All low-priority projects to halt

As the government is having to allocate additional funds for certain sectors to combat the coronavirus outbreak, it has suspended financing for all "low priority" projects in the Revised Annual Development Programme (RADP) for this fiscal year, officials said.

A government circular, issued yesterday, said, "Ministries/divisions will take prior permission from the finance division before releasing or spending funds for 'low-priority' projects."

Finance division officials said the permission is likely to be given only for distribution of salaries and wages of those linked to the projects, not for any development work.

The circular also said the projects marked "highest priority" would continue as usual. Ministries and divisions implementing "medium priority" projects would spend funds "only when it is a must", it said.

Projects related to agriculture and health, however, will remain outside the purview of the circular, it said.

Talking to The Daily Star, finance division officials said the number of total projects in the revised ADP is 1,597, which are worth around Tk 1,92,921 crore.

In March, the authorities finalised categorising the projects depending on their priority status as high, medium or low. Of the projects, 330 are "low priority" projects amounting to around Tk 20,000 crore, said the officials.

On the other hand, "high priority" projects include the Padma Bridge, Metro Rail and Karnaphuli Tunnel projects, they said.

"In addition, projects which are being implemented with international development aid are also counted as high-priority," said one of the officials.

Talking on the government move, ministry officials said the revenue collection slowed down because of the coronavirus pandemic and the government was looking at its international development partners for support to complete the projects.

The amount of support required is around 4-5 billion dollars, and it might take the government a few months to get it, they said.

COMPENSATION FOR GOVT EMPLOYEES ON FRONTLINE

In another circular yesterday, the government said it decided to compensate all government employees who would contract Covid-19 while discharging duties amid the coronavirus outbreak.

Those include doctors, nurses and health officials as well as officials of law enforcement agencies, armed forces and other employees of the republic fighting on the frontline to stem the outbreak.

According to the circular, a government employee on grade 1-9 will get Tk 10 lakh if the person contracts the disease. The amount will be Tk 50 lakh if he/she dies.

For grade 10-14, the amount will be Tk 7.5 lakh and Tk 37.50 lakh respectively, while for grade 15-20, it will be Tk 5 lakh and Tk 25 lakh, the circular added.