Dhaka, June 14 -- Ballooning external debt-servicing liabilities claim a king's ransom from the budget for the outgoing fiscal year.

Such a concern is reflected in the official budget documents as the interim government presents next fiscal's budget for Bangladesh.

The government is projected to repay nearly 30-percent higher or US$2.615 billion in servicing external debt in the outgoing FY2024-25, up from $2.02 billion in the previous fiscal year, the documents show.

The finance ministry notes that the weakening of the Bangladesh Taka (BDT) against the US dollar has substantially increased the cost of foreign-debt repayments.

"The Taka has lost a considerable portion of its value in recent years, exacerbating the issue of rising debt...