Published in The Daily Observer on Wednesday, 18 July 2018
DIU seminar on national budget evaluation
Eduvista Desk
Seminar on ‘National Budget 2018-2019: An Evaluation’ was organized by the Department of Business Administration of Daffodil International University (DIU) at 71 Milonayoton of the university on 16 July 2018. Khondokar Ibrahim Khaled, former deputy governor of Bangladesh Bank, was present as chief guest. Presided over by Professor Dr Yousuf Mahbubul Islam, vice-chancellor of DIU, the seminar was also addressed by Dr Fahmida Khatun, executive director of Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD), Anwar Faruq Talukder, executive vice president of Shimanto Bank Ltd., and Professor Dr Mohammad Masum Iqbal, dean, Faculty of Business and Economics, DIU as special guest.
The panelists explored topics as diverse as the financial sector’s liquidity crisis to the existing inequality within the country. Following the address by the panelists, a question and answer session ensued.
While addressing the seminar, Khondokar Ibrahim Khaled said budget for the year 2018-2019 is a routine budget. There is no novelty in this budget except wideness of size. He feels doubt that implementation of this mega size budget may be toughed because firstly we don’t have strong institution, secondly the boundless corruption and thirdly lack of sufficient skilled human rouses. But, this budget has two good things: one is Taka 5 thousand crore for teachers training purpose and another is Tk 10 thousand crore for social security fund, he added.
He also said that despite of increasing GDP, the wealth inequality is also increasing in alarmingly in the society. Because, we have no proper allocation system of GDP and there is no clear instruction or guideline in this budget to reduce this inequality.
Addressing as special guest Dr Fahmida Khatun said, “GDP has been increased to one percent for one decade. It’s becoming from 80’s. If we want to sustain this development we have to increase investment. Currently we have 28 percent investment which is not enough. We have to increase this investment rate up to 40 percent.”
Another special guest Anwar Faruq Talukder said that regional inequality are finding like income inequality. He gave example that regional inequality of Kurigram is more than Sylhet region. This kind of inequality is also found in the sector of education. There should be proper instruction in budget to reduce this inequality.