Budget is people-oriented, but implementation is challenging: Dr Salehuddin Ahmed

Bangladesh Bank former governor and finance adviser to previous interim government Dr Salehuddin Ahmed has described the  proposed national budget for FY2027 as people-oriented, and reflective of the government's political commitments.

He said budget, on the whole, seeks to address public expectations and contains a number of initiatives aimed at improving people's welfare. However, he stressed that the most important issue is implementation.

"The success of the budget will depend on its effective implementation," he said while giving reaction over the national budget.

Finance Minister Amir Khasru Mahmud Chowdhury placed a Tk. 9.38 trillion national budget for FY2026-27 in Jatiya Sangsad today making it the largest
one in the country's history.

Salehuddin said several priority sectors have been identified in the budget, which he described as a positive step overall.

He said successful implementation of the budget would require adequate resource mobilisation, proper allocation of funds, effective monitoring, and
timely execution of projects.

He suggested that the government should identify a number of key priority sectors and begin work on them without delay.

"In our country, project implementation is often delayed. As a result, many initiatives fail to meet public expectations on time. Therefore, emphasis
must be placed on speedy and effective implementation," he said.

Regarding the size of the budget, he said it has been proposed in line with the country's development aspirations and political realities. However, achieving all of its targets will not be easy, he said.

He pointed out that the ambitious revenue collection target set for the National Board of Revenue (NBR), plans for substantial borrowing from the banking sector, and implementation of an Annual Development Programme (ADP) worth nearly Tk.3 trillion could pose significant challenges.