Economists at a dialogue in Dhaka called for incorporating special steps in the national budget of 2011-12 fiscal year for addressing the problems of the country's ultra-poor people.
The government should increase allocation in social security sector in the budget and take up programme in this sector for elimination of ultra-poverty, they said, calling for ensuring transparency and accountability in the implementation of anti-poverty programmes.
They made the remarks while addressing the dialogue titled 'Agriculture, Food Security and Social Security: Analysis of Proposed National Budget 2011-2012' at BRAC Centre in Dhaka on Saturday.
BRAC and Bangladesh Rice Foundation jointly organised the dialogue. BRAC executive director Mahabub Hossain presented the keynote paper while former finance minister M Syeduzzaman chaired the session.
CPD head of research Fahmida Khatun, Dhaka University economics teacher MM Akash, Bangladesh Agricultural University vice-chancellor MA Sattar Mandal, former FBCCI president Abdullah Awal Mintoo and former adviser to the interim government AB Mirza Azizul Islam, among others, took part in the dialogue.
Remarkable portion of country's population are ultra-poor despite reduction of overall poverty. Being deprived of basic needs of life, the ultra-poor are leading miserable life and they cannot take part in development activities. Different programmes taken for them proved ineffective, they said.
It is impossible to build a poverty-free country if we cannot involve them into mainstream of our development, they said.
The speakers hoped that lawmakers would present a poor-friendly budget taking into consideration the interests of the ultra-poor.
Source : New Age
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