Ministry proposes raising allowance to Tk 1,000

The Ministry of Liberation War Affairs yesterday proposed to raise the monthly allowance for the freedom fighters to Tk 1,000 from Tk 600.
The proposal was placed at a pre-budget meeting at the finance ministry between Finance Adviser Mirza Azizul Islam and secretaries of different ministries.
"We are considering to widen the overall social safety net programmes and the proposal for increasing the freedom fighters' monthly allowance will be considered," Mirza Aziz told reporters after the meeting.
Meeting sources said if the government increases the monthly allowance for the freedom fighters at the proposed figure it would require Tk 48 crore additionally in a year.
UNB adds: Finance Adviser Mirza Azizul Islam yesterday asked secretaries of different ministries to undertake fewer projects to ensure their timely implementation.
“Sometimes a huge number of projects are taken on but those cannot be implemented for lack of financing,” he told the chief accounting officers of ministries beyond mid-term budgetary framework (MTBF) at the pre-budget meeting.
Early this month, the finance adviser held another pre-budget meeting with the secretaries.
Talking to reporters after the meeting, Mirza Aziz said he asked the secretaries to undertake realistic projects, both under revenue and development budget, which could be implemented in time. “If a project can't be implemented timely, it increases cost and prolongs the implementation period. As a result, utility of the project loses its meaning.”
He advised the secretaries to develop ownership of the budget based on the additional powers given to them in implementing the projects and also instructed them to do impact analysis after a project's implementation.
Replying to a question, the finance adviser said the economy with its present development status demands many projects, but the demand must be consistent with the ability, both in terms of resources and implementation capacity.
Mirza Aziz said the secretaries informed him of the implementation problem due to unusual price-hike of construction materials, while he told the secretaries that a report in this regard has already been drafted and he would take a decision soon.