Bangladesh rejigs ADP prioritising projects to cut poverty

The National Economic Council or NEC has approved the revised Annual Development Plan for the fiscal year 2020-21 amid the coronavirus crisis, prioritising projects related to poverty alleviation.

The revised ADP of Tk 1.97 trillion is 75 billion or 3.65 percent less than the original plan of Tk 2.05 trillion. The NEC passed it in a meeting chaired by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Tuesday.

The money taken out of the plan are from foreign aid while the government’s funds have been readjusted prioritising the projects related to poverty alleviation.

The government will finance Tk 1.34 trillion of the revised ADP from domestic sources while the rest will come from foreign sources, said Mohammad Jainul Bari, secretary at the Planning Division.

The autonomous bodies or corporations will implement Tk 116.28 billion of the ADP with their own funds, including Tk 77.53 billion from domestic sources and Tk 38.75 billion from foreign sources.

These will take the size of the revised ADP past Tk 2.09 trillion.

SECTORS

The government has revised the allocation for rural development and rural institutions to Tk 182.9 billion, or 9.25 percent of the total allocation, from Tk 155.5 billion.

The allocation for health, nutrition, population and family welfare has been raised to Tk 149.22 billion from Tk 130.33 billion. It is 7.55 percent of the total allocation.

Physical planning, water supply and housing sector has been allocated Tk 264.92 billion in the revised ADP, up from Tk 257.95 billion. The 13.4 percent allocation is the second highest among all the sectors.

Like the main ADP, transport sector has secured the highest 24.9 percent allocation in the revised ADP. The Tk 492.13 billion for the sector is however less from Tk 521.83 billion in the main ADP. 

The government has allocated 12.43 percent or Tk 245.7 billion for education and religion sector, up from Tk 233.9 billion.

The allocation for the power sector has also been cut to Tk 219.45 billion, or 11.1 percent of the total, from Tk 248.04 billion.

Science and IT sector’s allocation has dropped to Tk 115.76 billion or 5.86 percent from Tk 184.48 billion.

Agriculture got allocated Tk 77.34 billion or 3.91 percent, water resources Tk 67.09 billion or 3.39 percent, and industries Tk 35 billion or 1.77 billion.

The secretary said the government has taken 1,785 projects in the revised ADP. They include 1,640 investment projects, 145 for technical assistance and 101 of the autonomous bodies or corporations.

The government hopes to complete 442 of these projects this financial year.