Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has said her government has planned to increase Bangladesh's GDP growth to 10% in the 2023-24 fiscal year.
She said this while addressing the media during Friday's official post-budget press conference, as Finance Minister AHM Mustafa Kamal has fallen ill.
The briefing, at the Bangabandhu International Conference Centre in Dhaka, started at around 3pm.
To achieve the double digit GDP rate in FY2023-24, the GDP growth rate in the proposed budget has been projected to be 8.2% for FY2019-20; as the GDP growth rate has been consistently high over the last decade, reports UNB.
Labelling the national budget of FY2019-20 the biggest ever in Bangladesh's history, Sheikh Hasina said the target of the budget is to implement the election manifesto of her government.
Her government also aims to create 30 million jobs in the country by 2030, she added.
Emphasizing the importance of the education sector, Sheikh Hasina said this sector will be prioritized in the next fiscal year.
The government has also allocated Tk25,732 crore for the health sector in the proposed budget.
The prime minister also said Bangladesh leads South Asian countries in eliminating gender disparity.
Also Read- Tk523,190cr national budget for FY20 placed in parliament
Finance Minister AHM Mustafa Kamal unveiled the proposed budget for FY 2019-20 in parliament on Thursday
The finance minister usually takes questions at the official media call, held a day after the proposed national budget is presented in the House. However, the prime minister stepped in on his behalf after he fell ill.
Sheikh Hasina and Kamal jointly unveiled the proposed Tk5,23,190 crore budget for FY2019-20 in parliament on Thursday.
This was the first national budget presented by Mustafa Kamal, who took charge of the finance ministry after the Awami League returned to power—for a third time—through the 11th general election held on December 30 last year.
