The call came yesterday at a press conference organised by the association at its office at BSRS Bhaban in Dhaka to place its reaction to the budget.

The apex body of software and IT services companies also insisted the government on re-considering its 13-point budget recommendations that were put forward before the government prior to placing budget for the 2006-07 fiscal on June 8.

"In the proposed budget the allocated amount for the IT sector is only Tk 202 crore, a 1.5 percent up compared to the previous year's, though the sector witnessed 103 percent export growth in the first 10 months of the current financial year over the previous one", Sarwar Alam, the BASIS president told journalists.

The National IT Policy formulated in 2002 suggested an allocation of two percent in the Annual Development Plan (ADP) from 2006 but the government overlooked the suggestion, Basis leaders said.

Basis leaders also alleged that though the government allocated Tk 200 crore for agriculture and IT sectors under 'Equity and Entrepreneurship Fund' (EEF), IT sector did not get due importance.

They demanded 50 percent allocation of the EEF.

Attributing the huge financial sector growth of the country on the development of IT sector, the trade body said that without proper support from the sector it was not to achieve the growth.

"The IT-based activities in the financial sector such as on line banking facility, credit card system, 24-hour remittance flow from and into the country were possible only by proper support from IT sector," Sarwar Alam claimed.

He warned that if the authorities concerned fail to develop the sector keeping pace with the market demand, overseas IT products would flood the market creating a severe pressure on the national exchequer.

Rafiqul Islam Rowly, senior vice president of the BASIS said,

"The government is expecting a seven percent GDP growth in the next financial year, but this expectation will not be fulfilled if the IT sector remained neglected."