AS PER a national daily, the revised annual development budget for fiscal 2015-16 has been fixed at Tk 91,000 crore, which is 6.18 percent lower than the original outlay. Despite slow implementation in the first nine months, the amount is 21.3 percent higher than the revised budget of last year that allows the administration a last moment spending spree and the chance to misappropriate money. Though different Ministries and Divisions seek higher allocations every year, eventually they fail to implement their schemes entirely. Between July last year and March this year, the Ministries and Divisions spent only Tk 41,888 crore — or 41 percent of the original ADP, which is the lowest in the last seven years while this year’s original ADP was Tk 97,000 crore. The ineptness of the Ministries and Divisions in executing the development programs has crippled the government’s drive to increase the planned growth. And the ‘June spending spree’ which occurs without properly executing works is putting forward the incapacity of the government to execute its plans properly.
The revised annual development programme (ADP) for the current fiscal year was approved at a meeting of the National Economic Council on Tuesday. Foreign funds in the revised ADP have been cut by 15.48 percent to Tk 29,160 crore; local funds were reduced by 1.05 percent to Tk 61,840 crore. As per the Finance Division, actual spending was Tk 59,570 crore. In the proposal, the share of physical infrastructure, water supply and housing was 10.81 percent, rural development and rural institutions 9.23 percent, health, nutrition, population and family welfare 6.14 percent and agriculture 4.87 percent respectively.
It has been witnessed that most Ministries, while formulating the ADP, pile up pressure on the Finance Ministry to increase allocation for them but in the year end they fail to implement programs and to spend their allocated money. Experts said such a spending spree in the last month of the fiscal year raises questions about the accuracy and quality of work. They said it has become a trend that the last month of every fiscal year covers a significant amount of ADP spending. The government should not only focus on spending but also concentrate on the quality of works. Some of the last minute ADP spending occurs without any physical work and sometimes the amounts are paid under mutual understanding during the last minute spending spree without any work being done, making room for wasteful expenditure.
We find a competition of spending allocated money to reach the ‘spending target’ and not a competition for implementation and it just opens the gate of corruption for people in power at top down to rural political activists, and government employees. The irregularities pursued by them include drawing tender money without actually implementing the work, procuring and supplying low-quality materials, and misusing project vehicles and other facilities. Experts said that development works must be physically noticeable and people must get real benefits out of such works. Mere spending of money is not development.
The revised annual development programme (ADP) for the current fiscal year was approved at a meeting of the National Economic Council on Tuesday. Foreign funds in the revised ADP have been cut by 15.48 percent to Tk 29,160 crore; local funds were reduced by 1.05 percent to Tk 61,840 crore. As per the Finance Division, actual spending was Tk 59,570 crore. In the proposal, the share of physical infrastructure, water supply and housing was 10.81 percent, rural development and rural institutions 9.23 percent, health, nutrition, population and family welfare 6.14 percent and agriculture 4.87 percent respectively.
It has been witnessed that most Ministries, while formulating the ADP, pile up pressure on the Finance Ministry to increase allocation for them but in the year end they fail to implement programs and to spend their allocated money. Experts said such a spending spree in the last month of the fiscal year raises questions about the accuracy and quality of work. They said it has become a trend that the last month of every fiscal year covers a significant amount of ADP spending. The government should not only focus on spending but also concentrate on the quality of works. Some of the last minute ADP spending occurs without any physical work and sometimes the amounts are paid under mutual understanding during the last minute spending spree without any work being done, making room for wasteful expenditure.
We find a competition of spending allocated money to reach the ‘spending target’ and not a competition for implementation and it just opens the gate of corruption for people in power at top down to rural political activists, and government employees. The irregularities pursued by them include drawing tender money without actually implementing the work, procuring and supplying low-quality materials, and misusing project vehicles and other facilities. Experts said that development works must be physically noticeable and people must get real benefits out of such works. Mere spending of money is not development.
