"Bangladesh Bank, as well as the government, is trying its best to recover the stolen assets," he observed at a discussion meeting at the Jatiya Press Club in the capital. He, however, said the Philippines became successful in this in 17 years while Nigeria took five to six years to bring back the money.

Society for International Development (SID) Bangladesh chapter and Action on Disability and Development jointly organised the discussion with President of SID SM Al-Husainy in the chair.

Former Bangladesh Bank (BB) governor Farashuddin Ahmed, Pubali Bank Managing Director Ibrahim Khaled and United Nations Development Program (UNDP) Country Director Manoj Basnyat also spoke on the occasion.

Bangladesh Economic Association (BEA) President Kazi Kholiquzzaman Ahmad presented the keynote speech on Millennium Development Goal (MDG) in the context of sustainable development with reference to the disadvantaged including the disabled.

Stressing the government's commitment to achieve sustainable development, the adviser said the budget prioritised the agriculture sector, water resources, health and education sectors with a view to achieve consistent economic growth and alleviate poverty.

He said since growth is necessary but not sufficient for poverty alleviation, allocations were made where it would bring best results.

About the government's infrastructure development priorities he said the government has identified power and road communication as the two main sectors. The government is pursuing a number of options including coal, nuclear and hydroelectricity to meet the power demands, he added.

The adviser, however, said it is unrealistic to expect transformation of Bangladesh into a welfare state with the lowest GDP-revenue ratio. "I am struggling to obtain 10.8 percent [GDP-revenue ratio] in the next fiscal year," he said referring to the targets of budget 2007-08. He said in developed and welfare states the GDP-revenue ratio is 50 percent.

"Growth is no longer being driven by labour, but by the high value service sector. Demand for high-level skills is increasing in this sector, but it cannot be met rapidly. This is why the gap between the remunerations of skilled and unskilled workers have risen, which is complemented with demand patterns," he said.

Terming this inequality a universal phenomenon, the adviser said the dramatic change in production pattern has caused this inequality.

"Now the crucial issue is who does what... identifying the different tasks for the government, non-government organisations and the private sector is necessary," said the adviser, adding, "We are building monuments on the misery of the past. We should learn from the past but look forward for a better future."

Netherlands Charge d' Affairs in Bangladesh Fritz Meijndert stressed the need for public-private partnerships to improve service delivery to the poor. He also urged bringing the disabled to the mainstream development efforts for sustainable development.