ADP spending inches up in Jul-Oct

The ministries and divisions of the government spent 8.33 percent of their total allocation in the first four months of the current fiscal year, thanks to a slight increase in expenditure during this period.

Between July and October, Tk 19,878 crore was spent, according to statistics from the Implementation Monitoring and Evaluation Division (IMED) of the Ministry of Planning.

Although the spending rate is higher than last year, the actual amount is the lowest in the past eight years due to the interim government reducing the total size of the annual development programme (ADP) to Tk 238,695 crore.

By the same period last fiscal year, Tk 21,978 crore had been spent, accounting for 7.90 percent of the allocation.

In October alone, the implementation rate rose to 3.23 percent from 3.15 percent. Actual spending by divisions and ministries reached Tk 7,720 crore this year, compared to Tk 8,762 crore in the same month last year.

Although stability has returned this year, the expected rebound in project execution has not yet materialised.

IMED officials said that development work nearly came to a halt in July–August of the previous fiscal year, as the student-led uprising and the fall of the government disrupted normal operations.

They added that implementing agencies were instructed to start planning and spending from the very beginning of the fiscal year.

Yet, many projects remain at a standstill because contractors who left during last year's political unrest have not returned, causing delays in several important sectors.

Moreover, the lack of local government representatives has slowed the rollout of new projects.

Among the top performers, the Ministry of Science and Technology used 22.85 percent of its allocation, followed by the Energy and Mineral Resources Division at 16.02 percent and the Bridges Division at 14.57 percent.

Health-related sectors, however, lagged far behind, with the Health Services Division implementing just 1.13 percent and the Medical Education and Family Welfare Division 1.61 percent.