PM asks secretaries to expedite budget implementation

Prime minister Sheikh Hasina on Sunday asked top bureaucrats of her government to fix strategies for faster implementation of development budget from the beginning of the new fiscal.

“The rate of implementing annual development budget should be higher than the existing proportion,” she told a meeting with the secretaries of different ministries and divisions at Bangladesh Secretariat in the city.

The premier added: “So you (secretaries) have to sketch out strategies at the beginning of the year now for implanting development budget instead of speeding up your efforts at the later part of the fiscal.”

Her meeting with the secretaries came on completion of the third year of the second tenure of her government in the office while this was her second such meeting with the top brass of the civil administration during her current term in office.

“Paper work of the projects and inter ministerial meeting, if required, must be completed within the rainy season and physical work of the projects must start immediately after the monsoon,” she said.

The premier urged the government officials to be more sincere in completing the Fast Track projects within stipulated timeframe.

Sheikh Hasina described secretaries as the “main driving force of a government” saying a political government come to power only for a certain period while a secretary has the opportunity to serve the country for a longer period.

“So it in fact depends on the secretaries how the country will run,” she said.

The premier described the incumbent lineup of top bureaucrats as a “good team” expressing her satisfaction for having the opportunity to work with a group of efficient secretaries to implement her ruling Awami League’s political vision and plans.

She asked the secretaries to give extra attention to rural development as her government attached utmost importance to the development of the rural areas and create employment opportunities in villages.

“There should have immense employment opportunities to stop the influx of people to cities,” she said adding that all development plans should be inclusive and beneficial for maximum number of people.

Sheikh Hasina also said a stronger rural economy would also help reduce discrepancies between rich and poor and build an exploitation free society as dreamt by the father of the nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.

At the beginning of the meeting cabinet secretary M Shafiul Alam gave welcome address highlighting the success of the government in socioeconomic areas and reform measures to establish a dynamic, accountable and transparent administration.

The premier’s principal secretary Kamal Abdul Naser Chowdhury and press secretary Ihsanul Karim were present, among others, joined the meeting.

Sheikh Hasina urged the secretaries to entrust efficient officers with important tasks and said “the best performers must be awarded while worst performers should be reprimand”.

Simultaneously, she sounded a strong note of warning against corruption in government services and asked the secretaries to take a tougher stance in this regard saying “the government has increased the salaries of the government employees and so corruption in public offices must be contained”.

Source: Prothom Alo