PM to hold budget briefing today as FM Kamal falls ill

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will hold a media briefing on budget at Bangabandhu International Conference Centre in Dhaka at 3:00pm Friday as Finance Minister AHM Mustafa Kamal has fallen sick.

Earlier, the premier read a part of Kamal’s fiscal 2019-20 budget speech in parliament on Thursday after the finance minister was struggling with ill health.

The finance minister started presenting the national budget in the House around 3:07pm.
However, he was having problem in placing the budget.

Later, the Prime Minister stepped in, saying the minister was unable to read out the budget speech. “If the Speaker allows me, I can read it out,” she said.

Later, she placed the budget on behalf of the finance minister after Speaker Dr Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury gave her the go-ahead signal.

The 72-year-old went to Dhaka's Apollo Hospital for a medical check-up on Tuesday evening, having been suffering from a fever for a few days. He subsequently stayed at the hospital overnight on the advice of doctors.

Kamal attended parliament on Wednesday.

This is the first budget of the Awami League government of its third successive term and also the first one for Mustafa Kamal as the Finance Minister.

Earlier, President Abdul Hamid authenticated the national budget and the revised budget for placing before the Jatiya Sangsad.

The new budget envisages collecting Tk 377,810 crore as revenue in the new fiscal year.

Of the amount, the National Board of Revenue (NBR) has been tasked to collect Tk 3,25,600 crore as revenue. The non-NBR revenue collection target is  Tk 14,500 crore while the non-llection target is Tk 37,710 crore.

 Besides, Tk 4,168 crore will come from foreign grants.

A 15-minute documentary highlighting various economic developments of the government was shown through a multimedia presentation before the beginning of the budget speech.

Source: dailysun