Live Correspondent: The first-ever Youth Parliament Budget Session – a shadow parliament titled "Youth Parliament Budget Session- 2020" was held virtually recently. Dhrubotara Youth Development Foundation (DYDF) organised the event in association with ActionAid Bangladesh.

About 300 youth parliament members selected from all over the country through various tests and campaigns joined the day-long virtual program. Deputy speaker of the National Parliament Adv Fazle Rabbi Mia inaugurated the grand occasion as chief guest while State Minister for ICT Division Zunaid Ahmed Palak were present as a special guest.

The youth parliament session discussed various important issues related to the national budget such as “National Budget Allocation in Employment generation, formalisation of the informal sector, Education, Healthcare service after COVID 19"; "Budget allocation to revitalise Youth Leadership, Entrepreneurship & Startups to cope with 4th Industrial Revolution"; "Budget on implementation of National Youth Policy- Reality & Action plan & Youth Council Formation" and "Budget allocation on Rural Development, Inclusive Society Development & SDG Attainment after COVID19 fallout".

Former Principal Secretary & SDG Coordinator; Abul Kalam Azad, Country Director, ActionAid Bangladesh, Farah Kabir, Chairman, Palli Karma Sahayak Foundation(PKSF); Prof Qazi Kholiquzzaman Ahmad, Selima Ahmad, Former MP; Nuh Ul Alam Lenin, Former Governor, Bangladesh Bank; Dr. Atiur Rahman, Distinguished Fellow, CPD; Dr. Debapriya Bhattacharya; Former Education Secretary N.I. Khan, MP; Aroma Dutta, CPB Central Committee leader; Ruhin Hossain Prince, President, BASIS; Syed Almas Kabir, Investment Adviser, Startup Bangladesh.

ICT Division; Tina F. Jabeen, , President DCCI; T Shams Mahmud Program Coordinator Oxfam; Tosiba Kashem, , Secretary, MOYS; Md. Akhter Hossain ED, MJF; Shaheen Anam, PC, IUCN; Khalid Hossain, President, CSE; Asif Ibrahim, CEO, IPDC Finance; Momin U Islam, Manager ActionAid Bangladesh; Nazmul Ahsan, Youth Mobilizer, AtionAid Bangladesh; Showvik Das, joined the events of the session.

Planning Minister M A Mannan attended the closing ceremony of the session as chief guest.Executive Director of Dhrubotara Youth Development Foundation (DYDF) Amiya Prapan Chakraborty Arka attended as the speaker of the youth parliament session.

Dhaka, 01 July (campuslive24.com)//bsc