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In a rare move reminiscent of the caretaker government era, Finance Adviser Dr Salehuddin Ahmed is set to present the national budget for the 2025–26 fiscal year (FY26) through a pre-recorded televised speech on 2 June, as the country awaits the reconstitution of the Jatiya Sangsad (National Parliament).
According to a press release from Press Information Department (PID) on Thursday, the budget speech will be broadcast at 4 PM on Bangladesh Television (BTV) and Bangladesh Betar. All private television channels and radio stations have been requested to air the speech simultaneously by taking the feed from BTV.
This will be the first televised budget presentation under the current interim government, recalling a precedent last seen in FY2007–08, when Adviser AB Mirza Azizul Islam presented the budget via national broadcast. His first budget speech was 38 pages long, followed by a 54-page speech the following year.
With no active parliament in place, officials confirmed that the FY26 budget will be formalised through a presidential ordinance — a constitutional provision used when the legislature is not in session. The Finance Ministry has emphasised that this is a temporary and necessity-driven measure.
“This is an interim mechanism. The constitutional framework allows for this under special circumstances,” said a senior official involved in the budget process, speaking on condition of anonymity.
Sources familiar with the budget formulation process indicate that the upcoming budget is likely to be set at Tk 7,90,000 crore, which is Tk 7,000 crore less than the original Tk 7,97,000 crore budget for FY25. This rare contraction in budget size reflects the government’s cautious approach in the face of mounting fiscal pressures, rising debt repayment obligations, and a challenging global economic environment.
Dr. Salehuddin Ahmed is also scheduled to attend the post-budget press conference at the Osmani Memorial Auditorium in Dhaka on 3 June, where further details of the budget will be shared and questions from the media addressed.
