FinMin says he knows the hardships of the poor

No matter how difficult it may be, Finance Minister AHM Mustafa Kamal says he wants to present a budget that is 'good for all' because he can relate to the hardships that come with being poor.

"We want a win-win situation for the budget. I was once poor. We don't want to achieve anything by pushing someone into poverty." Kamal said before starting for parliament from his Gulshan home on Thursday.

The minister is set to unveil the budget for the 2023-24 fiscal year, which is the last under the current government.It will be Kamal's fifth budget and the Awami League administration's 15th successive one in power.

"When people are positive about the budget, it makes me happy. But I don't announce the budget for myself. This budget is for all the people of the country and it includes you too. I believe that if I feel good about it, you will receive it positively too," he said.

According to speculations, the budget for FY24 will amount to Tk 7.6 trillion, though Kamal kept it under wraps before officially announcing it.

"Right now, I can't reveal anything about the budget. It's our duty to handle whatever situation arises when it does. And the budget is nothing fixed. There are many areas here that we can take care of when the time calls for it."

On what the budget aims to do this year, he said: "We've attained what we set out to do previously. The world slowed down during the COVID pandemic. It was said that the same would happen to us. But that was not the case. We kept moving towards our target. I think we can do the same this time as well."

Asked what the election measures the budget may contain as the general election looms seven months away, he said: "What do we mean by election-time? All our budgets are election-time budgets." On what the budget has for the poor, he said: "Our social safety net is vast. We've given everything to arrange it."    �bdnews24.com