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‘International financiers make absurd arguments’

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October 12, 2000 

Dhaka-- (UNB)- Implementation rate of the revised Annual Development Programme (ADP) of 1999-2000 was 94 per cent although total expenditure was slightly less than the original allocation.

The achievement of the last year’s ADP, both in terms of size and percentage, was the highest compared to that of the last 10 years, State Minister for Planning Dr Mohiuddin Khan Alamgir told a press conference yesterday.

The achievement could have been even more if the project aid allocation, which was only 85 per cent, was higher, he explained.

The State Minister was a bit critical of the international financial institutions for making ‘absurd arguments’ to justify their squeezing aid to third world countries.

“Instead of increasing assistance, they are asking for reforms or raising other issues, which are beyond the area of their work,” he said, urging for a common voice from third world countries against such practices.

The allocation in the last fiscal year’s revised ADP was Tk16,500 crore, up the original ADP by Tk 1000 crore or 6 per cent.

Contribution from domestic resources was 59 per cent, which Dr Alamgir narrated as a significant yardstick of the accelerated economic and development activities.

In terms of the original ADP, the achievement was nearly 100 per cent. Total expenditure figured Tk 15,471 crore, which was less even than the allocation in the original ADP of Tk 15,500 crore.

The revised ADP covered 1379 projects including 282 new while the original ADP had 1293 projects of which 196 were new.

The report of ADP implementation was earlier reviewed at a meeting of the National Economic Council (NEC) chaired by the Prime Minister.

Giving an overview of the past 10 years’ ADP, the minister said barring the last two fiscal years, the size of ADP was reduced in the revised programme.

The massive social sector development works implemented by the government under the last year’s ADP brought significant achievements in education, health and poverty alleviation.

Literacy rate rose to 62 per cent now and average life expectancy went up to 61 years, which were unprecedented in a country with per capita income of US$389, said Dr Alamgir. If the trend continues, Bangladesh will be free from illiteracy by the year 2002, the terminal year of the Fifth Five-year Plan.

Citing success of the government’s poverty alleviation drive, he said the percentage of poor population came down to 44 from 52 in early ‘80s. “We hope we’ll be able bring down the rate to 36 per cent, if not 32 as projected in 2002.”

Achievements in the infrastructure areas like power generation, road and telecommunications gave a push to private investment and a mid-term review will soon reveal the growth in domestic investment, he said.

An analysis of the financial performance of the government reveals that 6 ministries/divisions could utilise 100 per cent of the allocated fund while the financial achievement of 19 ministries/divisions was between 94 per cent and 100 per cent.

The minister detailed the government’s invigorated relief and rehabilitation drives in the flood-hit southwestern regions.

A disaster management meeting chaired by the Prime Minister yesterday chalked out elaborate plan to rehabilitate the flood victims soon after they return home from the relief camps.

Besides food aid under VGF cards, poor flood affected people will be provided with house building grants. Farmers will get adequate agriculture loans to make up damages to crop, fisheries and commercial gardens. Moreover, food for work programme will be accelerated, he informed, quoting decisions from yesterday ’s meeting with the Prime Minister.