B Mirror Report: Finance Minister Amir Khasru Mahmud Chowdhury has said the proposed national budget for FY2026-27 was designed to be as inclusive as possible, with every component reflecting a clear policy objective aimed at incorporating all sections of society into the country’s development process.

He made the remarks on Saturday while speaking at a session titled “Leveraging Resilience to Address Risks” during a conference on “Trade, Economic Growth and Economic Diplomacy Action Plan”, jointly organised by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Bangladesh Investment Development Authority (BIDA) at a hotel in the capital.

The finance minister said the budget was prepared with the goal of including people from all walks of life through various policy measures and described it as a broad and comprehensive inclusive framework.

He stressed that taxation should be viewed as an effective policy instrument and called for a skilled and expert policy-making team capable of managing tax policies efficiently and independently.

Chowdhury also said the government is working to establish an effective policy-making framework with clear divisions of responsibilities and mechanisms to ensure that public opinions are reflected in decision-making.

“The key to policy-making is having a clear understanding of its potential impact. Once the right policy is formulated, implementation becomes much easier,” he said.

On the issue of inclusivity, the minister said the budget had been formulated by considering the needs and interests of every citizen, adding that it would be difficult to make it any more inclusive.

He said it is the state’s responsibility to bring neglected and economically excluded groups into the mainstream and noted that the scope of welfare programmes is being expanded to achieve that objective.

Highlighting the importance of financial inclusion, the minister said the concept of a creative economy has become increasingly important and can help integrate rural artisans, artists, designers and other creative professionals into the mainstream economy.

He said the government is planning to provide easy-term loans, skills development opportunities and access to digital marketplaces for rural artisans, including expanding markets for local products through platforms such as Amazon and eBay.

The finance minister also said the creative economy has been incorporated into this year’s budget and would be expanded further in the future, with filmmakers working on OTT platforms also coming under its scope.

He added that the government is planning to develop a long-term life cycle-based social protection framework to ensure state support for citizens from birth to death.

The conference was attended by Local Government Minister Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, Foreign Minister Dr Khalilur Rahman and senior BIDA officials, among others.