Finance Minister Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury informed the Jatiya Sangsad on Sunday that the ousted Awami League government spent a staggering Tk982.91 crore on various programmes to celebrate ‘Mujib Year’, marking the birth centenary of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.
The minister disclosed the information while responding to a starred question from Rangpur-3 lawmaker Md Mahbubur Rahman Belal during the question-and-answer session, presided over by Speaker Hafiz Uddin Ahmad.
Replying to a supplementary question, Amir Khosru said that ousted prime minister Sheikh Hasina spent Tk35 crore on food alone in a year from the government fund.
The minister also told Parliament that defaulted loans at the country’s nine state-owned banks had reached Tk1,88,701.75 crore.
In response to a question from reserved-seat lawmaker Sabikunnahar, he outlined an extensive roadmap to rein in non-performing loans (NPLs) and restore discipline in the financial sector.
Amir Khosru said Bangladesh Bank was implementing a phased strategy to recover outstanding loans and align banking practices with international standards.
“Initiatives have been taken to introduce the necessary legal reforms to set a maximum single-borrower exposure limit across the entire banking sector. Furthermore, punitive measures originally intended for wilful defaulters are being expanded to cover certain other categories of chronic defaulters,” the minister said.
Replying to several other questions, the minister highlighted the joint efforts of the government and the Bangladesh Bank to curb tax evasion by wealthy individuals and corporates, while managing the country’s prevailing inflation.
He said the government is utilising advanced technology to prevent tax evasion by major corporate houses and individuals, ensuring that the general public is not overburdened with additional taxes. To ensure transparency, the government is expanding the e-return system for corporate taxpayers, the minister added.
According to him, the taxpayer database is being enriched through API integrations with other government agencies to cross-verify financial data; while risk-based auditing and investigations have been strengthened using industry-specific averages to assess expected tax yields. The scope of the online Tax Deducted at Source (TDS) management system has also been widened.