“They (Indian side) want to make transit operational. But our infrastructures aren’t ready for transit. We’re going to make an allocation for transit in the coming budget,” he told a pre-budget exchange of opinion with NGO representatives at the Finance Ministry.
Before the meeting, an Indian delegation met the Finance Minister to discuss bilateral issues.
At the meeting with the NGO representatives, the Finance Minister, indicating Jamaat-e-Islami, said, “It’s not a political party. Rather, they’re an anti-national party and problems are created for their violent activities in seven districts. It should be banned. Measures are being taken to ban the anti-national party.”
On different issues raised by representatives of different leading NGOs, he said this year at least one district will get district development budget. But he did not mention the name of the district which is going to have this budget.
Announcing separate district budget was an election pledge of the Awami League, but no such budget was announced in the last four years.
Responding to a demand of the NGO leaders, Muhith said the health sector is a good area of government-NGO partnership to work. He said if he receives any specific proposal, the government would consider providing the operation of 100 rural healthcare centres to NGOs under GO-NGO partnership.
He agreed with the observation of the NGO leaders that educational institutions in rural areas are not maintaining the quality although the government spends 94 percent of its expenditures for teachers’ salary.
He said the situation in the secondary education is worse than the primary one, and the MPO system has been the key source of corruption and it destroyed the total education system.
On the demand for improving the railway transport system, the Finance Minister said the government would increase the budget for railway in the coming budget.
He said there is no need for the construction of new roads. “Rather, the government is evolving a new policy for the maintenance of roads.”
Hafizuddin of TIB, Mahbub Hossain of Brac and Kazi Hafrullah of Ganoshastha spoke at the meeting.
