The Annual Development Programmer (ADP) implementation is being badly affected due to Covid-19 as almost Tk1.19 trillion or about 55 percent of ADP funds has been unused.
The total ADP fund was Tk 2.10 trillion for this fiscal year.
The government ministries and agencies have implemented only 45.8 percent or Tk 90,704 crore of ADP in first nine months (July-March) of the current fiscal year.
The coronavirus pandemic has hit hard the country's development work and the economy for more than a month.
As a result, the government had to suspend all development work, daily movement and economic activities to slow transmission of Covid-19.
In the current situation, there is a big doubt how much of ADP can be spent in the remaining three months of the financial year, a planning commission senior official said.
Planning Secretary Nurul Amin said, “The implementation of ADP is definitely at risk due to Corona. This is very normal. Therefore, almost all the projects have shut down since the start of the lockdown.”
However, if the remaining bills of some projects are paid, the progress of ADP may increase a bit, he added.
He also said, “We have remained two months in hand this fiscal year. If situation is improved, some works will be continued on the project.”
The World Bank former lead economist Zahid Hussain said the ADP needs to be completely restructured.
Many ministries and departments have unnecessary allocations in the current context, he said adding that, that is why, it is necessary to identify the priority sectors and implement it now by increasing the allocation of funds.
Similarly, projects need to be excluded or suspended from unnecessary and low risk sectors for the economy.
The ADP needs to be restructured because of the government needs huge funds for stimulus packages.
Zahid Hussain also said the implementation of ADP needs to be given importance in four sectors immediately including health, social security, food and agriculture and industry and trade.
However, according to the IMED report, ADP implementation by 11 ministries and divisions is below 20 percent including Local Government Department, Power Department, Road Transport and Highways Department, Ministry of Science and Technology and Ministry of Railways.
On the other hand, the two ministries and divisions were able to spend less than 10 percent of the allocation, which are Internal Resources Division (4.46 percent) and the Ministry of Public Administration (5.78 percent).
Meanwhile, the Secretariat of the Election Commission is the foremost among the ministries and divisions those have been able to implement more than 50 percent.
The total implementation of this department is 99.73 percent.