Foreign Minister Dr Hasan Mahmud yesterday (Friday) said there are some groups, including BNP, do not see anything good in their eyes in the country.
"In fact, in the last 15 years each budget implementation rate is 92 to 97 percent. A budget of nearly Taka eight lakh crore has been presented in Parliament on Thursday. Every time after presenting the budget, you will see that the BNP holds a press conference and says that this budget is anti-people, budget to kill the poor, this budget will not do any good," Hasan, also Joint General Secretary of Bangladesh Awami League (AL), said.
The foreign minister said these while speaking as the chief guest at a reception and felicitation ceremony for former presidents and general secretaries of the Chattogram Press Club on the occasion of its 62nd foundation anniversary, held at the Chattogram Press Club yesterday evening.
"The size of the budget has increased 11.5 times in the last 15 years. Per capita income has increased five and a half times. The size of GDP has increased almost six times. And the number of people living below the poverty line in Bangladesh was 41 percent. It has come down from there to 18.7 percent. Extreme poverty was 22 percent, which has come down to 5.5 percent," he added.
Dr Hasan said, if the budget did not benefit the poor, then poverty and extreme poverty would not be reduced.
"If the budget had not benefited the poor, poverty and extreme poverty would not have decreased. People's income has increased five and a half times in dollar terms, even more in taka terms. This has been possible due to the realistic budget formulation and implementation of that budget by the Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and her government, the foreign minister added.
Mentioning that journalists are the advanced part of the society, they show the way to the society, they bring out the unmentioned issues of the society, the Foreign Minister said, "Journalists will point out the mistakes of the government, we welcome that. It is helpful in doing the work properly. However, it is often seen that some reports are done in such a way that they are harmful to the country."
Chattogram Press Club president Salauddin Md Reza Presided over the function while Chattogram Zilla Parishad Chairman ATM Payrul Islam, CDA Chairman Muktijodha Mohammad Yunuch, Deputy Commissioner Abul Bashar Mohammad Fakhruzzaman, and Chattogram Metropolitan Police Commissioner Krishnapad Roy, among others, addressed it as special guests.
/MHK/
