Muhith TK 192,000 CR budget today to develop

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Author / source: Independent ONLINE report

DHAKA: Finance Minister AMA Muhith is later Thursday unfold in JS a new national budget of about TK 192,000 crore for the fiscal year 2012-13 to keep the budget deficit at 4.4 per cent of GDP.

The Minister will place his fourth household in the Jatiyo Sangshad, after it met at 3: 00 pm today.

The budget is practically the last full this grand alliance Awami League-led Government. It is planned probably to a populist budget with a view to the next general elections beginning 2014. The Finance Minister would have the task to do the subtle balance between the demand for restoration of budgetary discipline and voter pressure to low taxation.

Classified budget left which by many as the worst of the three last financial years during the term of Office of the present Government of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina was known a turbulent year.

Revenue spending of the budget be 111.675 crore to TK and is an annual programme of development of TK it 55,000 crore.

Tax revenue is estimated at TK 139.760 crore and the budget deficit is expected to stand on TK 46.024 crore.

Muhith has already said that subsequent budget would aim macroeconomic stability faster economic growth and social justice requires.

He said that budget would at the same time to focus on the rural economy, agriculture, industry and infrastructure.

In the field of energy, particular attention is paid he said.

The leading economists of the country, said inflation and the weakening of investment and the declining foreign AIDS would be however hard for the country in the wake of the high expenditure, excess subsidy, point to reach 7 percent GDP growth in the next fiscal year.

Asked about his expectations regarding the subsequent budget, consultant should the interim Government, the former finance the Dr A B Mirza Azizul Islam said the Government should focus on poverty reduction as a key objective and more funds for social safety net (SSN), reduce poverty from the existing set of 32.5 percent next perspectives.

He pointed out that safety net programmes contributed to helping the poor in the past 25 years.

He said the Government would have to take a decision payout on political considerations despite conditions by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for accessing extended credit facility worth$ 1 billion.

He also hoped that the Government take special measures and invest more funds in the next financial year employment would generate budget.

"Restoring budgetary discipline would be a major challenge in the coming financial year, and lax macroeconomic management has been for many of the recent economic problems," distinguished fellow of the Center for political dialogue Dr Debapriay Bhattacharya said.

He said by TK delay 10-thousand Crores of subsidy payments for the coming budget and unsustainably low height for subsidies and transfer, the Government has destabilised the financial management, he noted allocation.

Source: theindependentbd.com

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Yesterday’s greenery gone today

Dhaka, Nov 1: It was a picture-postcard park in the midst of a concrete jungle. Not anymore. The lone park at Tantibazar on English Road seems to have lost much of its greenery, with a perfunctory beautification in the east, a 10 feet high dumping zone in the middle and an unofficial stand for trucks in the west. “Is it a park? I thought it to be another plot of land to aggravate traffic snarls in the capital," wondered Nahid, a first-year student of Jagannath University (JU), albeit everyday he takes a shortcut through the park to reach his university.
“It once was a pretty little spot amid the concrete walls. There were some rides for children in it," mused Ajaml Hossain, an old resident of the area.
Ajaml told The Independent that the park was surrounded by long trees. “On weekends, food-sellers used to flock here, as people visited the park with their children," he added.
Although he could not remember when the children's rides were uprooted from the park, Ajaml said the number of children visiting the place got less and less as construction of some large buildings started on the southern side.
Large trucks carrying bricks used to be parked at the spot and it had become an open-air garage for trucks and pushcarts, he mentioned. “Later, it was turned into a convenient place for dumping construction wastes," he said.
Refatullah, a shop-owner at the south side of the park, alleged that the park becomes a junk-hub at night. “We close our shops at around 9 p.m., and by then some groups, consisting of young people, gather here and the place becomes a drug den. It has become a safe haven for addicts," he added.
This correspondent found bottles of Phensidyl at the dumping ground for construction wastes.
A temporary tea-stall owner at the park, preferring anonymity, admitted that the place has gone to the junkies. “Who cares? Police are paid by drug-traders to look the other way," he rued.
When this correspondent told Ataur, a traffic sergeant on duty by the park's side, about the bottles of phensidyl, he smiled knowingly and simply said: “This happens”.
"The Dhaka City Corporation (DCC) has chosen this site as a dumping ground for construction wastes. It has only worsened the situation," said Sharif Jamil, member secretary of the Parks and Grounds Committee of Bangladesh Paribesh Andolon (BAPA).
The green activist said the Tantibazar park had been constructed during the British rule and then it was much larger than its present size. “During the East Pakistan period, the park had lost some of its land, but it was still a beautiful place to pass a lazy afternoon," he remarked.

