The Budget Helpdesk 2024 was inaugurated by the Honourable Speaker of the Bangladesh National Parliament, Dr Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury, MP, on 5 June, 2024. The Bangladesh Institute of Parliamentary Studies (BIPS) is implementing Budget Helpdesk 2024 under the Technical Assistance (TA) of the European Union (EU) in Bangladesh for the Parliamentarians. The Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD) and DT Global are partners of this initiative. This is the third time the Budget Helpdesk has been arranged and this will play a crucial role during the budget session FY2024–25. The Budget Helpdesk will provide data and knowledge support to the Members of Parliament (MPs) during the budget session.
During the inaugural session, the Honourable Speaker emphasised the significant role of the Budget Helpdesk in addressing diverse budget-related queries of parliamentarians. She emphasised that the Budget Helpdesk will assist MPs in obtaining support concerning information, data, or clarification on any budget-related matter.
Mr K.M. Abdus Salam, Senior Secretary to the Government of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh, urged MPs to utilise the information from the Budget Helpdesk as a cornerstone for their budget speeches. He also said that this is the first Budget session of the 12th National Parliament, therefore, the support from the Helpdesk will be helpful for the newly elected MPs.
Dr Md Khairuzzaman Mozumder, Secretary of the Finance Division, highlighted the ongoing efforts of the Finance Division in reforming public financial management. He emphasised their commitment to various initiatives under the Public Financial Management Action Plan. Specifically, they have been actively engaged in the Strengthening Public Financial Management (SPFM) Programme, which encompasses the three economic committees and is slated to continue until 2028. The Budget Helpdesk initiative is an integral component of this broader reform programme.
Dr Khondaker Golam Moazzem, Key Expert 4, PFM and Research Director of CPD, provided an overview of the Budget Helpdesk and its activities, explaining its operational plans for this session. He said that eight debriefing sessions on budgetary issues will be held and requested parliamentarians to participate in them.
In his remarks, Mr Michal Krejza, the Head of Cooperation of the European Union in Bangladesh, highlighted that since 2022, the European Union’s technical assistance has supported the implementation of component 12 of the PFM Action Plan, aimed at strengthening elementary oversight and scrutiny of public expenditure. As part of this effort, they have enhanced the facilities of the Helpdesk, engaging resource persons to prepare budget analyses, reports, ministry-specific briefing notes, and organising debriefing sessions for MPs on priority areas.
The session came to an end with Dr Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury, MP, inaugurating the Budget Helpdesk, marking its official opening.