Per capita income rises to $1,190

The government spent Tk 26,654 crore in fiscal 2013-14 in social safety net programmes for helping people cut poverty, have food and face natural disasters.

The welfare expenditure is more than 5 percent higher than the previous fiscal year's Tk 25,371 crore, according to the latest official statistics.

Bangladesh is currently putting nearly 2 percent of its gross domestic product into social protection programmes, with 20 ministries implementing 80 to 95 projects.

The Cabinet Division in an annual report also said per capita income of the people of the country rose by $146 to $1,190.

It placed the report on financial activities in FY 2013-14 at the weekly cabinet meeting yesterday.

The reserves, exports and revenue collection soared up by 4.44 percent, 11.60 percent and 8.35 percent. The foreign currency reserves stood at $21.508 billion, according to the report.

The exchange rate was stable in the fiscal year while the inflation rate came down to 6.97 percent from 8.06 percent in the previous fiscal year, Cabinet Secretary M Musharraf Hossain Bhuiyan told reporters after the meeting.

He said agricultural and food production had increased. The use of Information and Communications Technology, mobile phones, and internet had gone up as well.

As many as 11.62 crore people now own mobile phones and 3.89 crore use internet with tele-density standing at 77.91 percent, the report says.

Power generation grew by 14.33 percent to 7,356 megawatt, as the government continued to put emphasis on boosting electricity supply since the AL-led alliance assumed power in 2009.

The government spent 93.11 percent of its annual development programme target in the last fiscal, having completed 239 development projects out of 242 projects earmarked, Bhuiyan said.

There has been improvement in health, education, and communications sectors as well. Some 2,718 beds have been added to public hospitals.

Some 69 state-owned enterprises have turned out to be profitable while 19 experienced losses. 

The cabinet made a set of recommendations, including intensifying inter-ministerial meetings to expedite the implementation of various policies and programmes, capacity development of the implementing agencies to expedite ADP utilisation alongside extensive monitoring, taking more initiatives to fill vacant posts, load management of power, imparting training to more volunteers for tackling natural disasters, creating more awareness for controlling food adulteration and extending e-tendering activities.

The secretary said the cabinet had also recommended holding of public hearings at upazila level to take notice of the problems of mass people.

The cabinet approved a proposal for signing an agreement between the governments of Bangladesh and the United Arab Emirates to increase security cooperation between the two countries.

The deal will be signed during Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's visit to the UAE this month. Another deal titled “Agreement on Transfer of Sentenced Prisoners” is also expected to be signed during the visit, added Cabinet Secretary Musharraf.

The cabinet also gave its nod to another proposal for signing an agreement with Kuwait on military cooperation on training.