Finance minister AMA Muhith yesterday observed that there has been no remarkable progress in combating corruption in Bangladesh though the Anti Corruption Commission (ACC) has been constituted and different laws have been enacted towards this end. “E-tendering and online transaction will be the most effective tools to combat corruption,” Muhith asserted while speaking at a national dialogue on Budget and Other Policies and Strategies to Remove Discrimination and Poverty’ at a city hotel yesterday. Information minister Hasanul Haque Inu, chief whip of the Opposition, Fakhrul Imam, former food minister Dr Abdur Razzak, and member of the General Economic Division (GED), Prof. Shamsul Alam, spoke on the occasion. Bangladesh Institute of Development Studies (BIDS) director Dr Binayak Sen and Oxfam’s programme director ABM Akhtar made a presentation on the topic. Former foreign minister Dr Dipu Moni presided over the function.
Muhith urged all ministries and divisions to introduce an online system to improve the situation. Citing an example, Muhith said he was the chairman of a college in Sylhet. “The college earnings went up from Tk. 8,00,000 to Tk. 8,30,000 after it introduced the online system of transactions,” he said. If transactions are conducted online, pilferage and fudging of accounts can be stopped, dishonest workers can be nabbed, and money can be transferred to the right targets. Budgetary allocations, too, cannot be misused, he added.
He said the government was trying to increase the number of taxpayers to 20 lakh from the existing 12 lakh. Speaking on education, Muhith expressed satisfaction over primary and higher education. He, however, was not happy with the secondary education system. He said he would discuss the issue with the education minister. The finance minister said it was difficult to provide social safety programmes for widows, distressed women, and old people as the government’s revenue collection is low. Social safety net programmes were introduced in the financial year 1997–98 and at least 60 per cent widows, distressed women and old people had been brought under the programme, he disclosed. Hasanul Haque Inu urged the finance minister to identify 30,000 tax payers who pay more than Tk. 1 crore.