Experts have called on the government to provide budgetary allocations for the urban poor as well as the newly poor across the country to tide them over during the coronavirus slowdown.
They also projected that the pandemic would push up the poverty level to 35-40 per cent of the population from the existing 20.4 per cent.
The call came at a virtual press conference on 'Budget 2020-21 and social safety net programmes' on Wednesday, organised by the Right to Food Bangladesh (RtF).
The experts observed that though allocation for social safety net has been increased in the proposed budget for fiscal year 2020-21, the urban poor and the newly poor emerging as a result of the pandemic have been deprived of any budgetary support.
Dr Qazi Kholiquzzaman, chairman of the RtF Bangladesh and the PKSF, Dr AK Enamul Haque of United International University, Dr Najnin Ahmed, senior research fellow of Bangladesh Institute of Development Studies(BIDS), Prof Dr Sayema Haque Bidisha, Department of Economics, Dhaka University, and Amanur Rahman, director of Care Bangladesh, spoke at the press conference, said a press release.
Presenting the keynote paper, RtF Secretary Mohsin Ali said the proposed budget has allocated Tk 955.7 billion for social protection, which is 16.83 per cent of the total budget. And pensions and compensations for government jobholders totalled Tk 233.22 billion.
The government has undertaken 145 projects and programme under social safety net, but only seven of them are for the urban poor and that allocation for them is less than 1.0 per cent of the total budget for social protection, he added.
The paper pointed out that 20.4 per cent of the population in the country were living below poverty level before the pandemic, which might go up to 35-40 per cent at present.
A vast number of people fell below the poverty line after they lost their jobs due to the pandemic, it said.
The keynote paper said the proposed budget for FY '21 has totally overlooked the urban poor and the newly poor.
Demanding specific allocations for the poor in the budget, the experts also called for immediately creating a database of poor people across the country.
