Aid inflows surge since March: ERD
Sunday, 8 July 2007
Aid inflows increased soon after the Fakhruddin Ahmed-led caretaker government assumed power in mid-January, according to Economic Relations Division (ERD) findings, reports bdnews24.com.
Donors disbursed $1,401.77 million to Bangladesh in fiscal 2006-07 that ended June 30.
The disbursement was only $518 million in the first eight months of the fiscal year meaning that as much as $883.77 million was disbursed in the last four months-from March to June.
Some $1,567.636 million was disbursed during FY 2005-06, according to the ERD.
"Aid disbursement picked up in the last four months of the past fiscal year," ERD additional secretary Shaheedul Haque told the news agency.
Haque believed that some movements, including the intensification of anti-corruption efforts and monitoring of development projects by the present caretaker government had helped faster aid inflows.
During July-December period of FY 2006-07, only $396 million was disbursed, while it was $676 million for the same period in the previous fiscal. Only $34 million was disbursed in January and $88 million in February. But the disbursement jumped to about $400 million in March.
ERD officials also said that they were optimistic that aid would continue to flow in the current fiscal year.
Bangladesh has already received the third highest aid commitment worth $2,245 million, for the FY 2006-07, since independence after $2,648.516 million in 1998-99 because of the 1998 floods and $2,410.184 million in 1993-94 for restoring democracy and the 1991 storm, ERD statistics revealed.
The commitment, made in FY 2006-07, would be released mostly in the current fiscal year, ERD officials said.
Donors disbursed $1,401.77 million to Bangladesh in fiscal 2006-07 that ended June 30.
The disbursement was only $518 million in the first eight months of the fiscal year meaning that as much as $883.77 million was disbursed in the last four months-from March to June.
Some $1,567.636 million was disbursed during FY 2005-06, according to the ERD.
"Aid disbursement picked up in the last four months of the past fiscal year," ERD additional secretary Shaheedul Haque told the news agency.
Haque believed that some movements, including the intensification of anti-corruption efforts and monitoring of development projects by the present caretaker government had helped faster aid inflows.
During July-December period of FY 2006-07, only $396 million was disbursed, while it was $676 million for the same period in the previous fiscal. Only $34 million was disbursed in January and $88 million in February. But the disbursement jumped to about $400 million in March.
ERD officials also said that they were optimistic that aid would continue to flow in the current fiscal year.
Bangladesh has already received the third highest aid commitment worth $2,245 million, for the FY 2006-07, since independence after $2,648.516 million in 1998-99 because of the 1998 floods and $2,410.184 million in 1993-94 for restoring democracy and the 1991 storm, ERD statistics revealed.
The commitment, made in FY 2006-07, would be released mostly in the current fiscal year, ERD officials said.