Development spending soars despite unrest

Development spending soared as much as 50 percent in February from the previous month in spite of the disrupting blockade and shutdowns for the most part.

Last month, some Tk 5,040 crore was spent under the government's annual development programme (ADP), in contrast to Tk 3,364 crore in January, according to statistics of the Implementation Monitoring and Evaluation Division (IMED).

The spending is higher than in February last year, when political calm prevailed. Some Tk 3,361 crore was expended then.

The prevailing political unrest is not getting in the way of ADP implementation, Planning Minister AHM Mustafa Kamal told reporters yesterday.

He said ADP implementation in the first eight months of the fiscal year was higher than in the same period last year.

Between July last year and February this year, Tk 30,898 crore was used up, which is 38 percent of the total ADP outlay for this fiscal year.

During the same period last year, Tk 25,218 crore was exhausted, which, incidentally, was 38 percent of the total outlay.

In the first eight months of fiscal 2014-15, Tk 20,927 crore, or 40 percent, of the government's own fund was used.

The foreign fund utilisation stood at Tk 9,971 crore, which was 36 percent of the total outlay.