Govt growth projection unrealistic: BNP
The BNP has termed the projection of the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS) that the country is going to achieve 7.05 per cent GDP (Gross Domestic Product) growth rate for the first time as baseless, confusing and unrealistic. The 7.05 per cent GDP growth will not be possible to achieve under the present sorry state of investment. This is an imaginary figure This claim is not substantiated. Its unrealistic and unfounded, said BNP Secretary General, Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir.
Addressing a press conference at party Chairperson, Khaleda Zias, Gulshan office, he rejected the Governments claim of achieving 7.05 per cent GDP growth and called upon the people not to be confused with, what he said, a statistical wonder.
BNP Standing Committee Members Dr Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain, Dr Abdul Moyeen Khan, Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury, Dr Osman Faruk and Inam Ahmed Chowdhury were also present at the press conference among others.
Achieving 7.05 per cent GDP growth could have been a good news for the nation but we are watching it with concern since the economic indicators that influence GDP growth are not satisfactory, Fakhrul said and added that the countrys indicators of macro economy are not very encouraging and it will not be possible to achieve 7.05 GDP growth under the sorry state of investment.
He accused the Government of misleading the people at home and abroad with the statistics, The BNP leader said that the GDP growth increased as the salaries of the government service holders have almost been doubled this year. He, however, said that its a one-time rise and real public welfare can be ensured only by increasing salaries and related expenses.
The BNP leader alleged that the BBS made the estimate about GDP growth this year in a hurry at the behest of the government. According to a data of BBS for the fiscal year 2015-16, Bangladeshs GDP growth would exceed the 7 per cent mark in the current fiscal year. The report says GDP will grow to 7.05 per cent, as compared to 6.55 per cent in the last fiscal year.
BNP Secretary General said that the BBS estimates GDP growth at 7.05 per cent for the fiscal year 2015-16 but the World Bank estimated the GDP growth at 6.5 per cent and the Asian Development Bank at 6.7 per cent.
The Governments claim that Bangladesh is heading towards achieving 7 per cent GDP growth for the first time is not correct as the BNP-led alliance Government had hit the 7.06 per cent mark in 2005-2006 fiscal year, he said. He added that livestock, fisheries, mineral water, internet cable services and many other economic activities were not included in GDP growth at that time. If they were calculated, then the GDP growth would be more than 7.06% in the 2006-07 fiscal year.
After a meeting of National Economic Council (NEC) on April 5, Minister for Planning, AHM Mustafa Kamal, told journalists that Bangladesh broke its economic growth trap of 6 per cent for the first time since Independence as it has already crossed 7 per cent in the first nine months of the current fiscal year. He added that this is a matter of pride for the nation.
