Speakers at a pre-budget discussion held at Chilmari in Kurigram district said yesterday that enhanced participation of grassroots citizens can ensure formulation of a more pro-people and effective national budget.
To ensure balanced and uniform developments and bringing the backward areas to the mainstream national advancements, there is no alternative to involving the grass root level people in formulating the national budgets, they added.
They suggested for enhanced people’s participation from all walks in the society including womenfolk to formulate and properly implement the upcoming national budget everywhere to turn Bangladesh into a medium income nation by the year 2021.
They said this at the discussion tilted ‘Participation of the Citizens in the National Budget Formulation’ jointly organized by Chilmari Distressed Development Foundation (CDDF) and Democracy Watch (DW) with the assistances of USAID and Progoti.
Held at Chilmari upazila parishad premises, the discussion was chaired by UNO Enamul Haque while President of Chilmari upazila unit Awami League and Chilmari upazila chairman Shawkat Ali Bir Bikram attended as the chief guest.
Upazila vice-chairman Zamshidul Islam, Chief Advisor of CDDF Abdur Rouf Sarker, Senior Programme Officer of DW Shameem Al Mamun and former Commander of Chilmari Upazila Muktijoddha Sangshad Nazrul Islam attended as the special guests.
Executive Director of CDDF Lutfar Rahman, Secretary of Chilmari Press Club SM Nurul Amin Sarker, social worker Golam Haider, former union member Marjina Begum, teacher Upendra Nath Barman and common people addressed.
The speakers demanded enhanced participation of the local people and representatives of all communities and adopt their suggestions and opinions for preparing the best ever national budget that will speak for the people, their welfare and developments.
They said that sustainable, uniform and smooth developments of all areas and regions would be hampered and welfare of every citizen be affected without knowing problems and exploring potentials and needs of every area. They urged for coming out of the centrally prepared budget and its controlled implementation cultures and ensure citizens’ involvements is formulating the most ideal and pro-people budget for building a developed digital Bangladesh.
The area-based local economic potentials could not be properly explored in the prospective agriculture, animal husbandry, poultry, diary, weaving, handlooms, mineral resources including coals, silk and other sectors without taking local opinions, they said. The local people want maximum and timely explorations of the huge natural and manpower resources of backward northern region in overcoming local hurdles for the purpose in boosting country’s industrializations, they said.
They urged for putting due emphasis on setting up of coal-fueled power stations, small, medium and heavy industries, involving more womenfolk with SMEs, enhanced infrastructural developments for faster changing of the socio- economic conditions. Without emancipation of local citizens in formulating national budget, it would be difficult to identify the available prospects and possibilities those are now prevailing at different areas and regions for development of the rural citizens, they said.
The speakers put special emphasis for boosting SMEs involving more women and rural people for expanding business and income-generating activities by setting up of the need-based potential industries counting the local prospects and possibilities.
They specially urged for construction of a bridge on the river Teesta to connect Chilmari with Gaibandha reducing distance by 100 km, launching special allowances for the teachers working in the char areas and ferry service on Chilmari-Bahadurabad route.
Besides, they demanded for setting up of small-, medium- and heavy- and agro-based and milk-processing industries in Chilmari, extension of the right bank river protection embankments of the Brahmaputra, launching intercity train service from Chilmari and modernization of Chilmari Hospital.
Source:The New Nation
