Meagre allocation irks cultural activists

Despite a little increase in the budgetary allocation for the cultural sector, cultural activists expressed their disappointment at the ‘meagre’ allocation which is only 0.0939 per cent of the entire budget outlay.

Finance minister AHM Mustafa Kamal has proposed a budget titled ‘Return to the Path of Development; Leaving the Covid-19 Behind’ in parliament on Thursday.

The minister in his budget speech proposed a national budget of Tk 6, 78,064 crore for the fiscal year 2022-23, with a Tk 637 crore budgetary allocation for the cultural affairs ministry. The allocation is only 0.0939 per cent of the entire budget. In the current fiscal year, the revised budget for the cultural sector was Tk 578 crore which was 0.0972 per cent of the entire budget.

Bangladesh Udichi Shilpi Gosthi thinks that the proposed budget for the fiscal year 2022-2023 is not friendly to cultural activities.

In a statement, Udichi president Prof Badiur Rahman and general secretary Amit Ranjan Dey said the budget had disappointed the country’s cultural activists.

Cultural activists will gather at Shahbagh on Saturday at 5:00pm to demand the allocation of at least 1 per cent of the national budget for cultural activities.

In the statement, Uduchi leaders said that cultural organisations, including Udichi, had for a long time demanded a minimum of one per cent of the total budget for culture allocation but in reality, less than zero-point one per cent was allocated. With such a meagre allocation of funds, it is difficult to manage the day-to-day activities of government and non-government organisations, let alone the cultural awakening of the citizens, the statement said.

They also said that the incumbent government and the ruling party leaders have constantly referred to themselves as ‘culture-friendly’ and emphasised the need for a cultural awakening in the country even though every year the culture sector is being neglected in the budget.

Artiste Ramendu Majumdar said, “Every year we see how the cultural sector got neglected in the budget. The budget given in the cultural sector ends up in the salaries and allowances of the officers and employees of different cultural organisations. The state has to play a role in promoting Bengali culture at the grassroots level. But the negligence of the state for the cultural sector disappoints us.”

Golam Kuddus, president of the Sammilita Sangskritik Jote, said, “If the budget for culture is less, the state will fall behind. This is what the authorities concerned should understand. Cultural activists are very disappointed with this budget. Sammiliata Sangskritik Jote will take the next step after discussing cultural activists across the country. All I can say is that this negligence in the cultural sector will not be good for the state.”

Therefore, in the interest of developing a healthy culture in the country, all the cultural activists demand immediate allocation of at least one per cent of the national budget to the cultural sector.