Finance Minister AMA Muhith on Thursday proposed a Tk1,37,742 crore allocation for women development in the fiscal year 2018-19, which is 29.65 per cent of the total budget and 5.34 per cent of the GDP.

The allocation for women in the national budget increased by five folds in the last nine years as the allocation was Tk27,248 in 2009-10, Finance Minister AMA Muhith said while delivering his budget speech in Parliament on Thursday, reports the UNB.

The allocation was Tk1,12,019 crore last year covering 27.99 per cent of the total budget.

The average annual growth rate in the last seven years was around 22 per cent and allocation for women empowerment compared to total budget was 23 per cent during the period.

Apart from giving special attention to the promotion of female education, training and creating opportunities for self-employment and ensuring easy access to micro credit, the neglected, destitute and physically-challenged women and poor working mothers have been brought under social safety net, Muhith said.