Floods, cyclone to hit ADP implementation
Saturday, 24 November 2007
FHM Humayan Kabir
The caretaker government faces an uphill task to implement the Annual Development Programme (ADP) in the aftermath of recurrent floods and the devastating cyclone, the sources said.
"The cyclone Sidr has sent a fresh blow when the government is trying to mobilise necessary funds to implement the current ADP and minimise the impact of the flood in July-October period on the economy," a senior Planning Commission (PC) official said.
The government is now in a state of confusion whether to revise the ADP at this stage or not, considering the prospects for ADP implementation in the rest seven months' period after the lapse of five months in the current fiscal year, he said.
After getting the Sidr loss assessment report, the PC might review the original ADP and take necessary steps to revise it before the government knows the requirement of fund for rehabilitation of the flood-cyclone ravaged economy, the PC official stated.
He said the PC recently started the process to assess the extent of damage by the cyclone and take necessary programmes for the post-Sidr rehabilitation works.
On November 20, it asked the 17 cyclone-affected ministries and divisions to send their damage assessment reports and necessary rehabilitation projects within two weeks, the official added.
The government in the national budget this year has fixed a Tk 265 billion development budget for implementing the ADP. Under the original estimate, the government is to provide 51 per cent of the fund from its own resources for the ADP while the donors will give the remaining 49 per cent.
The PC has fixed an additional requirement of Tk 26.55 billion for post-flood rehabilitation works in the flood-hit areas under different ministries.
The government earlier appealed to different bilateral and multilateral donors to provide financial support to Bangladesh for implementing the flood rehabilitation works, the sources said.
The PC official said: "Considering the requirement to recoup the flood losses, the commission has already cut some allocation from the less important development projects under the original ADP and diverted those funds to the post-flood rehabilitation works on emergency basis."
The diversion of fund has already put pressure on the implementation of the original ADP, he observed.
The caretaker government faces an uphill task to implement the Annual Development Programme (ADP) in the aftermath of recurrent floods and the devastating cyclone, the sources said.
"The cyclone Sidr has sent a fresh blow when the government is trying to mobilise necessary funds to implement the current ADP and minimise the impact of the flood in July-October period on the economy," a senior Planning Commission (PC) official said.
The government is now in a state of confusion whether to revise the ADP at this stage or not, considering the prospects for ADP implementation in the rest seven months' period after the lapse of five months in the current fiscal year, he said.
After getting the Sidr loss assessment report, the PC might review the original ADP and take necessary steps to revise it before the government knows the requirement of fund for rehabilitation of the flood-cyclone ravaged economy, the PC official stated.
He said the PC recently started the process to assess the extent of damage by the cyclone and take necessary programmes for the post-Sidr rehabilitation works.
On November 20, it asked the 17 cyclone-affected ministries and divisions to send their damage assessment reports and necessary rehabilitation projects within two weeks, the official added.
The government in the national budget this year has fixed a Tk 265 billion development budget for implementing the ADP. Under the original estimate, the government is to provide 51 per cent of the fund from its own resources for the ADP while the donors will give the remaining 49 per cent.
The PC has fixed an additional requirement of Tk 26.55 billion for post-flood rehabilitation works in the flood-hit areas under different ministries.
The government earlier appealed to different bilateral and multilateral donors to provide financial support to Bangladesh for implementing the flood rehabilitation works, the sources said.
The PC official said: "Considering the requirement to recoup the flood losses, the commission has already cut some allocation from the less important development projects under the original ADP and diverted those funds to the post-flood rehabilitation works on emergency basis."
The diversion of fund has already put pressure on the implementation of the original ADP, he observed.