Economic Reporter :
The Annual Development Programme (ADP) implementation rate in the first seven months (July-January) of the current fiscal 2015-16 was only 28 per cent. Lack of coordination among the Ministries and Divisions is the major reason for the slow progress in implementing the ADP in the country, said the experts.
They opined, the lower performance and inefficiency of the ministries are responsible behind it. The implementation of the annual development programme was disappointing as the progress hit a record low in eight years.
According to data of the Implementation Monitoring and Evaluation Division of the planning ministry, ADP implementing government agencies in the July-January period of the FY 2015-2016 spent only Tk 28,750 crore from the total allocation of Tk 1,00,997 crore for the entire year.
The government agencies had spent 32 per cent, or Tk 27,304 crore, in the same period of last fiscal year.
The previous lowest rate of implementation in the July-January period was 24.5 per cent in FY09 when the size of ADP was Tk 26,500 crore, according to the finance ministry data. The highest implementation rate was 38 per cent in the same period in FY13.
Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD) Executive Director Mustafizur Rahman identified the weakness in institutional capacity in implementing development projects as the reason behind slow progress in ADP execution.
Bangladesh Institute of Development Studies Research Director Zaid Bakht said, traditionally ADP implementation remains slow in the first few months due to some long-existing reasons including delay in fund release, appointment of project staff, land acquisition and most importantly, lack of coordination among the ministries and divisions.
According to the IMED data released on Wednesday, 10 big ministries and divisions which are implementing some mega projects including Padma Bridge, metro rail and nuclear power plant spent only on an average 30 per cent against their respective allocations. The ministries and divisions have received 73 per cent of the total ADP allocation for this fiscal year.
Of the ministries and divisions, the water resources ministry implemented in seven months the lowest 18 per cent of its allocation for the entire fiscal year. The railway ministry spent 19 per cent, health and family welfare ministry 20 per cent, and Bridges Division and Energy and Mineral Resources Division implemented 23 per cent each in the period.
The overall lowest spending agency, according to the data, was the food ministry, which spent only 5 per cent of its allocation, while the Posts and Telecommunications Division implemented the highest 62 per cent in the July-January period.
In the period, 17 ministries and divisions could spend below 20 per cent, the data showed.
Officials said that the government would have to implement the remaining 62 per cent of the ADP in the remaining five months of this fiscal year.
