ADP fund to go up 32pc

The allocation for the annual development programme for the next fiscal year is going to increase 32 percent over this year's revised ADP outlay, while the Padma bridge project will again get the biggest chunk of funds.
The Finance Division early this week sent the proposal to the planning ministry.
The planning ministry has been asked to prepare the next ADP within Tk 79,031 crore against the Tk 60,000 crore revised ADP for the current fiscal year.
In the next fiscal year, the Bridges Division has been given the third highest allocation among 71 ministries and divisions. The Bridges Division has only two projects -- Padma bridge got Tk 8,100 crore and Dhaka elevated expressway project Tk 635 crore.
In the Tk 8,100 crore set aside for the Padma bridge, Tk 1,600 crore is Indian grant.
In the current fiscal year's allocation, the Padma bridge, as a single project, got the highest allocation of Tk 6,852 crore; but as work on various components did not progress as per plans, Tk 2,042 crore has been kept for the project in the revised ADP.
However, officials have expressed doubt whether the revised allocation could be utilised as only Tk 414 crore was spent in nine months of the current fiscal year. But a Bridges Division official said work orders for three main components of the Padma bridge project, including the main bridge construction and river training, will be awarded in the next fiscal year. So the proposed allocation will be required, he added.
The allocation that the Finance Division gave for the next fiscal year includes ADP's local fund that has been increased by around 33 percent from the revised budget to make the allocation Tk 51,331 crore.
Meanwhile, the allocation for foreign funds has been raised by 32 percent, over the revised budget, to Tk 27,700 crore.
In the proposed allocation for the next fiscal year's ADP, Tk 1,506 crore has been given as a 'block allocation' so that the National Economic Council (NEC) can accommodate the additional demand of the ministries, a Finance Division official said.
In the proposed allocation, the highest sum of money, or Tk 13,017 crore, went to the Local Government Division, and the second highest of Tk 9,273 crore to the Power Division.
Besides, the primary and mass education ministry got Tk 5,578 crore, the education ministry Tk 3,422 crore, Roads Division Tk 4,287 crore and the railways ministry Tk 4,085 crore.
A planning ministry official said the demands they got from different ministries and divisions for the next fiscal year are much higher than the funds allocated by the Finance Division.
The official said they will now prepare the next fiscal year's ADP within the allocated funds and the NEC will decide on the demands for additional funds.