Stimulus packages help 8% labour force: CPD

Stimulus packages offered by the government to tackle the coronavirus pandemic have so far benefited only 8 percent of the country's total workforce, Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD) found in a study.

The CPD and the Oxfam in Bangladesh conducted the study jointly and disclosed the results in a dialogue held virtually on Thursday.

Bangladesh has so far announced 19 packages worth Tk113,117 crore for businesses to help them tackle the impacts of Covid-19. It is 3.74 percent of the country's GDP.

There are nearly 6 crore people engaged in Bangladesh’s formal and informal sectors. Many of them have lost their jobs due to the ongoing onslaught of the pandemic.

Towfiqul Islam Khan, senior research fellow of the CPD, presented the study, while Prof Mustafizur Rahman, distinguished fellow of CPD chaired the discussion.