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The Foreign Ministry is currently the most delayed in implementing development projects. For the fiscal year 2024-25, the ministry has been allocated Tk143.16 crore for seven projects. These projects involve the construction of chancery complexes in Pakistan, Germany, Australia, Bhutan, Brunei, and Saudi Arabia. However, under the Annual Development Program (ADP), only Tk47 lakh was spent from July to January, marking an implementation rate of just 0.33%.
This information was revealed in the updated ADP implementation report from the Implementation, Monitoring, and Evaluation Division (IMED) until January. The IMED published the ADP implementation report on Thursday. According to the report, the spending in the first seven months of the fiscal year is the lowest in the past 12 years.
Not only the Foreign Ministry, but also 11 other ministries and departments were able to spend only 10% of their allocated budget in the last seven months. These ministries and departments include the Health Services Division, Office of the Chief Adviser, Ministry of Public Security, Ministry of Liberation War Affairs, Ministry of Social Welfare, Ministry of Chittagong Hill Tracts Affairs, National Board of Revenue, Ministry of Commerce, Ministry of Land, and the National Parliament Secretariat.
Lowest Spending in 12 Years
In the first seven months of the 2024-25 fiscal year, the ADP spending was Tk14,587.52 crore less than the same period of the previous year. This indicates that the funds allocated for projects are not being fully utilized. In fact, this year’s spending is the lowest in the last 12 years, according to the data available on IMED’s website.
According to relevant officials from the Planning Ministry, the impact of movements in July and August, the change in power, and the difficulty in finding contractors and project managers have affected the implementation of development activities. The ADP for the current fiscal year is set at Tk2,78,288.90 crore.
According to IMED data, only 21.52% of the ADP has been implemented between July and January FY25, with Tk59,876.87 crore spent. Last year, the spending for the same period was Tk74,464.19 crore.
In the fiscal year 2020-21, during the COVID-19 pandemic, Tk61,048 crore was spent in the same seven months while Tk71,532.97 crore in FY23 and Tk72,090.21 crore in FY23 spent during July-January.
