Budget's success hinges on implementation: Khasru

Finance Minister Amir Khasru Mahmud Chowdhury on Thursday said the true success of the national budget depends on its effective implementation, urging officials of the Finance Division to work collectively to translate the fiscal blueprint into tangible outcomes.

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 been well received across the country.

"A well-prepared budget alone is not enough. Its real success depends on effective implementation," he said.

Khasru 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 minister also called for changing the negative public perception of the bureaucracy, saying his experience over the past four months had shown that any challenge could be overcome through teamwork.

He urged officials to move away from conventional approaches and embrace innovative thinking to keep pace with a rapidly changing world.

Khasru said official meetings should not be one-way discussions, stressing the need to encourage open and active participation from officers.

He called for a work culture based on free discussion, mutual cooperation and out-of-the-box thinking, adding that the workplace should function like a family where officials focus on finding solutions rather than merely identifying problems.

The minister said objective and timely feedback from the different wings of the Finance Division would facilitate better policymaking and decision-making.

Describing the Finance Division as the centre of the country's economic management, he urged all officials to discharge their responsibilities with professionalism and dedication in the national interest.

Later, speaking to reporters after a meeting at the Secretariat on an integrated development plan for Cox's Bazar, Khasru said the government had initiated steps to prepare a comprehensive master plan to develop the coastal district into an international and regional tourism hub.

He said the government was also reviewing the long-standing 50-metre and 500-metre development restrictions in coastal areas to facilitate planned tourism infrastructure while ensuring environmental protection.

"Where tourism is developed, hotels, motels, resorts and recreational facilities will have to be established. Development opportunities must be created without compromising environmental conservation," Khasru said.

He said the government has a broader vision for Cox's Bazar, highlighting ongoing infrastructure projects, including the construction of an international airport, railway connectivity and improved road links from Chattogram.

The minister said these projects would be integrated to transform Cox's Bazar into a modern digital tourism city.

He also said Bangladesh's target of becoming a $1 trillion economy by 2034 would be supported by Cox's Bazar as one of the country's major growth hubs through the expansion of the tourism, trade and services sectors.