Bangladesh’s previous Awami League government spent more than 9.82 billion taka on programs and installations marking “Mujib Year,” finance minister Amir Khasru Mahmud Chowdhury told Parliament.
The expenditure, equivalent to an estimated $83.3 million, covered programs in districts and upazilas, pictures and altars of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, statues made of bronze, copper and marble at government offices, and state-sponsored digital countdown boards.
Chowdhury said ministries and government divisions collectively spent 9,829,174,000 taka on the commemorations.
The finance minister disclosed the figure as lawmakers discussed the current Bangladesh Nationalist Party government’s economic agenda. He said restoring discipline to a financial sector that had been “riddled with looting” under the previous government was among its highest priorities.
Chowdhury said authorities had taken action against people accused of manipulating the stock market and were working to return fugitives to Bangladesh. The measures were intended to strengthen oversight and rebuild investor confidence.
“This has happened because people’s confidence in the stock market has returned, and we hope that we have brought and are going to bring major changes to the capital market,” he said, according to a translation of his remarks.
The government has also formed a 1 trillion taka initiative, equivalent to about $8.47 billion, to support agricultural expansion and broader economic growth. Officials are also working to simplify the country’s tax structure.
In separate parliamentary discussions, the information and communication technology minister outlined plans to use training programs to engage young people and help address drug addiction.
“We are trying to conduct these training courses in four, five, or six-story rooms at the upazila level,” the minister said in translated remarks. “If we can attract the young generation at this stage, then perhaps we will try to draw those who are addicted to drugs and bring them out of it.”
Parliament also paid tribute to former speaker Barrister Jamiruddin Sircar, who recently died. Lawmaker Andaleeve Rahman recommended that the Bogra University Bill 2026 be passed unanimously.