The Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Division under Ministry of Posts, Telecommunications and Information Technology has requested the government to exclide ICT projects from list of low-priority development project so that they can be completed quickly.
Last week, the government decided to put a hold on the implementation of low-priority development projects involving Tk 40,000 crore to free up funds for the productive sectors amid widening revenue shortfall caused by the spread of Covid-19.
State minister for ICT division Zunaid Ahmed Palak recently sent a letter to finance minister AHM Mustafa Kamal requesting him to drop 17 ICT division development projects from the government’s priority-based list.
The 17 ICT division development projects involve Tk 105.45 crore and due to be completed within 2020-21 fiscal year.
The letter said, these development projects will further improve telecommunication support to the people across the county amid spread of Covid-19 pandemic.
Earlier, the government announced the fund disbursement for the low-priority projects would be postponed for now. The government is being forced to delay the execution of the low-priority projects amid the drastic fall in revenue collection caused by the coronavirus pandemic and as part of its belt-tightening measures. 20 percent of the total Tk 205,145 crore Annual Development Programs (ADP) was placed in low-priority development.
The finance division has formulated criteria for the ministries to identify the low-priority projects.
The criteria would render a project as low-priority if it is slow-moving, has completion deadline for six to seven months this fiscal year. The 17 ICT projects were placed as low-priority under the criteria.
Although, the criteria are not applicable in case of the projects being implemented by the Ministry of Agriculture and the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.
