Increase budgetary allocation for young people: experts

The government should work more for the development of the country's young people and increase the allocation for them in the upcoming national budget, said economists, policymakers, civil society and NGO representatives.

They made these remarks at a pre-budget dialogue on "Allocations for Young People on the National Budget 2021-22."

Organised jointly by ActionAid Bangladesh and Dhrubotara Youth Development Foundation (DYDF), Prof MM Akash, Sayeda Rubina Akter, former secretary and chairman of the Bangladesh NGO Foundation, Md Hedayetullah Al Mamoon, former BCCI president and present chairman of the Chittagong Stock Exchange, Asif Ibrahim, joint secretary of Bangladesh Environment Movement (BAPA), Iqbal Habib, manager of ActionAid Bangladesh, and Member of Parliament Nahim Razzaq virtually spoke on the budget.

They placed an 11-point demand to the government, including increasing the budget's allocation for the youth sector, loan facilitation and special allocation for entrepreneurs, special package for women entrepreneurs, reduce the cost of the internet and increase the quality of service, increase allocation in agriculture and provide a fair price of products.

In addition, quality development, including an increase in allocation for the education sector, formation of National Youth Council, enactment of the Right to Food Act to ensure food for all, special allocation for backward communities, establishment of youth banks, paying unemployment benefits and increase the budget and sustainable development in the field of environment and climate were the other demands.