The problems were presented at a post budget discussion yesterday at Jatiya Press Club.

The problems include massive poverty and corruption, discrimination in the society, terrorism in the name of Islam, lack of confidence in Jatiya Sangsad and election commission, population boom, lingering fuel and water crises, devaluation of local currency, rise in inflation and absence of participatory democracy, food security and social safety net.

BUP Chairman Dr Quazi Kholiquzzaman Ahmad chaired the discussion. BUP Executive Director Dr Ahsan Uddin Ahmed, Director Saleh Ahmed and banker M Taher Uddin also participated in the discussion.

The speakers said though these problems are hindering the progress of the national economy, there was no reflection of those in the budget placed before the parliament.

Even those are not reflected in the policy guidelines of the government's development programme, they pointed out.

They observed that the problems must be resolved in the interest of economic growth.

"There are three major risk factors in the economy which include rising fuel price, decline in foreign currency reserve and price hike of essential items, " Kholiquzzaman said, making an observation that fuel crisis cannot be solved only through increase in the price of kerosene.

Kholiquzzaman said, "We cannot say that there was no progress in the last three decades but the country cannot achieve the desired goal ignoring the above problems. Those are the basic problems and the budget should have some directions to solve those immediately."