DHAKA, May 5, 2024 (BSS) - 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 today made the observation at a dialogue on "New Government, National 
Budget and Citizens' Aspirations" at a hotel in the city. 

CPD in association with Citizen's 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.

Debapriya emphasised technical and vocational skill development as per the 
global standard by considering the 27.4 percent NEET (not in employment, 
education or training) youth population.

Regarding subsidies, he suggested enhancing it to sectors such as 
agriculture, small and medium enterprises (SMEs), food security programmes 
and other sectors such as health and education (where the out-of-pocket 
expenditure is very high) to ease the inflationary pressure.

Dr Bhattacharya, however, also urged the government to ensure strong 
leadership and coordination among the government agencies, while devising and 
implementing policy decisions.

He recommended ensuring disaggregated budget reporting using real time data 
at the national parliament under the Public Money and Budget Management Act 
2009.

He also urged the government to ensure regular monthly meetings of the 
critical parliamentary committees related to public finance management such 
as Standing Committee on Ministry of Finance, Standing Committee on Ministry 
of Planning, Public Accounts Committee, Committee on Estimates and Committee 
on Public Undertakings with opportunities for public hearings involving 
relevant stakeholders and citizens groups as well as briefings by amici 
curiae.