Finance minister AMA Muhith on Sunday said inflation would be targeted at 6 per cent in the new fiscal year that will begin from next July.
The projected inflation will be 6 per cent in 2014-15, he said during a meeting with the representatives of the non-government organisations during pre-budget parley at the secretariat.
He said inflation was expected to remain at around seven per cent in the outgoing fiscal.
Muhith reiterated that overall outlay of the budget would be Tk 2,50,000 crore with a deficit at 5 per cent of the gross domestic products.
He said projected deficit of 4.7 per cent was revised upward to 5 per cent in the outgoing fiscal year.
The finance minister also said that reform in the public administration would get special focus in the ensuing national budget as part of human resources development.
‘An administrative reform will be carried out from next year,’ he added.
Skill development is the other area that will also be given importance, he said.
He admitted that the Awami League government did not do much in the area of public administration reform during its last tenure.
Last week, Muhith said World Bank made the highest ever loan commitment in the outgoing fiscal year.
But due to lack of capacity of the public officials more than half of the commitment might remain unrealised, he said, adding that reform in the public administration was essential to increase the loan utilisation capacity.
Apart from the skill development, Muhith identified infrastructure, power and energy, and agriculture as other priority areas of the next budget.
Representatives of the country’s leading NGOs like Gonoshasthaya, BRAC, ASA and BAPA took part in the discussion.
Gonoshasthaya chief Zafrullah Chowdhury said the number of essential drugs should be increased to 350 from existing 117. It will be disastrous if the private companies are allowed to dictate the price of medicines, he observed.
BAPA general secretary Abdul Matin said govt should give emphasis on railway for the development of mass transportation. He said environment related
courts should be expanded up to semi-district level.
He enquired about the pollution tax the government has been planning to impose for the last couple of years.
Muhith replied that the government did not make any progress in imposition of fine on the polluters. He, however, said he would give special focus on tobacco and its abuses in the upcoming budget announcement.
He said they were planning to introduce pension scheme in the private sector.
He said the tanners must relocate their tanneries to Savar by June 2015 to safeguard their exports. He said they might not be able to relocate their tanneries from the city’s Hazaribagh area by December 2014.
It is reported that European Union, main destination of the country’s growing leather and leather goods exports, might discard import from the non-compliant factories from 2016.
Muhith observed that the government should be selective in dredging channels under the river training programme. He made the observation when the representative of an NGO alleged that the government was wasting public money in the name of river dredging.
-With New Age input
