Sixth 5-yr plan will not ensure welfare

Prof Abul Barkat speaks at a seminar in the city.Photo: STAR

The Sixth Five-Year Plan (SFYP) would not ensure welfare of the common people, Prof Abul Barkat, chairman of Bangladesh Economic Association, said.
He said the foundation of SFYP should have the constitution and vision 2021.
Barkat said these while he was speaking at a seminar titled “Sixth Five-Year Plan (2011-2015): Framework, Targets, Strategies Financing and Challenges” at the Institution of Engineers, Bangladesh in the city yesterday.
The preamble of the plan says the main objective of SFYP is to eradicate poverty and ensure distributive justice but the whole document does not specify how to ensure distributive justice, Barkat said.
He criticised the government for writing the plan in English language, as it would create a hindrance to reach the mass people.
Qazi Kholiquzzaman Ahmad, chairman of Palli Karma Shahayak Foundation, said SFYP has missed an overall framework to glue the various strategies for a sustained people centric development.
We need to focus on inclusive growth plan to achieve the people centred vision by 2021, he added.
He said, “It is time to rethink the socio-economic policy with considering the recent global protects against greed and exploitation.”
“We need a paradigm shift because the kind of market economy being pursued would not produce the results for realising the vision 2021. The paradigm shift must be based on the primacy of people's agency and needs,” he added.