Govt strengthens monitoring of ADP implementation

FE Team | Published: July 15, 2007 00:00:00 | Updated: February 01, 2018 00:00:00

Shakhawat Hossain
The government has assigned the Ministry of Finance (MoF) to take a regular stock of the implementation status of development activities facilitating a mid-term budget review, official source said.
The MoF has already assigned 21 sections under the budget wing to look into the resource utilisation trend and progress of the projects under the annual development programme (ADP).
"They have also been asked to prepare monthly reports highlighting the problems and the hindrances faced by the implementing agencies so that the MoF can advise them on remedies," said senior ministry official.
The philosophy of introducing such system, according to official, is to stimulate fund utilisation and hold a mid-term budget review.
"The mid-term budget review is very important for a successful budget implementation," added the official.
Currently, secretaries of some 65 implementing ministries and agencies prepare a monthly report on the implementation status of the development activities. They will, however, continue to submit the monthly reports.
The system, which has been followed by ministries and divisions and reviewed by the planning commission, has failed to bring any qualitative change in ADP implementation.
Although the implementation rate of the ADP is around 90 per cent during the last several years different quarters, including foreign donor agencies, have already raised questions about the quality of the implementation.
Even many donor agencies withdrew their funds following allegations of corruption and weakness in implementation in the last couple of years, source said.
The caretaker government, which is implementing a full-fledged budget for the first time, is taking a cautious approach in dealing with the foreign-funded project.
Because, 49 per cent of the development projects of the current fiscal is being implemented by overseas fund, said a planning ministry official.
The ADP worth Tk 265.00 billion has been adopted for the current fiscal. The size of new ADP is around 23 per cent higher compared with the revised ADP of the last fiscal.
The highest ADP allocation worth Tk 61.53 billion has been embarked for the local government and rural development sector and the second highest Tk 45.57 billion for fuel and energy sector.
The transport and communication sector will receive Tk 41.06 billion while education and information technology sector Tk 37.09 billion.
They are followed by health and agricultural sectors, which will receive ADP fund worth Tk 26.06 billion and Tk 22.23 billion respectively. The major social security and welfare sector is to receive Tk 8.19 billion.