DHAKA, May 7, 2024 (BSS) - State Minister for Finance Waseqa Ayesha
Khan has expressed her optimism that inflation will come down to the
government-set target of 7.5 percent by the end of this fiscal year.

"It can be achieved through a series of governmental measures,
including contractionary monetary policies, import controls, and
austerity measures in government expenditure," she said while
presenting the "2023-24 Budget Implementation Progress Report for the
second quarter of the financial year" during a parliament session on
Sunday.

In her speech, Waseqa mentioned that controlling inflation is among
the government's top priorities.

The government has been taking various measures since last year to
keep inflation at a bearable level, she added.

However, she said, due to the Russia-Ukraine conflict, the increase in
commodity prices in the international market and the rise in the value
of the US dollar, high inflationary pressures are seen across the
world, including in Bangladesh.

The state minister said, "For the past few years there has been a kind
of instability in the global economy due to the covid-19 and
Russia-Ukraine war and other geopolitical reasons. In light of these
challenges, the growth target for the current fiscal year has been
revised downwards from 7.5% to 6.5%. Bangladesh is not free from the
adverse effects that are currently going on in the world economy but
the nation will be able to move forward by facing all tough
situations."