Finance Adviser Dr Salehuddin Ahmed on Wednesday said that the government’s main focus now is on ensuring fiscal discipline while maintaining the continuity of essential development activities.
“Our priority is to implement the budget in a way that ensures efficiency and value for money. Even if we have to readjust some figures, the fundamental objectives of the budget will remain unchanged,” he asserted.
The Finance Adviser was responding to queries from reporters after chairing two separate meetings of the Advisers Council Committee on Economic Affairs and the Advisers Council Committee on Government Purchase held at the Cabinet Division Conference Room at the Bangladesh Secretariat.
He also hinted that the government would continue reviewing both the revenue and expenditure sides as the fiscal year progresses.
“We will see at the end of the period how much adjustment is necessary in the ADP and where savings can be made without affecting critical sectors,” he said.
The Finance Adviser emphasised that the government remains committed to sustaining public investment in key areas such as infrastructure, agriculture, and social protection while addressing emerging fiscal pressures prudently.
He further indicated that the government is weighing the possibility of downsizing the national budget and Annual Development Programme (ADP) as multiple fiscal and administrative challenges have emerged during implementation.
He said that the government’s original budget projections were made on a “realistic and pragmatic” basis given the circumstances at the time of formulation.
“When we announced the budget, it was based on the realities and assumptions prevailing then. It was indeed realistic and pragmatic. But, as implementation began, several new challenges surfaced—particularly in resource mobilisation, project execution, and the overall macroeconomic environment,” he said.
The Finance Adviser pointed out that disruptions in revenue collection activities, particularly at the National Board of Revenue (NBR), have affected to some extent the government’s fiscal position.
“The temporary halt in certain NBR operations has impacted revenue inflow, which is one of the major reasons we are reassessing our spending plan,” he explained.
He said that apart from the revenue side, the implementation performance of various ministries and agencies has also been uneven.
Despite the challenges, Dr Salehuddin reassured that the adjustment would not be drastic.
“We are not planning any major or sweeping cuts. The overall size of the budget and ADP will likely see minor modifications, but not a fundamental departure from what was approved earlier,” he said.
He further added that two major macroeconomic parameters-growth and inflation-have already been revised to reflect the evolving situation.
