40-hour debate planned for FY27 budget

The 13th National Parliament has allocated a total of 40 hours for discussions on the proposed national budget for the 2026-27 fiscal year during its budget session, which began on Sunday.

The decision was taken at the third meeting of the Business Advisory Committee held at the Cabinet Room of the Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban, with Speaker Hafiz Uddin Ahmad in the chair.

The committee reviewed arrangements for the budget session and agreed to maintain the longstanding practice of allocating 40 hours for general discussions on the national budget. It also discussed the duration of the session and the distribution of parliamentary business to ensure the completion of all scheduled activities.

According to the decisions taken at the meeting, parliamentary sittings will commence at 3:00 pm each day, except on public holidays, and the session is scheduled to conclude on July 9.

To facilitate the timely completion of budget-related proceedings, the committee proposed holding two sittings a day for four consecutive days from June 27 to June 30.

The meeting was informed that lawmakers had submitted a total of 3,228 questions for the current session. Of these, 191 were directed to Prime Minister and Leader of the House Tarique Rahman, while 3,037 were addressed to other ministers.

Members of Parliament also submitted 98 notices seeking attention under Rule 71 and 293 notices of resolutions under Rule 131.

The meeting was attended by Prime Minister Tarique Rahman, Opposition Leader Shafiqur Rahman, and other members of the committee.

The first budget session of the 13th Parliament formally commenced at 3:00 pm on Sunday.

Earlier in the day, the House adopted a condolence motion expressing deep sorrow at the deaths of 16 former ministers and lawmakers, including Tofail Ahmed.

The motion also paid tribute to noted educationist Prof Dilara Hafiz, the wife of the Speaker, eight-year-old Ramisa Akter, who was raped and murdered, and several other distinguished personalities.

Finance Minister Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury is expected to place the proposed national budget for FY2026-27 in Parliament on June 11.

The upcoming budget will be the first presented by the BNP-led government since it assumed office following the national election held on February 12 this year.

President Mohammed Shahabuddin had summoned the budget session on May 7.

The inaugural session of the 13th Parliament concluded on April 30 after 25 working days, during which lawmakers passed a total of 94 bills.