13 June 2009: The national budget 2009-2010 ignored long term development philosophy, strategies of poverty reduction and employment creation in local level ; speakers said in a press conference held in National Press Club, Dhaka. Equity and Justice Working Group Bangladesh (EquityBD), an alliance of rights based NGOs in Bangladesh, organized this post-budget press conference while they criticized government proposal for widening scope of private sector to intervene in public service sectors like health, education, communication etc. The proposed budget, termed as ‘pro-poor’, is an approach of fostering poverty as it has introduced a number of  charity programs for the people living below poverty line; says the key note speaker, Syed Aminul Hoque, member of EquityBD. 

Syed Aminul Hoque said that, amount of 79, 000 corer revenue income is not a realistic projection. The revenue income may face 12-15 percent deficit. The country’s ADP is completely debt dependent. The increasing dependency would allow the donors to intervene in our development planning and policies with more conditionality of privatization and market liberalization. During last financial year country’s 17% of revenue expenditure was allocated for debt servicing, in 2009-2010 debt servicing has been projected 20%. This sort of ambitious budget would increase country’s indebtedness. 

Mostafa Kamal Akhand, member of EquityBD, moderated the press conference, while Md. Shamsuddoha, Sanat K. Bhowmik and Sahadat Islam Chowdhury Mintu of EquityBD spoke there.

Please download the press release [Bangla] [English] , photos, position paper [ Bangla ]