Finance Adviser Dr Salehuddin Ahmed presenting the proposed national budget for FY26. Photo: PID

DHAKA, June 02, 2025 (BSS) - Finance Adviser Dr Salehuddin Ahmed today said the government is working to develop a pool of skilled youth and create self-employment opportunities by utilizing their immense energy and potential.

"The 'Tarunyer Utshob (Youth Festival) 2025' has been celebrated with huge enthusiasm around the theme 'Let's change the country, change the world'. To create self-employment, the ceiling of youth loans given to trained youths across the country has been increased to a maximum of Tk 2,00,000. The loan ceiling for successful young entrepreneurs has been increased to Tk 5,00,000," he said.

The adviser said this while presenting the proposed national budget for FY26 through a pre-recorded speech aired through Bangladesh Television and Bangladesh Betar.

To bring the crisis-ridden economy left by the previous government back on track, he said, the task force on Re-Strategizing the Economy and Mobilizing Resources for Equitable and Sustainable Development has provided recommendations on various issues including keeping the amount of foreign debt at a tolerable level, taking precautions in selecting development projects, addressing the challenges in the supply chain, developing physical infrastructure, diversification of export products, creating an investment-friendly environment, increasing employment opportunities, expanding environment-friendly industries, etc. 

Moreover, the White Paper on the state of Bangladesh economy has submitted its recommendations on corruption and economic mismanagement by the previous government, he added. 

He said these recommendations have been taken into consideration in adopting and implementing national economic plans. 

"I would like to extend my sincere thanks and gratitude to the people from different walks of life, including eminent economists, journalists, businessmen and civil society representatives, for providing us with valuable suggestions before preparing this year's budget and we have tried to include their suggestions as much as possible in the budget," he added.