NCP drafting a shadow budget

The National Citizen Party is preparing a Tk 8,52,157 crore “shadow budget” for FY2026-27, prioritising education, healthcare, defence modernisation, employment generation and energy security.

Atik Mujahid, NCP lawmaker and chief of its shadow budget committee, told The Daily Star yesterday that the party plans to publish the proposal on June 4 or 5.

The proposed budget is nearly Tk 78,000 crore smaller than the national budget the government is expected to unveil on June 7, which is likely to exceed Tk 9.30 lakh crore.

Under the NCP proposal, Tk 2,53,000 crore has been allocated for development spending -- Tk 56,000 crore less than the expected Tk 3.09 lakh crore Annual Development Programme (ADP).

In the government’s planned ADP, transport and communication are expected to receive 16.70 percent of allocations, followed by education at 15.86 percent and health at 11.84 percent.

In NCP’s shadow budget, education and technology would receive the highest allocation -- Tk 1,24,425 crore across revenue and development spending. The party is proposing Tk 52,338 crore for health, Tk 39,745 crore for defence, and Tk 25,201 crore for fuel and power.

The party also plans a Tk 10,000 crore special fund to train youths as SME entrepreneurs and a Tk 5,000 crore refinancing scheme for women entrepreneurs.

NCP Convenor Nahid Islam said on Thursday that the initiative aimed to foster a new political culture through public debate on the national budget. He said the proposal was being prepared through consultations with experts, youths, professionals, workers, farmers and citizens to better reflect public aspirations.

The move echoes a June 7, 2010 press conference by late BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia, when the BNP unveiled what it called an “alternative budget” three days before the government presented the FY2010–11 national budget.

Abdullah Al Fasial, co-chair of the NCP’s shadow budget committee, said the party was considering a substantial allocation to modernise the defence sector, arguing that there had been little visible technological advancement over the past one and a half decades. He said the proposal sought to strengthen national security and sovereignty through the development of “missile and drone capacity”.

The NCP will also propose reducing spending on interest payments from the planned 15 percent to a maximum of 12 percent through restructuring of public funds.

Faisal also said the NCP planned to introduce a “unified card” system to replace existing family, farmer and TCB-based distribution schemes.

“Benefits from existing cards are often influenced by political affiliations, limiting access for general citizens. A unified system would ensure wider and more equitable coverage,” he said.

To boost revenue, the party wants to bring mobile financial service transactions under the tax net. “Around Tk 1.70 lakh crore is transacted through mobile platforms every month, but the sector currently contributes little in direct revenue,” Faisal said.

Atik Mujahid said the shadow budget would offer practical solutions to major economic challenges, outline specific revenue-generation measures, and provide a clear roadmap for employment creation in promising sectors instead of relying on “vague numbers”.