Finance Minister Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury has proposed allocating Tk 1,081 crore in the 2026–27 national budget to expand monthly honorariums and festival allowances for imams, muezzins, mosque caretakers, and priests and attendants of other religious institutions. The proposal was presented in the national parliament on Thursday. The government also plans to make Hajj management more affordable and efficient. Currently, imams, muezzins, and caretakers receive Tk 10,000 monthly, while priests and attendants of other faiths receive Tk 8,000. So far, 9,520 individuals from 6,438 religious institutions have benefited from these payments.

The proposed national budget for the 2026–27 fiscal year totals Tk 9.38 trillion, equivalent to 13.7 percent of GDP. The GDP growth target is set at 6.5 percent, with inflation expected at 7.5 percent. The budget deficit is projected at Tk 2.43 trillion, or 3.6 percent of GDP, to be primarily financed from domestic sources. This is the first budget presented by the newly formed BNP government following the February national election.

Compared to the previous fiscal year’s revised budget of Tk 7.88 trillion, the new proposal increases total expenditure by Tk 1.5 trillion.