Bangladesh News

The government is going to propose Tk 25,600 crore outlay for the next fiscal year’s Annual Development Programme (ADP), 57 percent of which will come from foreign funding, planning ministry sources said.

The draft ADP will be placed before the National Economic Council (NEC) meeting on Saturday with Chief Adviser Fakhruddin Ahmed in the chair.

The national budget for the FY 2008-09 will be placed on June 9.

The government will provide special allocations for creating food security, development of ICT sector and eradication of regional disparity in development works in the next ADP, sources said.

According to the planning ministry proposal, foreign finances make up Tk 14,590 crore or 57 percent of the next fiscal year’s ADP funding while the rest Tk 11,010 crore will come from internal sources.

Foreign funding comprised 49 percent of the original ADP of 26,500 crore for the current fiscal year (FY 2007-08).

The revised ADP of FY 2007-08 later downsized the allocation to Tk 22,500 crore with 64 percent foreign funding and 36 percent internal finances.

The foreign funding was raised in the revised ADP following budgetary supports from foreign donors in the wake of cyclone Sidr and back-to-back floods, planning ministry sources said.

According to the draft ADP for FY 2008-09, Tk 6,120 crore (23.91 percent) has been proposed for agriculture, rural development and water resources management.

In addition to a special allocation of Tk 123 crore, a major chunk of the outlay would be spent for creating food security, sources said.

Meanwhile, Tk 4,310 crore (16.84 percent) would be allocated for development of power and mineral resources sectors in the next fiscal year while education and religion sector would get Tk 3,519 crore or 13.75 percent of the ADP.

In addition, the transport sector will receive Tk 3,470 crore (13.56 percent) and the health sector Tk 2,584 crore (10.10 percent).

Tk 704 crore will be provided to 11 ministries for development of ICT sector.

Besides, the government plans to provide a special allocation of Tk 40 crore to remove regional disparity in development works in certain areas.

Tk 2,841 crore (11 percent of the ADP) is going to be provided for another special programme in Barisal and Khulna areas as a survey identified these areas the most poverty-stricken.

The ADP will put forward a total of 902 proposals for the next fiscal year, of which 103 are new projects.