Public security spending to rise ahead of election

In view of the general election year, the government plans to increase the allocation of the Home Ministry’s Public Security Division (PSD) while reducing the allocation of the Security Services Division (SSD) in the national budget for the upcoming 2023-24 financial year.

It’s been proposed to allocate Tk 25,571 crore to PSD and Tk 4,146 crore for SSD in FY2023-24. In total, the ministry’s potential allocation will be Tk 29,717 crore, according to officials involved in budget preparation.

Compared to the ongoing FY2022-23, PSD’s allocation will go up by Tk 973 crore in FY24 and SSD’s allocation will go down by Tk 41 crore.

However, sources said, these numbers are not yet final and they may change by the time the FT24 budget is prepared for tabling in the parliament in June.

In the FY23 budget, a total of Tk 28,781 crore was allocated for the two divisions — Tk 24,594 crore for PSD and Tk 4,187 crore for SSD, which means, the total allocation would go up by Tk 936 crore in FY24.

Talking to The Business Post, an official involved in budget preparation, requesting anonymity, said that the national budget’s size will increase slightly as it is an election year. And PSD’s budget allocation will need to rise since the division’s election-focused work will increase.

However, SSD’s allocation is going down because there are not many development programmes for this division in FY24, said the official.

Bangladesh Police, Rapid Action Battalion, Ansar and VDP and Bangladesh Coast Guard operate under PSD, while Fire Service and Civil Defence, Department of Immigration and Passports and Department of Prisons operate under SSD.

The allocation and activities of PSD include ensuring internal security through counter-terrorism, strengthening intelligence activities, and controlling and developing law and order situations. It also formulates and implements laws, rules and policies related to law and order and public safety.

The money allocated to PSD from the national budget is used in border protection and anti-smuggling activities, taking joint action with international organisations to combat terrorism and extremism, ensuring security for victims and witnesses in cases filed against people accused of 1971 war crimes and crimes against humanity, using scientific methods to conduct judicial investigations and filing legal prosecutions and executing court orders.

On the other hand, using its allocation, SSD generally deals with dual citizenship, reclassification of work permit visas, visa-on-arrival, immigration, repatriation, facilitation of passport, visa and citizenship processes, management of e-passport and automatic border control, and management of passport and visa services of Bangladesh missions abroad.

It also takes measures to prevent and mitigate fire incidents and other disasters, oversees rescue efforts, works to modernise the prisons to provide facilities to inmates and convert prisons into correctional centres, to prevent narcotics misuse and addictions, etc.