Allocation for the telecom and ICT ministry has declined about 6.64 per cent to 6,064 crore in the proposed budget of 2018-19 fiscal which was placed by Finance Minister AMA Muhith at the Jatiya Sangsad today.

The financed minister has proposed for a combined allocation for ICT and telecom divisions for 2018-19 fiscal. For 2017-18 the budget was allocated separately for the two divisions.

Finance minister said that a strong infrastructural base for ICT has already been set up at the grass-roots level of the country.

"We still continue to put in place new infrastructure and facilitate program for extension of internet services to cope with the increasing demand," he said in the budget speech.

He said that wider and multifaceted use of ICT under the banner of 'Digital Bangladesh' is supporting the government taking forward their agenda for reducing poverty and ensuring social mobility.

To sustain the trend of higher growth in coming days the contribution of industrial sector to GDP will have to be increased which calls for stronger focus on increasing productivity, Muhith added.

"Thus our dependency on ICT will be increased in the days ahead that will push up such productivity," he said.