Govt to form 'Delta Fund' to finance climate projects

The government is going to form a special fund titled 'Bangladesh Delta Fund', for implementing its long-term integrated master plan, 'Delta Plan 2100', to harness the huge potentials of Bangladesh through water resource management, ensuring food and water security and tackling disasters, reports UNB.
According to an official document obtained by the news agency, it would require implementation of a good number of new projects apart from development and maintenance of the existing infrastructure for accomplishing the Delta Plan 2100.
"To make that happen, a special fund named 'Bangladesh Delta Fund', will be constituted," the document says.
To implement the Delta Plan, 2.5 per cent of the Gross National Income (GNI) will be required till 2030. Currently, the expenditure in this sector is only 0.80-1.0 per cent, shows the document.
Under the plan, 80 projects have been proposed for implementation within 2030. Of the projects, 65 are related to physical infrastructure while 15 to institutional capability, skill development and research, involving Tk 2,978 billion (around USD 37 billion).
The implementation of these projects, the document mentions, will start in different years.
The National Economic Council approved the 'Bangladesh Delta Plan 2100' in September 2018, to be implemented over the next 100 years, aiming to raise the GDP growth to 9 per cent by 2030.
According to the Planning Ministry document, about 70 per cent of the areas in 16 districts, where the poverty rate is very high, are most vulnerable to natural disasters.