Cultural activists said that they were disappointed over allocation for cultural affairs ministry in the proposed national budget for 2024-25 fiscal year placed in the Jatiya Sangsad on Thursday.
They said that the government largely ignored the cultural sector as the activists had been demanding at least one per cent allocation of the national budget for years for the development of the sector.
Finance minister Abul Hassan Mahmood Ali proposed the national budget of Tk 7,97,000 crore for the fiscal year 2024-25, in which the budgetary allocation for the cultural affairs ministry is Tk 779 crore, up by Tk 80 crore from Tk 699 crore allocated in the fiscal year 2023-24, which was only 0.0917 per cent of the budget of Tk 7,61,785 crore.
The revised budget for the ministry in the fiscal year 2023-24 was Tk 764 crore.
The proposed budget for the ministry in the fiscal year 2024-25 is only 0.0977 per cent of the total budget.
Of the total budget for cultural affairs ministry, Tk 455 crore has been allocated to meet operating expenditure and Tk 324 crore for the development programme.
Expressing disappointment over the budgetary allocation, cultural activists, including Sammilita Sangskritik Jote president Ghulam Quddus, Bangladesh Udichi Shilpigoshthi general secretary Amit Ranjan Dey, theatre troupe BotTala chief executive officer Kazi Roksana Ruma and Samageet Sangskriti Prangan artist and singer Amal Akash said that the allocation was not adequate for cultural development and the government largely ignored the sector.
Ghulam Quddus said that cultural activists鈥� long-time demand for adequate allocation was largely ignored in the budget.
鈥楾he SSJ has been demanding at least one per cent allocation for the cultural sector of the national budget for the past 10 years but our demand has not been addressed till date,鈥� said Ghulam Quddus.
He mentioned that bureaucrats considered allocation for the cultural sector as wasting money resulting in inadequate allocation for the sector every year.
Amit Ranjan Dey said, 鈥楾he poor allocation for the cultural sector shows that the sector is being neglected by the government.鈥�
He mentioned that a portion of the allocation could not be used due to the lack of good planning and efficient manpower.
Expressing his disappointment, Amit Ranjan Dey emphasised increasing the allocation and creating efficient manpower to ensure proper spending of the allocation.
Mentioning the allocation as very inadequate for the development of cultural sector, Kazi Roksana Ruma said, 鈥楾he allocation shows how much the government gives importance to the cultural sector.鈥�
She mentioned that sustainable development could not be ensured without the development of the cultural sector.
Referring to theatre sector, she said, 鈥楾heatre practice in the country is considered as voluntary work and theatre activists are demanding grants for the development of the sector for a long time.鈥�
However, the allocation of Tk 324 crore for the development programme in the budget is not sufficient for expected development of the sector across the country as a large portion of the total allocation for the cultural sector will be spent to meet operating expenditure, mentioned Kazi Roksana Ruma.
Echoing Kazi Roksana Ruma, Amal Akash emphasised proper expenditure of the allocated money with transparency.
鈥極n the one hand, the allocation is not adequate and on the other hand, there are questions regarding the way the allocated money is spent,鈥� said Amal Akash, alleging that a large share of the allocation was misused as there existed no monitoring.
鈥業t is important to increase the allocation for the sector and to spend the allocated money properly ensuring transparency,鈥� ended Amal Akash.