Bangladesh is preparing a two-year crash programme to address growing economic pressures, including persistently high inflation, job losses, falling household incomes, rising poverty, and weak governance in the financial sector.

Officials said the General Economics Division (GED) of the Planning Commission will implement the short-term strategy, drawing on recommendations from a task force led by economist Dr KAS Murshid under the interim government. The plan will target six areas: macroeconomic management and poverty reduction, agriculture, social sectors such as health and education, industry and trade, physical infrastructure, and governance reforms.

The initiative follows the expiry of the Eighth Five-Year Plan in June and will effectively end 15 years of medium-term economic planning. A Tk110.36 million project proposal has been submitted to support policy formulation, execution of the task force’s report, and alignment with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). It also includes preparing the SDG Progress Report 2026 and piloting three SDG villages.

A Project Evaluation Committee is set to review the proposal on Sunday, with questions expected regarding consultancy and survey costs, which account for nearly half the budget. Approval is likely, as the project falls well below the Tk 500 million ceiling for Planning Commission scrutiny.

Official data highlight widening inequality, with Bangladesh’s income Gini coefficient rising to 0.499 in 2022 from 0.458 in 2010. The World Bank warns that nearly three million people could fall into extreme poverty in FY2024-25, earning less than US$2.15 a day.