Revised priority project list sought from ministries

The Planning Commission has asked all ministries to send a revised priority list of the A, B and C category projects as it is preparing the revised annual development programme (RADP) for FY23.

“We have asked them [ministries] to send the list by this month. Only they will decide the projects that will be put on the list,” a senior official of the commission told The Business Post.

The official also said the commission would approve the revised ADP for the current financial year in March.

At present, there are 1,363 projects in ADP. Due to the economic crisis, the government divided the projects into the three categories a few months ago.

The A category projects are being implemented with the highest priority, and the entire allocation for them in the current ADP will be spent on these. The allocation coming from funds from domestic sources for the B category projects has been reduced by 25 per cent. The C category projects will be given the nominal allocation.

Currently, 646 projects are in the A category, 636 in the B category, and 81 in the C category. Apart from these, there are nine other projects in the ADP, and they have not been categorised.

Speaking about the matter, State Minister for Planning Prof Shamsul Alam said the ministries would decide which projects are important.

“Apart from this, project priorities need to be revised considering the current economic situation. The list is being rearranged considering the overall situation,” he said.

He also said the list of the revised projects will be finalised within this month.

Considering their importance, the list of A, B, and C category projects was earlier made by the Prime Minister’s Office. Then the Ministry of Planning said if allocations are made based on the list, Tk 25,000-30,000 crore will be saved this year.

Officials of the Planning Commission said the planning ministry decided to revise the list due to the austerity measures taken by the government.

If a ministry has 10 projects, its officials will decide which projects will be classified as A, B, and C.

Earlier, the planning ministry held a meeting with various ministries on the revised ADP, and some guidelines were given to select priority projects considering the global economic context. According to the guidelines, priority should be given to the projects concerning agriculture, agro-based industries, power, and poverty alleviation.