Though overall annual development programme (ADP) implementation slightly rose year-on-year in the current fiscal year’s first half, government spending for development projects is still below that of the pre-pandemic period.
The government managed to spend Tk 56,962 crore from its ADP budget in this fiscal year’s six months till December, up from Tk 51,266 crore in the same period in fiscal year 2020-21.
This means implementing ministries and divisions have so far spent 24.06 per cent of their total allocation of Tk 2,36,793 crore for carrying out development activities in fiscal year 2021-22.
It was 23.89 per cent spent in the same period of the previous fiscal year, according to data from the Implementation Monitoring and Evaluation Division (IMED) under the planning ministry.
In the same period in fiscal year 2019-20, which could be termed as the pre-pandemic period, the entities could implement 26.59 per cent of their ADP allocation.
Of the overall ADP spending in the past six months, Tk 34,679 crore or 25.26 per cent could be spent from government funds while Tk 19,553 crore or 22.21 per cent from project assistance.
According to the monthly implementation progress report of the IMED, the spending of government funds increased in the first six months year-on-year while of project assistance funds declined.
In the first six months of fiscal year 2020-21, the implementing entities could implement 24.02 per cent of the government funds and 24.91 per cent of the project assistance funds.
Even amidst the pandemic, the health service division has been one of the low performing divisions spending Tk 1,278.91 crore from July to December, which is only 9.84 per cent of its total allocation of Tk 13,000 crore.
Performance of the health sector was also poor last fiscal year.
Despite giving special focus on the health sector amid Covid-19 pandemic, the health services division could implement only 58 per cent of its total ADP allocation last fiscal year.
This year different international donors have already provided huge amount of funds for enhancing health facilities to combat the ongoing pandemic.
Of the funds, Asian Development Bank (ADB) and Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) provided $100 million each for the health sector.
World Bank gave $100 million for purchasing different health related equipment and building ICU units and also provided $500 million more for purchasing vaccines.
A health ministry official said some works under these projects have been carried out but the implementation was yet to be satisfactory.
The WB fund of $500 million for vaccine purchase is yet to be spent, he informed.
Among the 15 largest allocation receivers, the industries ministry was the top performer in the first half of the fiscal year.
It implemented 52.84 per cent of its allocation, followed by housing and public works ministry (36.17 per cent), water resources ministry (28.54 per cent), road transport and highways division (28.36 per cent) and railways ministry (26.57 per cent).
Apart from the health services division, other low performing entities like shipping ministry implemented 11.52 per cent of its spending target while bridge division 17.68 per cent and Prime Minister’s Office 19.19 per cent ADP implementation.
