Home ›› 19 Jul 2022 ›› Front
The government is seeking assistance from foreign development partners to carry out priority projects under the Annual Development Programme (ADP) for FY2022-23.
“We are looking for foreign assistance to implement 150 priority projects, including the Dhaka-Chattogram high-speed rail service,” a senior official from the Planning Ministry told The Business Post.
The official added that the planning commission has prepared a list of 150 priority projects in the FY23 ADP, compared to 132 priority projects last year.
The World Bank, Asian Development Bank (ADB), China, Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), India, Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) and Korea are the most likely sources of foreign funding to implement these priority projects, the official added.
Speaking on the matter, Planning Division Secretary Pradip Ranjan Chakraborty said, “These listed priority projects have been selected in consultation with the respective ministries and divisions.”
The commission has classified 105 projects as having the highest priority, 41 as having a medium priority, and four as having a low priority, he added. The priority list of the ADP will benefit both the government and development partners, he also added.
Earlier in May, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina asked the authorities only to spend on priority projects—an austerity effort to cap public expenditure in the wake of the global inflationary spike and growing concern over the slumping international economy.
Priority Projects
According to the planning commission, the cost of the “Dhaka-Chattogram via Cumilla/Laksham High-Speed Rail Line” project has been estimated at Tk 93,350 crore. The government will contribute Tk 37,504 crore, and an ADB loan will cover the remaining Tk 55,845 crore.
The government has planned to implement the project by December 2026.
The project “Upgradation of Bhanga-Jashore-Benapole Highway into 4-Lane” will cost Tk 10,066 crore, of which Tk 1,574 crore will come from the government exchequer and Tk 8,491 crore from an Indian Line of Credit (LoC). The project is expected to be implemented by June 2026.
The “rehabilitation and modernization of the existing 33/11 KV pole-mounted substation,” will cost Tk 6,017 crore, of which Tk 1,761 crore will come from the government exchequer and Tk 4,256 crore from a loan from the World Bank. The government has set a target to implement the project by 2028.
Some of the other high-priority projects on the list are the “Economic Acceleration and Resilience for Net” project; modernization of urban and rural life in Bangladesh through information technology; setting up of an integrated e-waste management plant at Bangabandhu Hi-Tech Park in Kaliakair; integrating population dynamics into the national plan and policy project; construction of multipurpose terminal at Payra Sea Port; upgradation of Syedpur Airport (first phase), expansion of 4g network of Teletalk at the union level’, resilience infrastructure for adoption and vulnerability reduction project (river), integrated approach towards sustainable plastic use and marine litter prevention in Bangladesh, building climate resilient livelihood in vulnerable landscape in Bangladesh, Bangladesh: integrating climate change adaptation into sustainable development pathways in Bangladesh, Bangladesh environment sustainable and transformation project’, procurement of 35 dredgers and necessary equipment for capital dredging and Bangladesh sustainable water management, and project for planning capacity enhancement and establishment of a technology adaption cycle on comprehensive river management and adaption to fight the risk of climate change in coastal and char areas.
Economic Relations Division (ERD) officials said negotiations with development partners are taking place in order to secure funding for the implementation of priority projects in the ADP for FY23.
They added that negotiations are at various stages in various development projects.
According to the planning commission, the listed projects for foreign funding include 47 in the transport and communications sector; 29 in the housing and community facilities sector; and 24 in the power and energy sectors.
