Vision paper falters on 'ownership' claims
Wednesday, 14 April 2010
FHM Humayan Kabir
The country's first-ever vision paper has begun facing setbacks in its finalisation as two government offices are now at loggerheads over its 'ownership', officials said Monday.
A row between the planning division and the general economics division (GED) on the ownership of the draft Perspective Plan 2021 is apparently delaying its finalisation, officials in the government said.
The GED last month has prepared the country's first ever long-term vision paper, awaiting finalisation, targeting double-digit growth and graduating Bangladesh into a middle-income economy by 2021.
A top government official told the FE that the GED framed the vision paper, with signature of its member, and sent it to the planning division in the last week of March for placing it before the cabinet.
But the planning division has sent it back to GED Sunday saying the document should be signed by the secretary of the planning division/planning ministry before placing it to the cabinet, he said.
Another official said GED is fully responsible for formulating and finalising the vision paper and getting approval of the National Economic Council (NEC).
He said they had replied to the letter of the planning division Monday adding as per government rules of business, the GED member is entitled to signing the vision paper.
The division also informed planning minister AK Khondaker on the issue Monday and sought his intervention to speed up the finalisation process of the policy document, the official added.
"As per government rules, we have prepared the document and only the member of the division has the right to sign on the document. The planning division is supposed to give secretarial support to finalising the document," said a top GED official requesting anonymity.
The planning division Sunday in the letter to the GED said: "The summary of the Perspective Plan has been signed by the member of the GED."
As per rule 19 (1) of the Rules of Business 1996, "the summary should be signed by the secretary of the administrative ministry or division followed by the approval/recommendation of the honourable minister."
The GED official said: "The planning division has misinterpreted the government rules. It has responsibility only to transmit the document of the GED to the cabinet division."
The country's first-ever vision paper has begun facing setbacks in its finalisation as two government offices are now at loggerheads over its 'ownership', officials said Monday.
A row between the planning division and the general economics division (GED) on the ownership of the draft Perspective Plan 2021 is apparently delaying its finalisation, officials in the government said.
The GED last month has prepared the country's first ever long-term vision paper, awaiting finalisation, targeting double-digit growth and graduating Bangladesh into a middle-income economy by 2021.
A top government official told the FE that the GED framed the vision paper, with signature of its member, and sent it to the planning division in the last week of March for placing it before the cabinet.
But the planning division has sent it back to GED Sunday saying the document should be signed by the secretary of the planning division/planning ministry before placing it to the cabinet, he said.
Another official said GED is fully responsible for formulating and finalising the vision paper and getting approval of the National Economic Council (NEC).
He said they had replied to the letter of the planning division Monday adding as per government rules of business, the GED member is entitled to signing the vision paper.
The division also informed planning minister AK Khondaker on the issue Monday and sought his intervention to speed up the finalisation process of the policy document, the official added.
"As per government rules, we have prepared the document and only the member of the division has the right to sign on the document. The planning division is supposed to give secretarial support to finalising the document," said a top GED official requesting anonymity.
The planning division Sunday in the letter to the GED said: "The summary of the Perspective Plan has been signed by the member of the GED."
As per rule 19 (1) of the Rules of Business 1996, "the summary should be signed by the secretary of the administrative ministry or division followed by the approval/recommendation of the honourable minister."
The GED official said: "The planning division has misinterpreted the government rules. It has responsibility only to transmit the document of the GED to the cabinet division."