The National Economic Council (NEC) on Tuesday approved a Tk 2, 02,721 crore Annual Development Programme (ADP) outlay for the next fiscal, giving highest priority to the transport sector. The approval came at an NEC meeting with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in the chair, at the NEC conference room in the city’s Agargaon area.
Of the total Tk 202,721 crore ADP for the upcoming fiscal 2019-20, is an ambitious Tk 130,921 crore revenue target. The rest of the ADP financing of Tk 71,800 crore has been planned from external sources. The estimated ADP for the coming fiscal is 17.18 percent more than the revised figure of the current one. The original ADP size of the current fiscal is Tk 1, 73,000 crore.
However, the revised ADP for the current fiscal year has come down to Tk 1,65,000 crore. “In terms of sector-wise allocation, the transport sector received the highest ADP allocation of Tk 52,806 crore or 26.05 percent of the original ADP,” Planning Minister MA Mannan told reporters after the meeting. The minister also said, the sector was followed by the power sector with Tk 26,017 crore or 12.83 percent of original ADP while Tk 24,324 crore or 12 percent of the original ADP was proposed for physical planning, water supply and housing sector.
In ministry and division-wise allocation, Local Government Division (LGD) gets the highest allocation of Tk 29,776 crore. Power Division gets Tk 26,014.44 crore second highest allocation. Roads and Highways Division gets third highest allocation of Tk 25163.36 crore in the upcoming ADP. However, incorporating the autonomous bodies and corporation’s own fund of Tk 12,392.73 crore, the overall ADP size reached Tk 2,15,113.73 crore.
The new ADP has some 1,475 projects including 1,358 investment projects, 116 technical assistance projects and one project from the Japan Debt Cancellation Fund (JFCF). Besides, there are some 89 projects which would be implemented by the autonomous bodies and corporations. On May 8, the draft ADP size was finalised at an extended meeting of the Planning Commission with Planning Minister MA Mannan in the chair.
According to the Ministry-wise allocation, the Local Government Division got the highest allocation of Tk 29,777 crore followed by the Power Division with Tk 26,014 crore, Road Transport and Highways Division with Tk 25,163 crore, Science and Technology Ministry with Tk 15,908 crore, Railways Ministry with Tk 12,599 crore, Health Services Division with Tk 9,936 crore, Primary and Mass Education Ministry with Tk 9,270 crore, Secondary and Higher Education Division with Tk 8,927 crore, Bridges Division with Tk 8,561 crore and Water Resources Ministry with Tk 6,257 crore.
Besides, the education and religious sector received an allocation of Tk 21,379 crore (10.55 percent of original ADP), Science and ICT sector with Tk 17,541 crore (8.65 percent of original ADP), rural development and rural institution sector Tk 15,157 crore (7.48 percent of original ADP), health, nutrition, population and family welfare sector Tk 13,055 crore (6.44 percent of original ADP), agriculture sector Tk 7,616 crore (3.76 percent of original ADP), water resources sector Tk 5,653 crore (2.79 percent of original ADP), and public administration sector Tk 5,024 crore (2.48 percent of original ADP).
Mannan said, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in the meeting asked the authorities concerned to put importance on research and technical education, complete the projects within the stipulated time frame, and find out the reasons for those projects that could not be completed within the stipulated time-frame.
Prime Minister has directed him to take initiative to make a publication on the overall development expenditure in the CHTs region by all the ministries and divisions, Mannan added.
When asked about the alleged irregularities in some components of the Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant Project, the minister said he would direct the IMED to make a field-visit to the project site for a feedback. He also asserted that the government would give more emphasis on implementing the new ADP from the very first day of the next fiscal.
Meanwhile, about the ADP utilization status, Mannan said the executing agencies could spend Tk 97,030 crore or 54.94 percent of original ADP during the July-April period of the current fiscal year. The ADP implementation rate during the July-April period of the last fiscal year was 52.42 percent with an expenditure of Tk 82,603 crore.
