Implementation of the annual development programme was tardy as the government ministries and agencies could spend only 11 per cent of the programme in the first quarter of the current fiscal year, according to data released on Tuesday by the Implementation, Monitoring and Evaluation Division of the planning ministry. The ADP implementation rate declined by 2 per cent in July-September compared to the same period a year ago when ministries and agencies implemented 13 per cent of total allocation.
IMED officials said that the 54 ADP implementing agencies could not accelerate the momentum in project implementation despite election-months have already started while expenditure usually increases ahead of elections.
In the first three months of the fiscal year, agencies spent only Tk 6,994 crore, slightly lower than the amount of Tk 7,011 crore spent in the same time of last year.
In the period, the government released Tk 10,896 crore or 26 per cent of total allocation.
The total allocation for the ADP is Tk 65,872 crore, excluding Tk 8,112 crore for self-financed projects of autonomous bodies, for the current fiscal year.
The planning minister, AK Khandker, however, attributed the ongoing political unrest including strikes imposed by opposition parties for slower ADP implementation.
‘ADP implementation declined mainly because of strikes and violence unleashed by opposition parties,’ he said.
He, however, expressed the hope that the implementing agencies would be able to cover the gap in the remaining months.
According to IMED data, both the expenditure of government funds and foreign loans and grants declined in the period.
Of the total expenditure, the share of the government funding was Tk 5,033 crore or 12 per cent and the share of foreign loans and grants was Tk 1,961 crore or 8 per cent.
In July-September of last year, ministries and divisions used 14 per cent of government funds and 10 per cent of foreign assistance, the data showed.
According to the data, the performance of the top 10 ministries and divisions that got 74 per cent allocation of the ADP and foreign-funded projects remained very poor as they spent only 11 per cent of their allocation.
Of them, Bridges Division that got the third highest allocation of the ADP spent only Tk 11.04 crore or 0.16 per cent in the period.
Of 54 agencies, only 20 ministries and divisions could spend more than 11 per cent of their total allocation while the expenditure rate of remaining 34 ministries and divisions remained below 10 per cent.
Science and technology ministry secured the top position with 30 per cent implementation rate, followed by commerce ministry with 27 per cent while ministry of foreign affairs and Anti-Corruption Commission failed to spend a single Taka in the first three months of the fiscal year.
The implementation status of another three ministries and divisions remained below one per cent. The
ministries and divisions are post and telecommunication ministry, industries ministry and internal resources division and roads division.
An official of the Economic Relations Division said that utilisation of foreign loans and grants declined due to a fall in disbursement of foreign aid by 23 per cent in the period along with ongoing political instability in the country.
The ERD, however, has taken several steps including strengthening monitoring system to boost implementation process, he said.
-With New Age input
