Staff Reporter :
The top 10 per cent of the population control 58.5 per cent of the country’s total wealth, while the bottom 50 per cent hold only 4.8 per cent, according to Dr Rumana Haque, a member of the task force on Re-strategising the Economy and Mobilising Resources for Equitable and Sustainable Development. She shared these findings on Tuesday during a paper presentation at the Conference on Recommendations by the Task Force on Re-strategising the Economy, organised by the Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD) in Dhaka.
Speaking at the session on Social Inequality and Poverty Alleviation, Dr Haque highlighted the widening income inequality, noting that the wealthy continue to accumulate more wealth while disparities deepen. She urged the government to revitalise the rural economy to help bridge the income gap.
She pointed out that industrialisation, infrastructure investment, and foreign direct investment (FDI) have largely benefited urban areas, while 85 per cent of the workforce remains trapped in low-wage, unprotected jobs. Additionally, she noted that poor-quality education in rural areas limits opportunities for social mobility, while the
VAT system disproportionately affects lower-income groups.
To tackle income inequality, Dr Haque called for the introduction of progressive taxation on wealth and inheritance, along with stricter compliance measures to curb tax evasion and wealth concentration. She also emphasised the need to expand access to quality education, vocational training, and financial inclusion, particularly to support small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and disadvantaged communities.
She further recommended strengthening welfare programmes, introducing universal basic income, enforcing fair wages, and supporting labour unions as essential steps towards reducing inequality.
Sharmeen S Murshid, adviser to the Ministries of Social Welfare and Women and Children Affairs, acknowledged the challenges of poverty alleviation and advocated for a cluster-based approach. She emphasised the need for a structured framework to monitor government programmes, adding that a lack of transparency remains a significant issue.
“The financial support provided so far has been minimal-it is insufficient for meaningful poverty alleviation. Should we increase the Tk 700 allowance to Tk 1,500, or should we expand policy coverage? Our goal is to empower people,” she stated.
She also mentioned plans to provide seed money and training for young people while restructuring the social protection sector.
Dr MA Razzaque, chairman of Research and Policy Integration for Development (RAPID), criticised the previous government for overstating the effectiveness of social protection programmes. He argued that many of these initiatives fail to reach those most in need.
“In FY25, social protection spending is estimated at 2.5 per cent of GDP and 17 per cent of the budget. However, after excluding irrelevant programmes, the actual figure drops to just 1.2 per cent of GDP and 7 per cent of the budget,” he added.
