PM expressed deep shock and sorrow at the death of Netrakona District Mohila Awami League

GBDESK//

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina today expressed deep shock and sorrow at the death of Netrakona District Mohila Awami League President Kamrunnesa Ashraf Dina, who was the spouse of State Minister for Social Welfare Ashraf Ali Khan Khasru.

In a condolence message, the Prime Minister prayed for the eternal peace of the departed soul and conveyed deep sympathy to the bereaved family.

He said, “The list of exclusions is long, yet I cannot strike a balance between my income and expenses.

“Things were not so bad last year. I used to buy chicken and fish several times a month as my children love chicken. Now I can afford chicken only twice a month and try to get by with eggs, lentils and vegetables. It makes me sad when I see my children eat,” Maksudur said.

From metropolises to small towns and villages, people are struggling to stay above the water. After taking a pounding during the pandemic, people of fixed incomes, like Maksudur, are now overwhelmed by the high cost of living in the absence of a corresponding wage increase.

The national budget unveiled yesterday is unlikely to bring any relief for them.

It is true that the budget proposed raising the minimum taxable income ceiling to Tk 3.50 lakh from Tk 3 lakh but there are no specific measures mentioned in the budget that can curb raging inflation, said experts.

There is not much in the budget to ease the rising cost of living, said Selim Raihan, executive director of the South Asian Network on Economic Modeling (Sanem).

“It is not clear in the budget how the inflationary pressure would be reduced or what measures would be taken to decrease the commodity prices.”

Raihan said inflation has largely been hovering between 8 and 9 percent during the current fiscal year. Such a high inflation rate for so long has become a huge problem for families with low income.

According to a Sanem survey on 1,600 homes across the country in March, low-income households reduced consumption of rice and wheat by a staggering 37.08 percent and 56.55 percent respectively.

A stunning 96 percent of the poor slashed their meat consumption and 88.22 percent gave up fish.

Consumption of egg, the cheapest means for getting animal protein, and edible oil was down by 77.06 percent and 81.43 percent, it found.

The reasons behind the runaway inflation are many, but disruptions in global supply chains, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, inadequate domestic food production, price manipulation at local markets, and the weak taka are usually blamed for high prices of food, fuel and other commodities.