Prime Minister Tarique Rahman has ordered that consultancy costs in development project proposals (DPPs) be cut significantly and that those responsible for delays in implementing projects without valid reasons be held strictly accountable.
State minister for planning Zonayed Abdur Rahim Saki said this after a meeting of the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC), chaired by the prime minister as ECNEC chairperson, at the Secretariat on Tuesday.
Briefing journalists, the state minister said the prime minister had ordered that consultancy costs in DPPs be reviewed and cut significantly. The prime minister stressed that project deadlines cannot be extended without valid reasons, and that if they are, the officials and implementing agencies responsible for the delay will be held accountable, he said.
From now on, implementing agencies seeking extensions will have to explain the specific reasons, which will be strictly scrutinised, the state minister said. The government is giving top priority to ensuring that ongoing and new projects are completed within approved timelines and budgets.
The prime minister also stressed rethinking the current culture of carrying out feasibility studies as a mere administrative formality, the planning state minister said. “Feasibility studies must be done with sufficient depth and technical accuracy so that later design changes, cost overruns and implementation complications can be avoided,” he said.
The prime minister ordered a formal inquiry into procedural irregularities in development projects at Jashore, Saidpur and Shah Makhdum airports. Saki said budget adjustments made by the Cabinet Committee on Government Purchase (CCGP) in 2023 had not been reflected in the DPPs in time, which is why the prime minister ordered the inquiry.
The Implementation Monitoring and Evaluation Division (IMED) has already submitted inquiry reports on eight projects to the prime minister, and reports on four more will be submitted soon, he said. The reports are being sent to the relevant ministries and divisions for corrective action.
Highlighting steps to reduce regional disparities, Saki said a Tk 1,600 crore rural infrastructure project is being implemented to build roads, culverts and bridges in rural areas of Rangpur division, aiming to improve rural connectivity and reduce regional economic inequality.
The government is also integrating eight important automation initiatives under a high-level committee to strengthen digital governance and financial oversight, the planning state minister said. They include systems at the National Board of Revenue (NBR), the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG), the integrated budget and accounting system (iBAS++), Bangladesh Bank and the “One Citizen, One Number, One Wallet” automation.
Integrating these systems will ensure interoperability between digital platforms, reduce human interference in distributing social safety net benefits and strengthen digital supervision of the banking sector, he said. It will also help tighten oversight to prevent non-performing loans and financial irregularities.
বাংলায় মূল প্রতিবেদন পড়ুন · Read the original Bengali report