Bangladesh govt to allocate additional funds for supporting Rohingya population
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| Can peaceful repatriation be a reality for the Rohingya? (Photo: Syed Zakir Hossain) |
By Asif Showkat Kallol
November 26, 2017
According to sources from the Finance Division, it has already disbursed Tk10 Crore for developing roads and another helipad at the Bhasan Char island, as part of the government’s plan to relocate the displaced Rohingya there
The government is planning to allocate additional funds in the revised budget, for supporting more than 620,000 Rohingya refugees that could stay in Bangladesh for an indefinite period of time.
An official from the Finance Division of the Ministry of Finance confirmed the matter to the Dhaka Tribune.
“We will prepare funds for several projects aimed at supporting the Rohingya refugee population, despite the recent repatriation agreement between Bangladesh and Myanmar, the official said.
The official added that different ministries and divisions have already spent Tk60 crore as of last week of November.
The insider said most of the funds were spent on providing refugees with sanitation, shelter, healthcare facilities and on special ID cards distributed to Rohingya living in the camps, amid concerns that the asylum seekers will spread throughout the country.
“We have already started building a fund from government exchequers and from foreign and domestic NGOs, to add it to the revised outlay of the current fiscal year budget,” said the official.
A recent letter issued by Cox’s Bazar Deputy Commissioner Ali Hossain revealed that a total of 42 NGOs have announced to pledge Tk200 crore for food, shelter, healthcare and sanitation as part of several programmes, under four cluster projects in Ukhiya and Teknaf.
According to sources from the Finance Division, it has also disbursed Tk10 Crore for developing roads and another helipad at the Bhasan Char island, as part of the government’s plan to relocate the displaced Rohingya there.
On the other hand, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs recently contacted ten government agencies and divisions, including the Prime Minister’s Office, Cabinet Division, Bangladesh Armed Forces, and the Finance Division, asking them to disclose the funds spent on supporting the Rohingya so far.
“A large portion of the fund might be allotted from the revised budget for future infrastructure development to support the displaced Rohingya. However, the total figure is yet to be finalised, as negotiations between the governments of Bangladesh and Myanmar are still underway,” Acting Finance Secretary Mohammad Muslim Chowdhury told the Dhaka Tribune.
Commenting on the issue last month, Finance Minister AMA Muhith stated: “The Rohingya refugee crisis will not put a significant pressure on the current fiscal year budget. I hope that the development partners will lend their support to Bangladesh in resolving the crisis.”
The minister also added that some ministries and divisions have asked for funds up to Tk10 crore ($1.2 million) for supporting the Rohingya people, but the national budget has not been affected much due to donations from other countries and humanitarian agencies.
According to the United Nations, more than 620,000 Rohingya arrived in Bangladesh since August 25, following a brutal crackdown by the Myanmar military.
It could be noted, the Ministry of Home Affairs had sent the proposal for Bhasan Char’s development to the Planning Ministry in the wake of the ongoing refugee crisis, despite Finance Minister AMA Muhith’s unfavorable attitude towards the project.
According to the Finance Division, the development of Bhasan Char will cost Bangladesh around Tk 2,300 crore.
