatedly tried to get the country out of dependence on foreign debt. On the other hand, AL has made the country's economy dependent on foreign debt due to their chaotic mega projects and mega corruption, which is putting a burden of thousands of taka on the head of every child in the country even before they are born, he said.
"This year's budget is its ultimate manifestation," he added.
Meanwhile, Jatiya Party chairman and deputy leader of the opposition GM Quader said the proposed budget for 2021-2022 is imaginary, fictional and unrealistic.
"This budget is not implementable. There is a huge deficit in the budget and the system that has been promised to fill that is not realistic. This budget needs to be extensively amended," he added.
GM Quader said the health sector saw nominal increase in allocation.
The JP chairman further said people had huge expectations that significant allocation will be given to the health sector. But the proposed budget has given very little allocation to this sector.
The allocation in the social safety net and disaster management sectors are also very less, he added.
The JP chairman said this while talking to reporters after the finance minister placed the budget at Jatiya Sangsad yesterday afternoon.
He said the budget did not provide clear guidelines for job creation or financial assistance for those who have been unemployed and living below the poverty line due to Covid-19 pandemic.
In an instant reaction, Gonosanghati Andolon said the proposed budget has showed that the government has no intention to save people from the pandemic.
It also said there is nothing new in the tax proposal. Middle-income people will be affected badly due to the proposed budget.
Meanwhile, AL general secretary Obaidul Quader said the proposed budget is realistic and time-befitting, which will ensure participation of all.
Quader, also road bridges and transport minister, said this while talking to reporters outside the JS Bhaban.
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