The National Economic Council in a meeting on Tuesday approved the annual development programme worth Tk 2,25,324 crore for financial year 2021-22, increasing the contribution of foreign funds in the programme.

About Tk 1,37,299.91 crore would be taken from local sources and the rest Tk 88,204 crore would be taken from foreign sources to implement the proposed ADP amid the covid outbreak.

The contribution of the foreign funds in the proposed ADP for FY22 is around 29 per cent higher than the revised ADP for outgoing fiscal year 2020-21.

The amount of local  funds in the proposed ADP is only 1.9 per cent higher than the revised ADP.

The government has recently revised down the ADP for the outgoing fiscal year to Tk 1,97,463 crore with the contribution of local funds of Tk 1,34,643 crore and foreign funds Tk 63,000 crore.       

Among a total of 1,426 projects in the proposed ADP for FY22, the Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant project has been given the highest allocation of Tk 18,426 crore.

Among the top 10 sectors, which have been given 93.43 per cent allocation of the proposed ADP, the transport infrastructure and construction sector has been given highest 27.39 per cent allocation.

Planning minister MA Mannan briefed reporters virtually after the NEC meeting from the planning commission.

Prime minister Sheikh Hasina presided over the meeting from her official residence Ganabhaban virtually.

Ministers and secretaries joined the meeting online from the planning commission auditorium and the cabinet division at the secretariat.

The PM directed ministries and divisions to give emphasis in the new fiscal year on projects which had been affected in the outgoing fiscal year due to the Covid pandemic, said Mannan.

The proposed ADP for the FY22 is 14 per cent higher than the revised ADP worth Tk 1,97,643 crore for the outgoing FY21.

In the first 10 months between July 2020 and April 2021, only 49.0 per cent of the revised ADP for the current fiscal year was implemented.

The rate is the lowest since FY2016-2017, according the Implementation, Monitoring and Evaluation Division.       

The PM also directed ministries and divisions to give emphasis on pro-people projects, said Mannan.

Calling for allocations for research in the budget, the PM asked ministries and divisions not to take unnecessary foreign consultancy for project implementation.

Mannan said that the power sector got the second highest allocation of 20.36 per cent while the health sector was allocated 7.68 per cent of the proposed ADP amid the Covid pandemic.

Answering to a question on less capacity of the health sector to implement development projects, Mannan said that the sector had done ‘well’ since the death rate from Covid-19 in the country was comparatively lower.

He said that the Matarbari Ultra Super Critical Coal-fired Power Project was given the second highest allocation of Tk 6,162 crore and the Fourth Primary Education Development Programme was given the third highest allocation of Tk 5,053.98 crore.

Other high-value projects are Dhaka Metro Rail Line-6 which has been given Tk 4,800 crore, Padma Bridge Rail Link Tk 3,823.5 crore, Bangabandhu Rail Bridge Tk 3,580 crore, Padma Multipurpose Bridge Tk 3,500 crore, Dhaka-Ashulia Elevated Highway Tk 3,227.20 crore, Strengthening Power System under DPDC Tk 3,051 crore and Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport Expansion Tk 2,827.52 crore.

Planning ministry documents showed that the local government division had been given highest 15.04 per cent of the ADP allocation among 58 ministries and divisions.

The road transport and highway division has been given second highest 12.45 per cent allocation.

The planning ministry documents showed that the size of the proposed ADP went up to Tk 2,36,793.09 crore with the inclusion of 89 projects to be executed at a cost of Tk 11,468.95 crore by government entities with their own funds.