Dr Rashed Al Mahmud Titumir, Prime Minister's (PM) Adviser on Economic Affairs and Planning, said the aspirations and reflections of people from all sections of the society have been incorporated into the national budget of fiscal year (FY) 2026-27.
He said this while speaking as the chief guest at an event, titled "Youth in National Budget 2026-27: Education, Employment and Entrepreneurship", organised by the Centre on Budget and Policy (CBP) of the Dhaka University (DU) on Sunday.
In his speech, Dr Titumir said budget discussions often revolve around figures or are viewed merely as calculations of income and expenditure. However, the key questions should be about the philosophy, objectives, implementation process, and relationship between the budget and the people.
"Every citizen, regardless of class, profession, sector, or age, will find his or her reflection in this budget. It has been formulated based on the philosophy of an inclusive economy."
He noted that the previous 'fascist' government left the country with high inflation, making things expensive for everyone. To fix this and help new businesses grow, the government is working to make bank loans cheaper.
"For the first time in the history of Bangladesh, a five-year tax structure has been introduced in this budget, as business owners need consistent rules to plan ahead."
The PM's adviser also said, "The Industrial Policy is back to fulfil commitments of the BNP's election manifesto. Our manifesto clearly states that socioeconomic development and sustainable state capability must be achieved."
Beyond focusing solely on business and job creation, he also outlined upcoming major changes across the energy, health, and social service sectors. The present administration is shifting its focus towards green energy to move away from the energy sector corruption of the past.
"We have set a target to produce 20 per cent of our energy from renewable and solar sources."
Dr Titumir also noted that the government will build emergency energy reserves, a critical resource the country lacked before.
Besides, the government is committed to improving human resources by working to spend 5.0 percent of the national budget on education by 2030.
Alongside education, healthcare infrastructure is set for a significant upgrade. Specifically, the hospitals built by former President Ziaur Rahman and former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia will be expanded to 101 beds. As part of the initiative, new kidney dialysis centres and coronary care units (CCUs) will be established in every district.
Addressing the needs of the marginalised people, the adviser pointed out that the government is now implementing a "lifecycle-based" system. This new approach aims to protect the citizens at every stage of life, encompassing everyone from children to elderly, including widows and people with disabilities.
DU Treasurer Professor M Jahangir Alam presided over the event and delivered the closing remarks, where he strongly criticised the recent budget allocations for university research. He expressed frustration that the UGC has taken full control of the research funds, reducing DU's independent research budget to zero.
He also expressed doubt over how the government's vision of an innovation-driven economy could be achieved without trusting the nation's top university to manage its own research.
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