Shawdesh Desk:

The implementation of Annual Development Programme (ADP) has modestly improved in the current fiscal year but it still could not cross the halfway mark although nine months have elapsed.

Public ADP executing agencies managed to spend Tk 989.35 billion during the July-March period of FY22, which is 45.56 percent of revised ADP, data from Implementation Monitoring and Evaluation Division (IMED) showed.

The ADP implementation performance was 41.92 percent during the same period one year ago.

The government has revised its original ADP to Tk 2,171.75 billion, including Tk 1,373 from GoB fund and Tk 702.50 billion project assistance (PA) and Tk 96.25 billion self-financed projects of public corporations.

The agency looking after the ADP performance is upbeat about the improving performance, but some economic analysts have expressed concern over it as still Tk 1,182.40 billion ADP money remained unspent.

It has been a common phenomenon that ADP accomplishment rate remains below 50 percent after nine months and gets a boost in the last quarter, which, analysts say, is not healthy for financial management of the government.

The last-minute spending spree can’t ensure quality money spending and at the same time quality of project work, they observed.

“The IMED progress report presents only financial progress of ADP but our real progress is much more as a large number of ADP projects are construction related,” claimed Planning Secretary Pradip Ranjan Chakraborty.

In case of such projects, usually bills are not paid if the project is not complete. As a result, financial progress is getting faster in the last part of the year, he explained.

Drawn attention to the matter, former lead economist at World Bank’s Dhaka office Dr Zahid Hussain said: “besides arrear bills, there is also an issue of hurried project work, which raises question of quality.”

Some project work is done very quickly for sake of utilizing ADP money only and there is no concern for ensuring quality of work, he explained.

“But the question is why the authorities are not taking lesson from this practice taking place of years. No one says this practice is acceptable. Then why it is not possible to get out of it,” he repented.

“The problem is already identified. Now it is urgent to resolve it,” he remarked.

The planning secretary, however, thinks that there won’t be any question with regard to quality of project work if IMED and the concerned ministry properly oversee the project implementation.

Chakraborty is hopeful of a better ADP implementation results at the end of FY22, given the current trend of progress.

Still, Tk 799.16 billion from the GoB fund, Tk 339.50 billion from overseas project assistance from the development partners and Tk 43.74 billion ADP money of public corporations remained unutilized.

Statistics and informatics division (SID) topped the lagging agencies with 3.94 percent ADP performance, foreign ministry 10.18 percent, youth and sports ministry 15.78 percent, defence ministry 19.58 percent, public service commission 20.09 percent, law and justice division 21.71 percent, Liberation War affairs ministry 22.63 percent, security services division 21.04 percent.

Meanwhile, National parliament Secretariat has been able to spend all its ADP money, while legislative and parliamentary division posted 98 percent performance, ICT division 74.51 percent, industries ministry 75.76 percent, Economic Relation Division (ERD) 68 percent, IMED 65.46 percent, religious affairs ministry 59.04 percent, science and technology ministry 55.62 percent, finance division 54.24 percent, ministry of food 53.89 percent, fisheries and livestock 53.09 percent, cabinet division 49.31 percent, among others.