Wednesday, October 9, 2024

Tk 73,984cr ADP for next fiscal

The National Economic Council (NEC) on Tuesday approved a Tk. 73,984-crore Annual Development Programme (ADP) for the 2013-14 fiscal, allocating Tk. 6,852 crore for the Padma Multipurpose Bridge (PMB) project. The proposed ADP, which is higher than the ADP of the current fiscal by 34.48 per cent, though in the first 10 months of the current fiscal, ADP implementation rate is only 59 per cent. In the proposed ADP the highest allocation goes to the transportation sector, amounting to Tk. 14,737.40 crore, which is 22.37 per cent of the total outlay.
Of the total outlay of the ADP, Tk. 4,1307 crore will be arranged from the government fund, Tk. 24,563 crore from project assistance and Tk. 8,114 crore from the autonomous bodies and corporations fund.
Prime Minister and NEC chairperson Sheikh Hasina presided over the meeting, held at the NEC conference room in the city’s Sher-e-Bangla Nagar.
Briefing reporters, planning minister AK Khandker said the NEC includes the self-financed projects of the autonomous bodies and corporations.
The government has given priority to the transport sector. Taking the need for development of the communications system into consideration, Tk. 15,373.57 crore (23.34%) will be allocated to the sector. The power sector will receive second topmost priority, with Tk. 9,053.48 crore (13.74%); the education and religious sector will be the third priority sector, getting Tk. 8,766.34 crore (13.31%), while Tk. 6,622.33 crore (10.05%) will be allocated to the rural development and rural institutions sector, Tk. 5,454.49 crore (8.28%) for the physical infrastructure, water supply and housing sector, Tk. 4,239.54 crore (6.44%) for the health sector and Tk. 3,721.18 crore (5.65%) for the agricultural sector.
The NEC approved the budget proposal under different development sectors: Tk. 1,310 crore for five projects of the local government division, Tk. 160 crore for three projects of Chittagong Hill Tracts ministry, Tk. 16 crore for development assistance in special zones (except Chittagong Hill Tracts) of the Prime Minister’s Office as well as Tk. 1,525.30 crore for development assistance for special needs.
Of the total outlay of the special allocation for different development sectors, Tk. 1,812 crore will be obtained from the government funds and the rest Tk. 1,199.30 crore from project assistance.
The NEC has incorporated a total of 1,176 projects, of which 50 projects are approved ones and the remaining 996 projects are replacement ones from the fiscal year 2012-13. The NEC included 44 projects under public private partnership (PPP) among the ADP project list. The ADP includes 130 projects belonging to various civic bodies.
Khandker also expressed the hope that the government’s development goal would be achieved through proper implementation of the approved ADP.
About the Padma bridge project, he said the government has not yet given up on the possibility of foreign assistance for the much-hyped project. “We will use the USD 200 million grant provided by India for the Padma bridge project,” he added.
Planning secretary Bhuiyan Shafiqul Islam said that though the civic bodies have been included under the ADP, their progress reports, however, will not be included with the ADP implementation report prepared by the Implementation Monitoring and Evaluation Division (IMED).
Replying to a question, he said the own projects of the civic bodies are part of the development budget. These projects were not included earlier but have been included for the first time, he added.
ECNEC members, including finance minister AMA Muhith, planning minister Air Vice Marshal (retd) AK Khandker and agriculture minister Matia Chowdhury, the ministers, secretaries and officials concerned, advisers to the Prime Minister and members of the Planning Commission were present at the meeting.

-With The Independent input

Related News

Govt urges IOM to evacuate Bangladeshis

News Desk : dhakamirror.com Dhaka has requested the International Organisation for Migration to arrange chartered flights to bring back Bangladeshis willing to leave Lebanon amid airstrikes by Israel on the West Asian country. ‘We have requested the IOM to arrange flights to evacuate Bangladeshis willing to leave Lebanon. But Beirut’s airport is currently unsafe for ... Read more

Flood puts hundreds at risk of starvation

Emran Hossain The ongoing flash flooding puts hundreds of farmer families at immediate risk of starvation in Sherpur district, washing away the rice they stored from the previous harvest and also destroying the standing paddy fields. The divisional office of the Department of Agricultural Extension estimated that the flood affected 97,000 hectares of standing aman ... Read more

Price hikes strain people

Moinul Haque The soaring prices of essential commodities, including rice, vegetables, eggs and broiler chicken, put increasing pressure on the low-income people, pushing them further to the wall. Market analysts have expressed concerns over the unusual spiralling of prices of the essentials, criticising the interim government for its failure to take timely action to protect ... Read more

Four days Durga Puja holiday starting from Thursday

News Desk : dhakamirror.com Bangladesh’s interim government has announced an additional public holiday on Thursday, October 10, for Durga Puja, the largest religious celebration of the Hindu community in Bangladesh, says a press release. During a press conference held on Wednesday at the Dhakeshwari Temple in Dhaka, Mahfuj Alam, special assistant to chief adviser, made ... Read more

Tiger population in Sundarbans rises to 125

News Desk : dhakamirror.com The number of Royal Bengal tigers in Bangladesh’s Sundarbans has increased to 125. The Ministry of Forests has published the results of the third phase of the tiger census. The survey was conducted between June 2023 and March 2024 to observe the population of the national animal of Bangladesh. Environment, forest ... Read more

Environment ministry asks BRTA to remove unfit vehicles from streets

News Desk : dhakamirror.com The environment, forest and climate change ministry on Sunday sent a letter to the Bangladesh Road Transport Authority requesting removal of buses, minibuses, trucks and covered vans exceeded their economic life from roads in an effort to reduce air pollution. The ministry, in a press release, also urged the authority to ... Read more