During HM Ershad's regime, some children’s rides were set up at the park and it became a children's playground. About this time, it was also brought under the jurisdiction of the DCC. “Rather than looking after the spot of green, from 2008, the corporation itself started to dump construction wastes in the middle of the park,” Jamil rued.
Munshi Mohammad Abdul Hashem, executive engineer of circle-2 of the DCC, told The Independent that the civic body dumps rubbish in the centre of the park. The DCC started dumping wastes here to stop truck drivers from parking their vehicles, he said.
In 2007, the DCC assigned Heritage, a private company, with the task of beautifying the park. When contacted, Heritage officials said they had beautified the east side of the park. They also said that the DCC had stopped providing financial assistance to the company, and added that they were threatened by some local goons to stop the beautification.
They, however, said that the firm is eager to re-start beautification. “But we need financial and administrative support from the DCC. Otherwise, it will not be possible,” they added.
The chief waste management officer of the DCC, Capt. Bipan Kumar Saha, said the civic body will soon clean up the mess. “Unfortunately, if we clean the dumping ground, it’ll again become a temporary stand for trucks,” he added.
He observed that the west side of the park has already been in use as a truck stand.
“Our estate and engineering sections should work together to clean the park. This will prevent truck drivers from encroaching the place,” he said.
“We’ll soon launch a programme to give back the children’s park its old look ,” said the DCC’s chief estate officer, Golam Rahman Mia.
“Prime minister Sheikh Hasina gave directives to protect children’s playgrounds. We’ll take the initiative to protect the DCC-listed 47 parks in Dhaka city”, he added.

Source: theindependentbd.com

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PM leaves for Berlin today

AppId is over the quota
AppId is over the quota
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Author / Source : Independent Online/unb

Dhaka: Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina leaves for Berlin Saturday morning to attend the World Health Summit-2011.

The Prime Minister will deliver a keynote speech at the Summit on October 23 (Sunday).

She will lead a high-powered delegation that will include the Health and Family Welfare Minister, Foreign Minister, Ambassador at Large at the Prime Minister’s Office, Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister, Health and Family Welfare Secretary, and five distinguished personalities.

The Prime Minister will also be accompanied by a business delegation from the apex trade body, Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FBCCI).

During the visit, Hasina will have official talks with German Chancellor Dr Angela Merkel on October 25 (Tuesday), followed by a luncheon and a joint press briefing.

The Prime Minister will be given the federal military honor.

A Foreign Ministry release said this will be a bilateral visit. Entire gamut of bilateral relations will be reviewed during the summit meeting.

The Prime Minister will attend a reception to be hosted by students of Bangla Pathsala at Bangladesh House in Berlin today.

On October 23 (Sunday), she will attend another reception to be hosted by Non-resident Bangladeshis (NRBs) in Germany at Hotel Adlon Kempiniski in Berlin.

After attending the World Health Summit, Hasina will join the presidential reception.

On October 24 (Monday), she will attend a seminar titled `Emerging Market-Bangladesh’ at Hotel Adlon in Berlin, to be organized by German Bangladesh Chamber of Commerce and participated by leading German business leaders and potential investors.

Later, the Prime Minister will call on the President of German parliament (Bundestag).

Hasina is likely to attend a dinner to be hosted by the German-South Asian Parliamentary Group at Regent Hotel in Berlin.

German Environment Minister Rottgen, Economic Cooperation and Development Minister Dirk Niebel and Foreign Minister Dr Guido Westerwelle will meet the Prime Minister on October 25.

Hasina is expected to return home on October 26.

Source: theindependentbd.com

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