The proposed 2025-2026 fiscal's budget has increased the monthly allowances for elderly stipends, monthly allowances for widows and women survivors of domestic violence, as well as for the disability and mother and child assistance programmes.

Finance Adviser Salehuddin Ahmed on Monday announced this while unveiling the national budget. 

“In this year's budget, we are focusing on increasing both the number of beneficiaries and the per capita allocation to ensure the reduction of poverty among the poor, marginalised, and at-risk populations, to decrease social inequalities, and to improve the quality of life. In this context, I propose to increase the rates of several allowances starting from the next fiscal year,” he said.

The pre-recorded budget speech was aired on Bangladesh Television (BTV) and Bangladesh Betar.

Among the proposed increase, the monthly allowance for elderly pensioners will range from Tk 600 to 650, Tk 550 to 650 for widows and women who are victims of domestic violence, Tk 850 to 900 for the disabled, Tk 800 to 850 for those who are under the mother and child support programme.

Interim govt to rely more on bank loans to meet budget deficit

Moreover, an amount of Tk 650 has been proposed for underprivileged communities in the budget.

The government has proposed a Tk 790, 000 crore budget, a fall by Tk 7, 000 crore compared to the 2024-25 fiscal's budget, marking the first time in Bangladesh's history that the size of the budget has decreased.