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The allocation for the disaster management and relief has been rather cut although Bangladesh is badly affected by climate change as well as natural calamities.
The finance minister in his budget speech also said that Bangladesh is a disaster-prone country and due to global climate change, Bangladesh is one of the countries prone to natural disasters.
The minister has proposed Tk 89.36 billion (Tk 9,836 crore) for the next 2020-21 fiscal year for disaster management and relief, which was Tk 98.72 billion (Tk 9,872 crore) in current FY 2019-20.
He mentioned that in the last few years, Bangladesh is moving away from traditional disaster management and focusing more on reducing disaster risks and improving adaptability and resilience.
“But due to the recent COVID-19 pandemic, we have quickly expanded our humanitarian relief and support activities,” he added.
He mentioned the government effort of Open Market Sale (OMS) operations of rice and other essentials, adding that the government has planned to procure additional 200,000 metric tonnes of paddy and rice besides our regular procurement targets, he said.
Moreover, a National Disaster Response Coordination Cell (NDRCC) has been established to transmit coordinated early warnings and critical disaster information to the grassroots level, he mentioned.
Some 56,000 volunteers have already been trained and provided with necessary rescue equipment, and 35,000 urban volunteers have received special training.