Poverty rate declines to 20.5pc: Mannan

Bangladesh’s poverty rate declined to 20.5 percent while extreme poverty rate to 10.5 percent in fiscal year 2018-19.

Planning Minister M A Mannan revealed this calculation of Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS) on Tuesday at a briefing after the meeting of the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) at NEC Conference Room, reports BSS.

According to the BBS, the poverty rate was 21.8 percent while extreme poverty was 11.3 percent in fiscal year 2017-18.

Mannan said Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has expressed her satisfaction for decreasing the poverty in the country, as poverty has come down in line with the GDP growth.

High growth has impacted positively in poverty reduction and the pace of poverty reduction is possible to accelerate further, opined the minister.

“No people in Bangladesh would live under poverty line in 2030 if the ongoing poverty reduction trend is continued,” said Mannan.