Matia slams Muhith’s plan to cut interest rate on savings certificates

Agriculture minister Matia Chowdhury on Wednesday criticised finance minister AMA Muhith for his proposal to curtail interest rate on savings certificates.
‘We want to reduce interest rate on savings certificates, but we don’t know how the dependents on these certificates can live. Won’t we push 10,000 middle-class people towards helplessness with this move?’ she said.
Matia voiced her anger in parliament joining the general discussion on the proposed national budget for 2016-17 fiscal year, United News of Bangladesh reports.
She said 10,000 people depend on earnings from savings certificates. ‘Among them, there are retired people, women, widows who neither belong to the middle class nor to lower class and don’t get any assistance from the government. Most of them are dependent on earnings from savings certificates. So, the government cannot discourage the sale of savings certificates,’ Matia said.
Coming down on the finance minister, the agricultural minister said there are discriminations between public servants and common people in the case of interest rate on savings certificates.
‘In the case of savings certificate, there’re two types of interest rates. The government employees will get higher interest rate, but the common people will get lower interest rate. Why this discrimination? This discrimination should not exist,’ Matia said.
She asked the finance minister to introduce ‘elderly allowance’ for elderly people among the dependents, if he wants to curtail the interest rate of savings certificates.
Talking about the recent secret killings, Matia said BNP-Jamaat joining hands with Israel, which is the enemy of the Muslims, are conspiring to topple the government. Their target is to brand Bangladesh as terrorist and spoiled state, she added.
She also criticised Khaleda Zia for her remark that the government resorts to forced disappearance and secret killings.
The agriculture minister alleged powerful countries are behind the secret killings and conspiracies to dislodge the government.
Not naming the USA and other powerful countries, she said, ‘Once they had nurtured Laden, but killed him and dumped his body in the sea finally. The same force joining hands with local conspirators are resorting to militant activities and indulged in the country’s secret killings.’

News Courtesy: www.newagebd.net