Business Desk :
The government needs to rethink its investment in the mega projects as many of them will not be beneficial in the long run and might give rise to a situation similar to Sri Lanka, Policy Research Institute of Bangladesh (PRI) Executive Director Dr Ahsan H Mansur said on Saturday.
“The projects like Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant, Cox’s-Ramu railway, and Padma Bridge Rail Link will not be helpful if we fail to get the return on investment within a short period of time,” he said while addressing a pre-budget roundtable discussion.
The Institute of Chartered Accountants of Bangladesh (ICAB) and the Economic Reporters’ Forum (ERF) jointly organised the discussion on ‘Macro Economy: Expectation from National Budget 2022-23’ in the capital.
“A low return rate can create crises similar to Sri Lanka,” the senior economist warned, referring to the South Asian country which currently faces a severe shortage of essentials, rising inflation and crippling power cuts.
“We need to focus on green growth initiatives as Bangladesh has become the most polluted country in the world.”
At the discussion, other speakers pointed out that the government should reconsider whether it is the right time to invest in the mega projects.
Besides, a commission should be formed to analyse the expenditure regarding the projects and find out the exact benefits, losses and other issues of the projects concerned, they added.