HSC results to be published on October 15

News Desk : dhakamirror.com The results of the Higher Secondary Certificate (HSC) and equivalent examinations of this year will be published on October 15. Dhaka Education Board Chairman and head of the Inter-Education Board Coordination Committee Prof Tapan Kumar Sarkar confirmed this information on Monday (October 7). The results will be published around 11:00am, Prof ... Read more

Worst-affected people get least aid: CPD

News Desk : dhakamirror.com The worst-affected people received the least relief assistance in the flash flooding that swept parts of Bangladesh in August affecting over 5.6 million people, revealed a Centre for Policy Dialogue analysis. The analysis, released on Sunday, estimates the overall loss and damage suffered by 11 districts in the flood at minimum ... Read more

47th BCS circular to be released in due time

News Desk : dhakamirror.com Bangladesh Public Service Commission (PSC) is preparing to release the circular for the 47th Bangladesh Civil Service (BCS) examination in due time. They are now discussing the issue with the public administration ministry. According to the cadre section of the BPSC, the number of vacancies are yet to be finalised, but ... Read more

Flood causes damage worth Tk 14,421 crore in eastern Bangladesh: CPD

News Desk : dhakamirror.com The recent floods in eastern Bangladesh caused damage estimated at Tk 14,421.46 crore, which is around $1.20 billion, according to a study by the Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD). The findings were presented at a media briefing titled “Recent Flood Damage and Rehabilitation Process in Eastern Region: CPD’s Analysis” at the ... Read more

Malaysia to accept 18,000 workers who missed deadline

Says Asif Nazrul News Desk : dhakamirror.com Malaysia has agreed to receive 18,000 Bangladeshi workers who previously missed a deadline to enter the country, said Dr Asif Nazrul, adviser to the Ministry of Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment. “Now, the Ministry of Expatriates’ Welfare of Bangladesh will work with our Malaysian counterparts to establish a ... Read more

3 killed as gas cylinder blasts at restaurant in Keraniganj

News Desk : dhakamirror.com At least three restaurant workers were killed and several others injured in a gas cylinder blast on Saturday evening at ‘Ghorowa Hotel and Restaurant’ at Ramer Kanda in Keraniganj in Dhaka. Three other shops were also burnt in the incident as the fire broke out from the restaurant. The victims are ... Read more

Ex-president Badruddoza Chowdhury dies at 93

News Desk : dhakamirror.com Former president Professor AQM Badruddoza Chowdhury, popularly known as B Chowdhury, passed away in the early hours of Saturday (5 October). He was 93. The former president breathed his last at the Medical College for Women in Uttara at 3:10am, Jahangir Alam, press secretary of the former president, said in a ... Read more

Two students drown in Mirsarai waterfall

News Desk : dhakamirror.com The bodies of two young tourists were recovered from the deep well of Rupashi Waterfall in Chattogram’s Mirsarai yesterday (4 October), hours after they were reported missing. The deceased were identified as Musfiqur Rahman, 21, and Mahbub Rahman Mustakim, 21, both residents of Narayanganj. “A search and rescue team from the ... Read more

Railway to operate special passenger trains on Dhaka-Cox’s Bazar route during Durga Puja holidays

News Desk : dhakamirror.com In anticipation of increased demand during the Durga Puja and weekly holidays, the Bangladesh Railway has decided to operate seven additional special passenger trains on the Dhaka-Cox’s Bazar route. These trains will run from 10 October to 13 October, supplementing the two regular trains already operating on the route. The director ... Read more

Bangladeshi expat wins Tk 65 cr in lottery in UAE Big Ticket draw

News Desk : dhakamirror.com Bangladeshi expat Abul Monsur, hailing from Chattogram, has won Dh20 million, or over Tk65 crore, grand prize with the latest Big Ticket draw in the United Arab Emirates. Abul Monsur Abdul Sabur, a 50-year-old based in Abu Dhabi, has been buying the raffle draws’ entries since 2007. In its latest edition, ... Read more

Motorcycle sales tumble to seven-year low

Mahfuz Ullah Babu Rising costs, consumers’ weakening purchasing capacity, and adverse policy treatments blamed The hope of manufacturers for a scaled-up motorcycle market – to reach a million units a year by 2027 – now seems to be fading away. The economic slowdown, coupled with a sharp rise in costs and selling prices, has instead ... Read more

Metro rail to begin operations on Fridays too

News Desk : dhakamirror.com The Dhaka Mass Transit Company Limited (DMTCL) is set to launch metro rail services on Fridays soon. Currently, the services are closed on Fridays. MAN Siddique, managing director of Dhaka Mass Transit Company Limited, told media on Monday that the company started preparatory work on the day to start services on ... Read more

Academic activities in all public universities in Bangladesh remain stalled

Shahin Akhter Amid the academic activities coming to a near halt in most public universities triggered by a wave of resignation from top officials, the Secondary and Higher Education Division on Thursday in an order asked the universities tackling the situation to allow a senior teacher to carry out the administrative and finance related tasks ... Read more

Sundarbans to reopen for fishers, tourists from Sept 1

News Desk : dhakamirror.com After nearly three months of closure, the Forest Department will reopen the Sundarbans, the world’s largest mangrove forest and a UNESCO world heritage site from September 1 (Sunday). From that day, fishermen and tourists will be able to enter the world’s largest mangrove forest after obtaining a permit from the Department ... Read more