Proposed budget allocates Tk 824 crore to cultural sector

The proposed national budget for the fiscal year 2025–2026 has allocated Tk 824 crore for Bangladesh’s cultural sector, with Tk 487 crore set aside for operational costs and Tk 337 crore for development initiatives.

Finance Adviser Salehuddin Ahmed announced the budget on Monday. While the allocation reflects a modest increase from the current fiscal year’s original allotment of Tk 779 crore (later revised to Tk 742 crore), it still falls short of long-standing calls from cultural professionals to dedicate at least 1% of the national budget to culture.

In the broader proposed budget of Tk 7,90,000 crore, the entertainment, culture, and religious affairs sector—including the ministries of Information and Broadcasting, Cultural Affairs, Religious Affairs, and Youth and Sports—has received a combined allocation of Tk 6,540 crore, which is just 0.8% of the total.

The Ministry of Cultural Affairs has outlined several initiatives for the upcoming year, including commemorating national days, offering stipends to financially vulnerable artists and writers, providing grants to theatre groups and private libraries, and organising international cultural exchange programmes.

Plans also include efforts to protect copyrights of creative works, modernise galleries at the National Museum, expand collections of heritage and contemporary art, and identify and preserve new archaeological sites across the country.

Despite these initiatives, many in the cultural community remain concerned about what they see as continued underfunding. Stakeholders argue that greater investment is essential to preserve and promote Bangladesh’s rich and diverse cultural heritage.

SR