Govt okays Tk 658.7b ADP

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina chairs a meeting at the NEC auditorium in Agargaon of the capital where the approval of allocation of Tk 658.7b came for annual development programme (ADP) during 2013-14 fiscal year. Photo: PID

The government on Tuesday approved allocation of Tk 65,870 crore for annual development programme (ADP) during the next fiscal year.

The highest allocation, Tk 6,852cr, has been proposed for the much-talked about Padma bridge project.

Meantime, the development projects, which will be implemented by various autonomous bodies and corporations with their own funds, will be shown with the ADP separately, Planning Secretary Bhuiyan Shafiqul Islam told The Daily Star.

The approval of the ADP allocation came at a meeting of the National Economic Council, chaired by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, at the NEC auditorium in Agargaon.

The government fattened the outlay by about 26 percent with an eye on the upcoming general election.

Planning Minister AK Khandker revealed this to reporters after the meeting.

The fund was shown separately as those were used by the state-run bodies, he added.

The total outlay in 128 such development projects will be Tk 8,114 crore.

According highly placed sources, tension brews between the government and tax officials over the ambitious revenue target to meet the huge expenditure.