ADP execution slows in Jul-Apr

Implementation of the annual development programme in the first 10 months of the current fiscal year was slightly more than half of the revised allocation, mainly due to low spending by the ministries that got large allocations.

According to the Implementation Monitoring and Evaluation Division, Tk 65,083 crore was utilised in July-April, which is about 54 percent of the revised allocation of Tk 119,296 crore for the year.

Of the 10 large ministries and divisions, the bridges division spent only 37 percent of its revised allocation in 10 months.

There are only three projects under the bridges division, of which, the Padma Bridge project received the highest allocation. The division got a revised allocation of Tk 6,583 crore in the current fiscal year, of which Tk 2,492 crore was spent in 10 months.

In the original ADP, allocation for the Padma Bridge project was Tk 6,026 crore in the current fiscal year. But upon revising it, Tk 4,674 crore was allocated. Of the amount, Tk 1,798 crore was spent in the first eight months.

The planning ministry official said spending in the Padma Bridge project increased compared to the last fiscal year, though it is still low against the allocation.  The total cost of the Padma Bridge project is Tk 28,793 crore, of which, Tk 12,273 crore has been spent till February.

The official said the most complex work in the Padma Bridge project is piling, which is taking a long time.

In addition, the science and information technology ministry spent only 41 percent of its allocation in 10 months. Under the ministry, over Tk 1 lakh crore has been allocated in a single project: Rooppur Power plant. The ministry could not spend even half of its allocation in 10 months.

The road transport and highways division spent 59 percent of its revised allocation in the first 10 months, health ministry 45 percent, railways 37 percent, secondary and higher secondary education division 50 percent, primary and mass education 53 percent. However, the power division implemented 67 percent of its revised allocation and the local government division 65 percent.

Of the total revised allocation, 56 percent of the government's own fund was spent, which was 48 percent in the same period last fiscal year; 48 percent of foreign funds have been utilised in the period this year, which was 52 percent last fiscal year. The ministries and divisions usually speed up spending in the last few months of a fiscal year.