Muhith hints at Tk 2.24 trillion budget

Finance Minister AMA Muhith on Saturday said that the size of the national budget for the upcoming fiscal year would be around Tk 2.24 trillion.

This will be the last budget of the present Awami League-led grand alliance government, which won't get the entire fiscal year of 2013-14 to implement it.

He told reporters at his Secretariat office that the annual development programme (ADP) was estimated at Tk 656 billion while the overall budget deficit would be Tk 563 billion.

The Ministry of Finance has prepared the budgetary framework. As per the preliminary estimate, the targeted GDP growth will be 7.2 percent in next fiscal.

The minister announced to bring the overall inflation rate on an average below 7 percent.

Tk 68.52 billion – Tk 19.83 billion and US$ 608 million in foreign currency – has been allocated in the next budget for construction of the much-talked-about Padma Multipurpose bridge.

The Finance Minister will place the proposed budget in parliament on June 6.