Budget allocation for education, health far less than requirements: Speakers

The budgetary allocation in vital areas like health and education remains much lower than requirements which might seriously affect the country’s disadvantaged people, speakers at a programme on Monday said.

They made the observations at a joint media briefing on 'National Budget 2024-25 and Prevailing Situation: Access to Disadvantaged People' organised by the by the Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD) and Citizen's Platform for SDGs, Bangladesh with the support of European Union at the BRAC Centre in the city’s Mohakhali area on Monday.

The CPD Distinguished Fellow Dr Debapriya Bhattacharya presided over the meeting, while its Senior Research Fellow Towfiqul Islam Khan made a keynote presentation on ‘National Budget 2024-25 and Prevailing Situation: What did the Disadvantaged Citizens Get?’ prepared by the CPD research team.

Chairman of Policy Exchange of Bangladesh M Masrur Reaz, Executive Director of Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB) Iftekharuzzaman, A professor of economics at the East West University AK Enamul Haque, a professor of Economics at Jahangirnagar University Sharmind Neelormi spoke on the occasion among others.

Dr Debapriya Bhattacharya said economic stability consisting of inflation situation, flow of foreign investment, prevention of foreign reserve depletion, and GDP growth through job creation is also essential for the sake of disadvantaged people.    

“We have not really received proper guidance on the (economic) stability issue (in the proposed budget,” said Mr Bhattacharya.

During an economic sluggishness, the government should backs the poor and disadvantaged people through not only social protection but also through physical protection, he said.

“We have not been given any scope to be assured with,” he said.

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