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Phone connection charge slashed to Tk 10,000

Shahriar Karim
In a welcome move, the government yesterday decided to slash telephone installation charge to Tk 10,000 from the existing Tk 18,400.
The charge will be subsequently brought down to Tk 6,000.
A pre-budget meeting of the cabinet committee on economic affairs took the decision and a formal announcement would be made in a day or two, meeting sources said.
Saifur chaired the meeting attended by his cabinet colleagues to discuss different aspects of the budget for the next fiscal to be placed in the parliament on June 6.
Against the dwindling foreign aid and strains on internal resource mobilisation, Finance Minister M Saifur Rahman asked his cabinet colleagues to cut down expenditures. But his plea ran into resis-
tance as other ministers reminded him that 'political consideration must be kept in mind while setting expenditure since the BNP is not only part of the government, but also a political party'.
The decision to cut telephone connection fee came after Finance and Planning Minister Saifur Rahman on Friday commented on the World Telecommunication Day that the charge was exorbitant.
Telephone installation charge in the country is the highest in the world and much above the rate followed in other South Asian countries. Bangladesh also ranks lowest in telephone penetration rate.
"All the ministers agreed upon the budget structure," Saifur told the waiting newsmen after the meeting at the conference room of the cabinet division at the secretariat.
The meeting also discussed the
current law and order. Replying to a question, he said it would take some time to put a cap on 'intentional efforts to destabilise the law and order'.
The meeting expressed satisfaction over 'some improvements' in the situation during the last few days. "The situation is much better now than it was during the Awami League regime," Saifur commented.
Saifur apprised his cabinet colleagues of the budget strategy to achieve self-sufficiency through increased internal resource mobilisation.
The finance ministry has almost finalised the annual development programme (ADP) for the next fiscal with a 21.36 per cent less project aid from this year's.
Next fiscal's ADP now set at TK 19,000 crore will have Tk 7540 crore in project aid and Tk 11,460 crore in local currency. This year's project aid component is Tk 9590 crore.
"If the donors do not provide fund or withdraw projects, we will frame the budget with our own resources on the basis of people's participation," Saifur reportedly told his colleagues.
The meeting also decided to expedite the recruitment of 20,000 teachers, some policemen and army personnel.