Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina Wednesday asked the Planning Commission (PC) to frame the upcoming 7th Five-Year Plan (2015-2020) laying emphasis on boosting agro-processing products and their value addition for their best use and diversifying exports, officials said.
"She also directed the Commission to prepare the next development policy document so that it can facilitate raise utilisation and demand of Bangladesh's golden fibre jute," said Professor Shamsul Alam, a member of the PC, quoting the PM.
Sheikh Hasina also asked the PC to help speed up project approval and their implementation to ensure quick development of the country's infrastructure, Prof Alam, who attended the Commission meeting, told the FE Wednesday.
The Prime Minister was directing the Planning Commission at its meeting Wednesday at the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) in the city. The meeting of the Commission was held Wednesday 30 years after its last meeting in 1984.
Presided over by PC Chairman PM Sheikh Hasina, the PC meeting was attended by Commission Vice Chairman Planning and Planning Minister AHM Mustafa Kamal, Finance Minister AMA Muhith, Economic Advisor to the PM Dr Mashiur Rahman, State Minister for finance and planning MA Mannan and Planning Commission members.
The General Economic Division (GED) of the PC is working to prepare the 7th FYP by June this year as the current 6th FYP plan (FY2011 to FY2015) period will end in June this fiscal.
Another high official said the Prime Minister ordered the authorities to strengthen the Implementation Monitoring and Evaluation Division (IMED) so that it could enhance its monitoring and evaluation of development project implementation.
The IMED is the government's lone department assigned to monitor and evaluate development projects under the Annual Development Programme (ADP) every year.
Professor Shamsul Alam said they also apprised the Prime Minister about the Delta Plan, to be framed by the GED.
The GED has already started work to formulate the Bangladesh Delta Plan (BDP) 2100 with the financial and technical support of the Netherlands.
Sheikh Hasina had directed her economic advisor Dr Mashiur Rahman to look after the efforts of strengthening the planning cells of the line ministries, enhancing the manpower of the IMED and boosting the capacity of the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS).
The PM also asked the authorities to implement the large projects as early as possible to ensure better service to the people, officials said.
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