Bangladesh’s 8th Five Year Plan (8FYP) is set to go into effect in July 2020, and the parliamentary session on the National Budget for FY2020-21 begins at the end of the week. To adjust for the economic implications of COVID-19, the GED has sought the expertise of Professor S R Osmani in rethinking priorities and resource allocation currently outlined in the 8FYP, consequent sectoral reallocation, and adjustments to the Plan’s macroeconomic framework.
In the webinar titled “Coping with COVID-19: The Case of Bangladesh“, Professor Siddiqur Rahman Osmani of Ulster University presented an integrated policy framework. He elaborated on the types and phases of proposed policy instruments, linking them to major components of the economic support package, and the emphasis on the government’s priority to revamp the public health system.
Honourable Minister of Planning, M A Mannan, MP, graced the occasion as the Chief Guest, while Dr Shamsul Alam, Member (Senior Secretary), GED, Planning Commission, Ministry of Planning, GoB was the Special Guest, with Dr Imran Matin, Executive Director, BIGD and Country Director-Bangladesh, IGC moderating the session.
Professor Wahiduddin Mahmud, Senior Advisor, IGC; Dr Hossain Zillur Rahman, Executive Chairman, PPRC; Dr K A S Murshid, Director General, BIDS; Dr Sadiq Ahmed, Vice Chairman, Policy Research Institute; Dr Zahid Hussain, Former Lead Economist, The World Bank; and Dr Debapriya Bhattacharya, Distinguished Fellow, CPD were present in the webinar as discussants.
