The New Nation - Internet Edition

BSS, Rangpur

Leaders of Rangpur Chamber of Commerce and Industries (RCCI) in its reaction welcomed the proposed national budget for 2008-09 fiscal year terming it as pro- people with huge social security plans, very timely and pragmatic one.

RCCI president Mostafa Azad Chowdhury Babu hailed the proposed budget and thanked the caretaker government for presenting the dynamic budget.

In a statement Babu highly appreciated the maximum importance given in the budget on food security, rural economy, adequate allocations and subsidy for the agriculture sector, farmers, agri-inputs, fertilisers, fuels and ensuring supply of electricity etc.

The proposed budget will play a vital role in women empowerment, ensuring welfare of the distressed women, divorcees and aged people, freedom fighters, physically handicapped, garments workers, self-employment opportunities of the women, nutrition of the pregnant women, education sector and other fields, he said.

Tax holiday facility, reduction of import taxes on computers and computer goods, textile and other goods, industrial raw materials, constitution of the four-layer tax structure in place of the previous three-layer etc, will definitely encourage industrialization to creating employments. He further said the increasing agriculture loan allocations, strengthening ongoing Char Livelihood Programme, allocations in the micro-credit sectors, construction of more structures for facing the natural disasters, elevated Food for Work, OMS, VGF, VGD, TR and other programmes will play vital roles in eradicating poverty and improving life standard of the people.

The RCCI also welcomed the maximum emphasis given on procuring adequate quantity of food grains and making its huge reserve through allocating more funds for the purpose and putting maximum importance to the education and health sectors and special steps for uniform developments in the neglected areas will also bring very positive impacts.

If properly implemented, the proposed budget will definitely play very effective roles in eradicating poverty and achieving self-reliance, increasing food productions to ensure food security, Babu said.

The farmers will be benefited by the proposed budget and they will be encouraged further to produce more and more crops including rice, wheat, potato, maize and others, he added.

However, Babu said that there is no concrete direction in opening the doors for increasing exports and solving the problems with gas and power supply as proposed in the budget to bring more dynamism in the industrial sector for a healthy national economy.