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electricity, gas, fuel and fertiliser prices that transpired earlier this fiscal year.

What is more unfortunate is the government does not seem to have any plan to rein in the escalating prices.

In the proposed budget for fiscal 2023-24, Finance Minister AHM Mustafa Kamal sought record bank borrowing to fund the deficit, a large part of which would most definitely be coming from the central bank.

“What could be a worse nightmare for the common people than the inflation rising and real wage rate and employment declining?” Hussain said.

In fact, for the poor and low-income people, their reality appears to be an endless trial.

Shariful Islam, a construction worker in Dhaka’s Mirpur-11, is barely getting by these days. Construction work has declined markedly over the last five-six months because of the price spiral of rods and cement, leaving Islam gainfully employed for 10-11 days a month.

That is not enough to feed three square meals to his family of four.

The family has already left out meat and fish from their meals and switched to a completely vegetarian diet along with cutting down on portion size to the bare minimum.

“But the vegetables are also becoming dearer. I have already borrowed money from many to continue with my children’s schooling. If things continue this way, I don’t know how I will get by at all,” he said.

Food inflation rose to 9.24 percent in May from 8.84 percent the previous month. Non-food inflation increased 24 basis points to 9.96 percent in May.

Islam’s neighbour Kohinoor Begum, who runs a roadside tea stall, is scrimping in the kitchen, too.

“We can no longer afford oil, lentils, sugar, meat and fish in our meals,” she said, while wondering if the comfortable life her family had two years back would ever come back.

The elderly Wasi Ahmed in Mohammadpur is wondering the same.

“We don’t feel full after meals. But even then, our expenditure is only increasing. How will we survive like this?” he told The Daily Star yesterday.

In urban areas, inflation increased to 9.97 percent last month from 9.68 percent in April.

Over in Satkhira, Tauhidul Islam, an electrician, has similar grievances.

“It’s tough to run the house with the prices of everything rising like this. My income did not increase.”

Inflation in rural areas stood at 9.85 percent, up from 8.92 percent in April.

Islam has switched to all economic options for sustenance, but that will not be enough.

“If the government helps us, it will bring us some relief,” he said.

But that is unlikely to happen.

In the proposed budget for the incoming fiscal year, Kamal did not make any allocation to cushion the poor from the wrath of inflation.

In fact, the social safety net budget is smaller than the current fiscal year’s both in proportion to the overall budget and GDP.

Even then, as much as 60 percent would be going towards those not in dire need.

In reality, just 1.01 percent of the GDP would be spent on the poor via the social safety net schemes -- and not 2.52 percent, as touted by the government.