Budget presentation time rescheduled

The interim government is scheduled to present the national budget for the 2025-26 fiscal year on Monday (June 2). The presentation, initially planned for 4:00pm, has been rescheduled to 3:00pm.

The Ministry of Finance shared this information in a letter on Sunday (June 1).

According to the notice, Finance Adviser Dr. Salehuddin Ahmed will present the 2025-26 national budget to the nation at 3:00pm on Monday (June 2) instead of the originally scheduled 4:00pm.

All private television channels and radio stations have been asked to broadcast the budget speech live simultaneously by taking the feed from Bangladesh Television.

Meanwhile, sources from the Ministry of Finance disclosed that the interim government, led by Dr. Muhammad Yunus, is preparing a budget of Tk7.9 lakh crore for the upcoming fiscal year. The budget will prioritize controlling inflation, generating employment, and improving quality of life, healthcare, education, and social protection.

A significant portion of the budget has been allocated for organizing the upcoming 13th national parliamentary election, with around Tk2,080 crore expected to be set aside for this purpose. However, the Election Commission had requested Tk5,922 crore for both national parliament and local government elections in the new fiscal year.

The budget deficit is projected to be approximately Tk2.26 lakh crore. More than half of this deficit will be financed through foreign sources, while the remaining amount will be covered by loans from banks and savings certificates. About Tk5.45 lakh crore may be allocated for operational and non-development expenses.

In addition, development expenditure for the upcoming fiscal year is expected to be around Tk2.45 lakh crore, with approximately Tk2.3 lakh crore earmarked for the Annual Development Program (ADP). GDP growth is forecasted to reach around 5.5 percent. The Finance Adviser may also announce plans to reduce inflation to 6.5 percent.