Budget realistic and fully implementable: Planning Adviser

Planning Adviser Wahiduddin Mahmud has said the proposed national budget is highly realistic and fully implementable.

He made the remarks at a post-budget press conference held at the Osmani Memorial Auditorium in Dhaka on Tuesday, a day after the interim government unveiled a budget of Tk7.90 lakh crore for the 2025–26 fiscal year.

He noted that while public demand remains high, structural limitations continue to hinder revenue collection.

“This budget is more grounded in reality than other budgets placed in the past,” said Wahiduddin. “Our demands are many, but we cannot collect sufficient revenue due to structural issues in the economy.”

Addressing concerns raised by critics who labelled the budget as “conventional,” the adviser said, “We have increased allocations for social sectors like education and health. A budget is not static — it's part of a continuous process.”

He further noted that the development projects included in the new budget are largely carryovers from the previous government.

“Earlier, many projects were approved without considering funding sources. Of the current projects, around 20-30 are new; the rest are ongoing.”

“We are now prioritising essential projects and discarding unnecessary ones. Once a project begins, it will not be abandoned midway. We are not aiming for a long list of mega projects — only three have been retained due to their national importance: the Khulna-Mongla railway line, the Matarbari deep seaport, and improvements to rural road infrastructure.”

Wahiduddin added that cleaning up “project clutter” is a significant challenge and a proper portfolio of projects will be maintained to ensure effective implementation.