NAM flats for MPs, bureaucrats

Going against its very own policy and defying donors' suggestion, the government yesterday agreed in principle to transfer the technical and essential manpower from the development budget to the revenue budget.

According to meeting sources, it also decided to sell off apartments built for Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) Summit to the MPs and high government officials. It further decided to lease out the Bangladesh-China Friendship Conference Centre.

The cabinet committee on economic affairs yesterday made the decisions and also resolved to form a committee headed by Cabinet Secretary Dr Saadat Husain to examine and scrutinise essential manpower in the ADP projects for absorbing them into the revenue budget.

Finance and Planning Minister M Saifur Rahman chaired the meeting held in the cabinet conference room. Foreign Minister M Morshed Khan, Commerce Minister Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury, Agriculture Minister Matiur Rahman Nizami, State Minister for Civil Aviation and Tourism Mir Mohammad Nasir Uddin and the officials concerned attended the meeting.

"We discussed the possibility of leasing out the centre and running it commercially by professional hotel managers like in the case of Sonargaon and Sheraton hotels," Saifur told newsmen after the meeting.

The NAM apartment project and the friendship conference centre were financed with Chinese credits in preparation for holding the NAM summit, which was later postponed. Yesterday's decision came several days after China transformed the over 3 million-dollar loan into grants during Prime Minister Zia's visit to Beijing.

About the NAM apartments, Saifur said the Ministry of Pubic Works would complete the apartments at the earliest. Later, it would be decided how the apartments would be allotted to MPs and high government officials.

As for the decision to put some manpower under revenue budget following implementation of the ADP projects, Saifur said, "The committee has been assigned to sort out the essential manpower and suggest how the (transfer of) essential manpower can be approved."

Elaborating, the finance minister said some technical personnel like doctors and nurses and other technical hands are essential while some non-technical people also required to run the government. "These people acquire a degree of experience during the development phase and it would be a wastage if their experiences and expertise were not utilised once the development phase is complete."

However, he admitted that the financial cost for the proposed manpower transfer would weigh heavily on the government.

Earlier, in January 2002, the cabinet committee decided not to absorb any manpower working in any development project once the project is complete.

A working paper, which was prepared by the finance ministry and placed at the meeting, observed that many institutions like hospitals, educational and training institutions and other new technology-oriented projects start functioning with people working in development projects.

It also noted that it was imperative to transfer the manpower to revenue budget for smooth functioning of those institutions. "But it has to be ensured that more than necessary and unnecessary manpower is not absorbed in the revenue budget," the working paper said.

So far, 1969 staff including 292 officials under 23 development projects are waiting for a final approval to be put under revenue budget after scrutiny by the establishment and finance ministries, according to sources.

The finance minister's attention was drawn to press reports about planned changes in budgeting. He said no decision is there to formulate three yearly budget. Rather, he said, the government plans to introduce a three-year rolling plan, an alternative to five-year development plan, for efficient adjustment of development projects.

The rolling plan and yearly national budget will be formulated in line with the PRSP (poverty reduction strategy paper), he said.