Economy won’t ‘stagnate’ due to long Eid holiday, Finance Advisor Salehuddin says

Finance Advisor Salehuddin Ahmed has said the extended 10-day Eid-ul-Azha holiday will not have any “adverse impact” on the country’s economy.

He said this in response to a question from journalists following a meeting of the Advisory Committees on government purchases and economic affairs at the Secretariat on Wednesday.

“There’s no scope for stagnation,” Salehuddin said. “Businesses will operate in their own ways. Bangladesh Bank has already stated which days and in which areas banks will remain open—even how things will function at the sacrificial cattle markets.”

Eid-ul-Azha will be celebrated across the country on Jun 7. Initially, Jun 5 and 6, and then Jun 8 to 10 were declared public holidays for Eid, totalling six days.

Later, Jun 11 and 12 were added by executive order, followed by the weekend on Jun 13-14.

In total, government employees are getting a 10-day break from Jun 5-14.

Referring to the long break, Salehuddin compared it to other countries, saying: “Other nations have even longer holidays. For example, the Christmas holidays span 20 to 25 days. In Nepal, there’s a 30-day holiday for Durga Puja. So, the country will function.

“We’ve already presented the budget and the implementation will proceed as planned.”

He also mentioned that opinions and suggestions on the proposed budget for the 2025–26 financial year will be taken after Eid.

“Opinions on the budget can be submitted until Jun 19. The cabinet meeting for budget approval will be held on Jun 22.”

Asked whether it was viable to finalise the budget within three days, the advisor responded: “We’ve said earlier that feedback will continue to come in. It won’t all arrive in one day. In fact, feedback has already started coming in.”