Finance Minister Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury on Thursday said the success of the budget ultimately depends on its effective implementation, urging Finance Division officials to work collectively to turn the fiscal plan into tangible results, reports UNB.
Speaking at his first meeting with Finance Division officials at the Ministry of Finance, the minister said the budget, prepared over nearly two months, has received appreciation from people across the country.
“A well-prepared budget alone is not enough. Its real success depends on effective implementation,” he said.
Khosru expressed confidence that the Finance Division would be able to implement the budget through coordinated efforts.
Finance Division Secretary Dr Khairuzzaman Mozumder chaired the meeting.
The finance minister also called for efforts to change the negative public perception of bureaucracy. Sharing his experience over the past four months, he said teamwork could help overcome any challenge.
He urged officials to move beyond conventional approaches and embrace innovative thinking to keep pace with a rapidly changing world. He also called for more open and spontaneous participation in official meetings, saying discussions should not remain one-way.
Khosru stressed the need for a work culture based on free discussion, mutual cooperation and “out-of-the-box” thinking. He said the workplace should function like a family, with officials focusing on solutions rather than merely identifying problems.
He also said objective and timely feedback from different wings of the Finance Division would help improve policymaking and decision-making.
Describing the Finance Division as the centre of the country’s economic management, Khosru urged officials to discharge their responsibilities with professionalism and dedication in the national interest.
Later, speaking to reporters at the Secretariat after a meeting on an integrated development plan for Cox’s Bazar, the minister said the government has taken steps to prepare a comprehensive master plan to develop the coastal district into an international and regional tourism hub.
He said the government is also reviewing the long-standing 50-metre and 500-metre development restrictions in coastal areas to facilitate planned tourism infrastructure while protecting the environment.
“Where tourism is developed, hotels, motels, resorts and recreational facilities will have to be established. Development opportunities must be created without compromising environmental conservation,” Khosru said.
He said the government has a broader vision for Cox’s Bazar, highlighting ongoing infrastructure projects, including an international airport, railway connectivity and improved road links from Chattogram.
These projects will be integrated to transform Cox’s Bazar into a modern digital tourism city, he said.
Khosru also said Cox’s Bazar could become one of the country’s major growth hubs as Bangladesh works towards its target of becoming a $1 trillion economy by 2034, with tourism, trade and service sectors playing a key role.
FP/R
