The Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD) has laid emphasis on strengthening transparency, participation and oversight in the budget delivery process.
The think-tank urged the government to make scope for the local level citizens to be involved in budget delivery and monitoring process including selection of participants in social protection programmes and implementation of public investment projects to reduce leakages and corruption.
CPD on Sunday made the observation at a dialogue on "New Government, National Budget and Citizens Aspirations" at a hotel in the city.
CPD in association with Citizens Platform for SDGs, Bangladesh organised the dialogue. Deputy Leader of the opposition in the national parliament and former minister Anisul Islam Mahmud, former planning minister MA Mannan, Executive Director of Campaign for Popular Education (CAMPE) Rasheda K Choudhury and CPD Distinguished fellow Dr Mustafizur Rahman, among others, spoke on the occasion.
Dr Debapriya Bhattacharya, a distinguished fellow of the CPD, delivered the keynote speech with CPD Executive Director Dr Fahmida Khatun in the chair.
Anisul Islam Mahmud thanked CPD for organising the dialogue and said this kind of dialogue can keep a good role in the budget preparation process.
MA Mannan, now the chairman of the standing committee on planning ministry, said the government is giving different allowances for the welfare of common people.
"The government is providing different allowances which have a huge impact. So, the government should expand the areas of this allowance in the upcoming budget," he added.
Debapriya urged the government to allocate more funds for social protection, education and health. He also urged allocating funds for ensuring decent employment and labour rights for all.
He recommended the government increase allocation for education (to over three percent of the GDP) and for health (over two percent of the GDP).
He also recommended increasing the allocation for social protection programmes (to over three percent of GDP). Take away the pension fund out of the total social security allocation and distribute it to the actual social safety items for disadvantaged communities, he said.
"Create an accurate database of disadvantaged communities for better integration and to mitigate the exclusion and inclusion error regarding the social security programmes delivery and sector-specific allocation," he added. —BSS
