ADB to provide $ 130 million initial budgetary support

Dhaka, Bangladesh, June 17 (BSS)- The visiting Asian Development Bank
(ADB) director general for South Asia Khunio Senga today said the
bank will initially provide Bangladesh with $ 130 million as
budgetary support to the coming fiscal 2008-09.

He made the disclosure after a meeting with Finance Adviser
Dr AB Mirza Azizul Islam at his secretariat office here. ADB
Country Director Hua Du was present on the occasion.

Khunio Senga, however, indicated that the ADB budgetary
support for the next fiscal is expected to rise and may hit a $
200-million mark. The fund will be available from July when the
next budget will come into force.

Responding to a question, the finance adviser said he did not
agree with the FBCCI proposal to allow regularization of
irregular income without paying an additional punitive rate of
interest.

Persons having irregular income will have to pay the penalty
if they want to legalize the fund and use it, he said.