Process on to collect $1.5b as budget support

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina yesterday said the government started a process to collect an additional $1,000 million as budgetary support to tackle future emergency situations and the economic crisis stemming from the Russia-Ukraine war.

Besides, another process was going on to collect $500 million as budgetary support to deal with the economic crisis caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, she told parliament.

The leader of the House revealed this in a tabled answer to a question from ruling Awami League lawmaker Md Mozaffar Hossain from Jamalpur-5 during the PM's question-answer session.

This budgetary support amount ($1,000 million) will be spent on stimulus packages for industries, factories, trading organisations, small and medium enterprise entrepreneurs as well as social safety net, she said.

Hasina, however, didn't mention from where the money will be collected.

The PM said the government was making relentless efforts for well-planned socio-economic development of the people, generating employment and implementing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Replying to another question from AL MP Kazim Uddin Ahmed, the premier described various measures taken by her government to develop the country's aviation sector and the national flag carrier, Biman Bangladesh Airlines.

In response to a query by AL MP Shahiduzzaman Sarker, Hasina said 35,52,340 homeless people have so far been rehabilitated across the country.

She said all landless and homeless families will be rehabilitated in phases through construction of homes. "Landless-homeless-rootless people are being rehabilitated even by procuring land in areas where proper khas land is not found."

Hasina said her government is committed to abolish the words "no place to stay" forever.

Responding to a question from AL lawmaker AKM Rahmatullah, she said production of food grains in the country was 3.36 crore tonnes in 2009. This has now gone up to 4.53 crore tonnes.

Currently, Bangladesh ranks third in the world in terms of rice and vegetable production, 7th in mango and potato production, 4th in tea production and first among 11 hilsa producing countries, the PM told the House.

Replying to another query by Momtaz Begum of the ruling party, she said 43 districts are now under the coverage of the railway network.

Once the ongoing railway projects are implemented, 19 more districts will come under its coverage, Hasina said.

"The remaining four will also come under the railway network after completion of the 30-year master plan."