DEVELOPMENT spending in the first seven months of fiscal 2015-16 is the lowest in six years. The government has been able to spend Tk 27,542 crore in July-January period out of Tk 97,000 crore of the Annual Development Programme (ADP) as per Planning Ministry statistics at a time when the government is claiming massive development spending in all fronts and bureaucrats are preparing growth statistics many ways to support the government claims.
It appears that the last seven months development spending stands at 28,39 percent of annual allocations although spending alone is not development. It is even below 32 percent that was achieved during the same period last year when the country witnessed severe political violence adversely affecting physical work at field level. The performance was even higher at 38 percent in 2013. Why the development performance is only coming down every year and not picking up is the biggest question now when the country is witnessing relatively calm political situation. The steady slow down is noticeable over the past five to six years although the government propaganda of its phenomenal success is only beating the air.
What is noticeable is that the utilization of foreign aid during the July-January period is also lower at 24 percent this time over last year’s and also the lowest over the past five years. We have $21 billion in pipeline now when the utilization should have improved to reduce the spill over. What it makes clear is that the government is failing to pick up development activities by achieving higher capacity in the development Ministries and efficiency level of bureaucracy; which is more interested now to take hefty pay and perks from the public exchequer.
Official statistics show that the Water Resources Ministry achieved worst performance at 18 percent of allocation followed by Energy and Mineral Resources Division; which was able to spend 23 percent. Health and Family Welfare Ministry spent 20 percent, Bridges Division reported 23 percent and Railways Ministry 19 percent. The Power Division, Local Government Division, Road Transport and Highways Division, Primary and Mass Education Ministry however showed relatively better utilization between 30 and 40 percent. Moreover one may wonder what is the real development reaching the people from such spending as against high-level corruption and embezzlement of budgetary funds.
In fact our development is now measured in terms of development expenditure; not by physical development that often can be seen. Ministers and MPs control funds and spend, as they like to support party politics. We have developed a system now when ADP spending hovers at 45 to 50 percent till March every year and then it shoot up to 95 percent in three months by the year-end. There is no alternative to achieving capacity to implement development and it needs transparency and accountability of the government to common people.
