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Muhith gives in to pressure

Changes his stance against block allocation for MPs

Staff Correspondent
Finance Minister AMA Muhith has backtracked from his stance on block allocation to the lawmakers, inclusion of educational institutions in the monthly pay order (MPO) and construction of new roads, in the face of mounting pressures from the MPs.
At a pre-budget meeting with parliamentary standing committees yesterday, Muhith said block
allocation for the constituencies would continue. The lawmakers present at the meeting welcomed the announcement by thumping the table.
Only a week back, Muhith had rejected the lawmakers' demand for the block allocation ofTk 15 crore for development works in each of their constituencies.
Did he make the U-turn due to pressure from the MPs?
"I say it will continue. However, at this moment it cannot be said whether the amount will beTk 15 crore," Muhith
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said only this when reporters asked about his change of mind after the meeting at the NEC auditorium.
At the meeting, members of the parliamentary standing committees on the finance and the planning ministries, public accounts and public undertakings raised the three demands, saying these were their electoral pledges to the voters.
Major (retd) Rafiqul Islam, Bir Uttam, member of the parliamentary body on the planning ministry, said if special allocation is not given, the lawmakers in future will not be able to face their electorates.
In almost all the pre-budget meetings earlier, lawmakers made the same demands but the minister expressed reservations about these.
Disapproving Muhith's stance on the MPO issue, Muhammad Abdur Razzaque, chairman of the standing committee on the finance ministry, yesterday said many educational institutions may face closure if the government stops including schools in the MPO.
And the finance minister seemed to have reluctantly accepted the demand when he said, "In my view, the MPO system is not good. However, the grants given are necessary".
Muhith also said the system should be recast so that the grants given may benefit not only teachers but also their institutions.
Speaking about his changed position on building new roads, the minister said the LGRD minister has convinced him and he understands that "construction of rural roads is necessary but not national highways".
Muhith also criticised the widespread corruption in the Local Government Engineering Department (LGED) and suggested that lawmakers and upazila chairmen be involved with the LGED activities for the development works in their areas to check corruption.
At the meeting, Major (retd) Rafiqul suggested that the finance minister hold pre-budget meeting with the ultra poor section of the population so that the budget for the next fiscal year reflects their aspirations.