Bangladesh, June 12 -- The newly elected BNP government unveiled its first budget on Thursday, proposing a record Tk9.38 trillion spending plan for fiscal year 2026-27 - a bold statement of intent from a party returning to power after 19 years. However, economists say the budget will be judged not by its ambitions but by its execution.

Finance and Planning Minister Amir Khasru Mahmud Chowdhury placed the 55th national budget before Parliament in the afternoon, under the theme "Economic Democratisation and Deregulation: Bangladesh's Journey towards a Trillion-Dollar Economy".

The proposed outlay crosses the Tk9 lakh crore mark for the first time in the country's history - 19 per cent higher than the revised budget for the outgoing fisca...