The government spent Tk 399.73 billion from the Tk 1.13-trillion Annual Development Programme (ADP) in July-January period-marking 4.0 percentage points higher spending over the corresponding period of last fiscal.
After Tuesday's Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) meeting, Planning Minister AHM Mustafa Kamal told journalists that the government agencies spent Tk 399.73 billion or 32 per cent of the development budget in the first seven months of the current financial year (FY), 2016-17.
In the same period of FY2016, they had spent Tk 287.50 billion or 28 per cent of the total outlay of the last ADP.
He quoted Implementation Monitoring and Evaluation Division (IMED) data about the comparative ADP execution, which was slower in initial periods of the financial year.
Mr Kamal claimed that the ADP spending rate during the first seven-month period of the current FY2017 was "the highest in Bangladesh history".
The minister would not unveil any details about the ADP execution and spending of its allocations in various sectors.
Meanwhile, the ECNEC approved seven fresh development projects and revised one at its meeting, held at the Planning Commission in the city with ECNEC Chairperson and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in the chair.
Among those is the 'Increasing strength of existing runway and taxiway of Sylhet Osmani International Airport' project that involves Tk 4.52 billion for the modernisation of the airport.
Mr Kamal said the seven new projects and one revised cost Tk 20.72 billion in total. "The entire project cost will come from the national exchequer."
The other approved projects are: "Upgradation and widening of important regional highway (Gopalganj Zone)" at Tk 3.95 billion, "Construction of two link Roads (Nirala Avenue and Khulna University Avenue)" at Tk 1.28 billion, "Development of Chittagong Engineering and Technology University" at Tk 3.20 billion, "Protecting Gaibandha Sadar and various structures of Fulchhari upazila, including mass graves from the river erosion on the right embankment of River Jamuna" at Tk 2.76 billion, "Development of undeveloped areas of Barisal BSCIC Industrial Estate and repairing and reconstruction of infrastructures in developed areas" at Tk 522. million and "Establishment of Sheikh Kamal IT Training and Incubation Center" at Tk 2.65 billion.
The ECNEC revised the "Construction of Sheikh Kamal, Sheikh Jamal and Sheikh Russell Bridges on Patuakhali-Kuakata road (3rd revised)" project that costs Tk 1.83 billion.
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