Evaluation of the proposed budget

Finance Minister Abul Maal Abdul Mühith has designed an improved social safety net strategy fr the welfare of the destitute, neglected wety, distressed, backward communities of the country. Muhith presented his 11" for the fiscal year of 2017-18 at the parliament on Thursday. 

He allocated Tk 1,017 crore for the physically challenged, which is 31% higher compared to the 2016-17 budget. The government will also take steps to provide identity cards to all physically challenged from the existing database Current development plans will be reorganized and new development plans will be undertaken, he said during his speech. The government decided to raise the recipients of old age allowances to 35 lakh from 31.50 lakh as well as raising the number of widow and oppressed women by 10% w 12.65 lakh. The number of financially insolvent (or disabled persons has also increased by 10% to Tk 8.25 lakh as well as the number of beneficiaries for maternal allowances has gone up to 6 lakh, increasing by Tk one lakh. The special allowance for transgender as well as Bedes and other backward communities has been has been raised respectively 2.35 crore Tk and 6.32 crore, making the current allowance stand at Tk. 11.35) crore and 27.00 ovie The budget of financial assistance for cancer, kidney diseases, liver cirrhosis, stroke related paralysis and congenital heart diseases patients have been increased to Tk. 50 crore from Tk.

20 crore. Te laborers have been allocated Tk 15 crore to improve their livelihood. They will also get a one-time payment of Tk 5000 per head as substitute of food. The freedom fighters will get two festival allowances of Tk 10,000 each. An educational stipend allowance for disabled persons at both the primary and secondary levels has been increased by Tk 10,000, with Tk 5000 at each level. A sports complex of international standard for the physically challenged persons will be built on 12 acres of khas land in Savar. The government is also considering building resource centres for the physically challenged persons in each divisional city. The government has enhanced the number of beneficiaries and allowances for some of the major programmes under the social safety nets (SSNPs) Some Tk 16,725 crore has been allocated for five ministries- social welfare, women and children affairs, liberation affairs, food and disaster management and relief under the bracket of "Social Security and Welfare", according to budget documents. In the outgoing fiscal year, Tk 13,955 crore was allocated for the bracket. But the total amount that has been earmarked for SSNPS for the fiscal year is not explicit in the budget documents. For instance, a total of Tk 30,751 crore, equivalent to 2.3 percent of gross domestic product, was given for SSNPs this fiscal year. Last year, the allocation was Tk 26.654 crore, or 2.26 percent of GDP. The annual budget for fiscal 2015-16 announced yesterday increased the old age allowance beneficiaries to 30 lakh from this year's 27.23 lakh. The number of beneficiaries for widow, abandoned and destitute women allowance was increased to 11.13 lakh from 10.12 lakh. Some 6 lakh insolvent disabled persons will now get allowances instead of 4 lakh.

The government has also proposed to increase the monthly allowance for freedom fighters who have crossed the age of 65 years to Tk 10,000 from Tk 5,000. The number of disabled students receiving stipends will be increased to 60,000 from 50,000, while the number of recipients for maternity allowance will be raised 20 percent. The government will provide cards to all disabled persons by using the national disability database. The finance minister also said he has made allocations to enhance the living standards of hijra, dalit, harijan and Bede communities. 

The allocations to provide emergency food assistance to ten labourers and financial assistance to the pour patients suffering from cancer, kidney diseases and liver cirrhosis, doubled in the forthcoming budget. Steps will also be taken next year to ensure a fair price for agricultural produces, but there is nothing specific in this regard in the budget documents. The government has been running SSNPS for years without coordinated and strategic planning. The programmes are run by over a dozen of ministries without any effective impact assessment. This time Finance Minster AMA Muhich has vowed to make SSNPs successful. For that end, he has proposed some including formulating a Social For that end, he hus proposed some measures including formulating a Social Safety Net Strategy Paper and a project named Strengthening Public Financial Management for Social Protection. He has also intends to set up a Social Protection Unit in the finance ministry to improve the effectiveness and accountability of SSNPs Development Foundation for Elderly People Act. Vagrant and Shelter less Persons (Rehabilitation) Rules, Disabled People's Rights and Protection Rules, Children Rules and Neuro-Developmental Disability Protection Trust Rules are in the offing to make SSNP's more effective.