Digital technology can help plug financial leakages: WB
Tuesday, 7 April 2009
FE Report
The World Bank has said digital technology can help plug financial leakages, as the government implements its biggest social protection scheme to create jobs.
"It's very important to ensure transparency for the safety net programmes to prevent the problem of leakages," the bank's country director Xian Zhu said Sunday.
"Increased use of information technology and MIS such as using mobile phone banking for payments can prevent leakages. We are ready to help in this respect," he told a workshop, jointly organised by the Food and Disaster Management Ministry and the World Bank in the city.
Currently, 100 days employment scheme is the country's largest social protection programme, covering as many as 2.o million people.
The programme covered the poorest of the poor with 37 per cent of the beneficiaries from the bottom rung.
The last caretaker regime introduced the programme in the current fiscal, prompted by double digit inflation and soaring commodity prices in the international market.
Food prices almost doubled last year, forcing the then interim government to provide subsidised rice to help the poor absorb the shock.
Mr Zhu noted that this programme was important to have well targetted social protection plans, which would protect the poor from the effects of global economic crisis.
Mr Zhu said his lending agency is keen to help the government to introduce digital technology that could make the 100 days job creation scheme more effective for the poor.
The recent 100-day employment generation programme is an important addition to the government's existing set of safety net programmes, he added.
He said the bank would also provide more loans to help Bangladesh offset the impact of global crisis on the poor and vulnerable. "It will also help scale up the existing social safety net programmes."
Speakers at the workshop also stressed on transparent information sharing so that both implementers and beneficiaries remain fully aware of the selection criteria.
"Transparency, governance and accountability mechanisms are key elements in the success of safety nets," said Mansoora Rashid, sector head of social protection at the World Bank.
"It is important to use an objective means test to identify beneficiaries of all programmes rather than using separate criteria for each programme to ensure transparency," he told the workshop, organised to share the international best practices with the view to improving the design of the job creation scheme.
The bank official said incorporating the early lessons from its implementation and best practices from other countries could make the programme successful.
The 100 days employment generation programmes targetted the geographical areas with high poverty rate.
The FAO, in an evaluation, concluded that the programme is reaching out to the extreme poor and having "a positive effect" on household welfare.
But the UN food and agriculture agency added, "There are some areas in the design that needs attention to further improve its performance."
This programme also helped to alleviate the worst outcomes in Monga in the northern region.
Food and disaster management minister Dr Abdur Razzak was present as the chief guest.
Md. Mokhlesur Rahman, secretary to the Food and Disaster Management Ministry, chaired the session, attended by officials from the government and international agencies.
The World Bank has said digital technology can help plug financial leakages, as the government implements its biggest social protection scheme to create jobs.
"It's very important to ensure transparency for the safety net programmes to prevent the problem of leakages," the bank's country director Xian Zhu said Sunday.
"Increased use of information technology and MIS such as using mobile phone banking for payments can prevent leakages. We are ready to help in this respect," he told a workshop, jointly organised by the Food and Disaster Management Ministry and the World Bank in the city.
Currently, 100 days employment scheme is the country's largest social protection programme, covering as many as 2.o million people.
The programme covered the poorest of the poor with 37 per cent of the beneficiaries from the bottom rung.
The last caretaker regime introduced the programme in the current fiscal, prompted by double digit inflation and soaring commodity prices in the international market.
Food prices almost doubled last year, forcing the then interim government to provide subsidised rice to help the poor absorb the shock.
Mr Zhu noted that this programme was important to have well targetted social protection plans, which would protect the poor from the effects of global economic crisis.
Mr Zhu said his lending agency is keen to help the government to introduce digital technology that could make the 100 days job creation scheme more effective for the poor.
The recent 100-day employment generation programme is an important addition to the government's existing set of safety net programmes, he added.
He said the bank would also provide more loans to help Bangladesh offset the impact of global crisis on the poor and vulnerable. "It will also help scale up the existing social safety net programmes."
Speakers at the workshop also stressed on transparent information sharing so that both implementers and beneficiaries remain fully aware of the selection criteria.
"Transparency, governance and accountability mechanisms are key elements in the success of safety nets," said Mansoora Rashid, sector head of social protection at the World Bank.
"It is important to use an objective means test to identify beneficiaries of all programmes rather than using separate criteria for each programme to ensure transparency," he told the workshop, organised to share the international best practices with the view to improving the design of the job creation scheme.
The bank official said incorporating the early lessons from its implementation and best practices from other countries could make the programme successful.
The 100 days employment generation programmes targetted the geographical areas with high poverty rate.
The FAO, in an evaluation, concluded that the programme is reaching out to the extreme poor and having "a positive effect" on household welfare.
But the UN food and agriculture agency added, "There are some areas in the design that needs attention to further improve its performance."
This programme also helped to alleviate the worst outcomes in Monga in the northern region.
Food and disaster management minister Dr Abdur Razzak was present as the chief guest.
Md. Mokhlesur Rahman, secretary to the Food and Disaster Management Ministry, chaired the session, attended by officials from the government and international agencies.