Bangladesh’s interim government is set to unveil its first national budget today, amounting to Tk 7.9 trillion for the fiscal year 2025-26, marking a historic shift toward contractionary fiscal policy amid post-uprising economic strains.

Finance Adviser Dr Salehuddin Ahmed will present the budget at 3:00 pm through a pre-recorded speech, broadcast live on BTV and private media. With no functioning parliament following the August 2024 student-led uprising that unseated the Awami League government, the presentation will take place outside Jatiya Sangsad.

This is the first contractionary budget since independence, slightly smaller than last year’s Tk 7.97 trillion budget, as the interim government prioritises inflation control and macroeconomic stability over expansion.

According to the Finance Ministry, key focus areas include widening social safety nets, creating rural employment, and boosting infrastructure, particularly road development, to stimulate the economy.

Budget documents will be available online, and citizens are invited to submit feedback via the Finance Division’s website. After June 23, the final version will be approved by the Advisory Council, chaired by Chief Adviser Prof Muhammad Yunus, and enforced via presidential ordinance from July 1.

This marks only the second time in history a Bangladeshi budget is presented outside parliament, the first being in 2008-09 under a military-backed caretaker regime.

During the Awami League’s 15.5-year rule, budgets were presented exclusively in parliament. The current process bypasses parliamentary debate but introduces direct citizen input for the first time.