The planning commission will cautiously approve the new development projects proposed by the different ministries, concerned ministry sources said.
“The commission will not approve different ministries’ new proposed projects before checking, crosschecking, rechecking and evaluating as per the prime minister’s directive,” a top official of the planning commission said.
According to the commission, the projects which have been approved and included in the Annual Development Programme 2019-20 have been divided into three categories.
Earlier, the planning commission held a series of meeting with different ministries to scrutinise the development projects based on importance.
These are high, medium, and low level categories. Out of total 1045, some 477 development projects have been included in the high category, some 288 in the medium and the rest 280 in the low-level on priority basis.
In this regard the planning commission published a book containing the list of approved development projects based on priority.
According to the planning commission officials, the government continued providing fund to the ongoing development projects as per the demand.
“As the government wants to keep continuation of the ongoing development projects, it is cautiously dealing with new projects,” an official said.
“Dividing the ADP included development projects into three categories the planning commission published a book for the first time. The planning commission will attach the importance on the high category from the right now,” the official said.
According to him, the projects which play vital role in country’s economic sector, upgrading people’ life style and achieving sustainable development goal will get priorities.
As most of the ministries undertake unnecessary development projects, the planning commission would have to recommend them and send those before the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) meeting to get approval.
As a result, implementation of the ongoing projects is being affected in many ways.
The country has been witnessing massive development over the last ten years along with good governance under the dynamic leadership of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.
Highlighting various sectors of development including education, the official said electricity, agriculture, communication and other basic sectors will get priority during the present government.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina repeatedly directed the authorities concerned to implement various projects at a faster pace maintaining the quality and standard of work.
Implementation of the country’s ongoing development is being hampered seriously due to acute shortage of manpower.
According to planning commission sources, the sector-wise new projects without fund are: agriculture sector 167, village development and village institution 42, water resource 89, industry 53, power 9, oil gas and mineral resources sector six, transport sector 136, communication sector 23, sports and culture 62, health-nutrition-population and family welfare sector 52, mass contact sector 22, social welfare and women affairs sector 41, public administration sector 28, information communication and technology sector 40 and labour and manpower 12.
Besides, communication sector 23, physical infrastructure-water supply and housing sector 202 and education and religion sector 63 projects have also been included in the ADP. But these projects have not been funded yet.
