The government plans to increase the budget in transport and communication sector by 14 per cent annually to make it cost effective and efficient to ensure socioeconomic progress of the country. Total spending for this sector is projected at Taka 861.62 billion in FY2023-24  while Tk 787.76 billion in FY 2022-23 with Tk 720.28 billion in the current FY 2021-22. The allocation to the sector in FY2018-19 was Tk 450.54 billion, in FY2019-20  Tk 537.43 billion and Tk 601.33 billion in FY2020-21. According to a budgetary document, a well-organized transport and communication network ensures balanced production and distribution of raw materials and final products, preserves price stability and ensures rapid industrialisation. Read: Initiatives to discipline capital's public transport underway amid new student protests To achieve SDGs, government will continue to sustain and expand the on-going public investments in road, rail, bridge, shipping, civil aviation and telecommunication sectors in order to support a rapidly-growing economy, it said. The Road Transport and Highways Division has taken initiative to implement important plans like construction of new roads, renovation of old roads, construction of flyovers/ overpasses, construction of bridges/culverts etc. To modernize the road transport system, the Division is implementing initiatives to upgrade important highways of the country to 4 or more lanes. Meanwhile, 453 km of national highways have been upgraded to 4 lanes. In the medium term, the document stated, plans have been made to upgrade all national highways to 4 lanes, and strengthen and widen other highways. The priorities include the introduction of digital systems in traffic management and control, ensuring safe roads, and online tax and other fee collection. The Bangladesh Road Transport Corporation Act 2020 has been enacted to increase road safety. The priority list of the Bridges Division includes- construction of roads, bridges, and tunnels under rivers. “One of the priorities of the Division is the timely completion of the country's Padma Multipurpose Bridge project.”