The government ministries and agencies implemented only 27 per cent of the annual development programme in the first half of the current fiscal year, three per cent less than the ADP implementation rate in the same period of the last fiscal year, planning ministry officials said. In July-December of the last fiscal year, the rate of ADP implementation was 30 per cent.Officials said that the progress of ADP implementation declined in the period due to low utilisation of both government allocation and project aid and depressing performance of the top 10 ministries having 74 per cent allocation amid political violence and uncertainty during the run-up to the national elections that held on January 5 this year.
According to the data of Implementation Monitoring and Evaluation Division of the planning ministry released on Sunday, 54 development project implementing agencies spent Tk 18,087 crore in July-December against the total allocation of Tk 65,872 crore for the entire fiscal year.
They will have to implement the remaining 70 per cent of the ADP in the last six months of the FY 2013-2014.
In the first six month of the FY14, the government released Tk 18,425 crore, or 45 per cent of the total Tk 41,309 crore allocated in the ADP to be given by the government.
Of the total expenditure, the share of government funding was Tk 12,275 crore or 30 per cent while the share of foreign resources was Tk 5,812 crore or 24 per cent in July-December, the data showed.
In the same period of the last year, ADP implementing agencies spent 32 per cent of government funds and 27 per cent of foreign loans and grants.
The data showed that top 10 ministries and divisions could implement only 26 per cent in July-December of the current fiscal year.
Of the top 10 ministries and divisions, Bridge Division spent only three per cent of the total allocation due mainly to non-expenditure of allocation for Padma Bridge in the fiscal year while housing and public works ministry could spend 10 per cent.
Of the 10 implementing agencies, both Local Government Division and primary and mass education ministry could spend 40 per cent, railway ministry 33 per cent and health and family welfare ministry 32 per cent in the period.
According to the data, most of the ministries and agencies failed to spend their allocation under the ADP at a satisfactory rate in the first six months of the current fiscal year as only three ministries spent more than 50 per cent of their allocations while 24 ministries and divisions spent less than average implementation rate of 27 per cent in the period.
The data showed that Anti-Corruption Commission and foreign ministry could spend not a single taka in the period.
The data showed that information and communication technology ministry achieved the highest (62 per cent) implementation rate followed by youth and sports ministry with 53 per cent and women and children affairs ministry with 51 per cent.
IMED officials said that the slow pace of the ADP implementation was a normal trend in the first half of the fiscal year and the pace increases in the second half of the fiscal year.
-With New Age input
