With focus on the countrywide electricity crisis, it has come up with 31 percent more allocation for the development of power sector. The revised allocation for power in the ongoing fiscal is Tk 2,779 crore, which is 6 percent less year on year.

The power sector receives the highest allocation as a single sector in the FY 2007-08.

Tk 3,633 crore has been allocated for setting up 14 new power plants with an electricity-generating capacity of 2,505 megawatts (MW). Of the sum, 56 percent has been earmarked for power generation.

Besides, the interim administration has decided to do away with discrimination in regional allocation. And accordingly, the allocation for Rajshahi division has been increased by 34 percent and that for Khulna and Barisal by 42 percent.The development budget for the local government rose by 20 percent. However, no funds have been set aside for Gram Sarkar.

In the fiscal 2007-08, as many as 1,333 projects will have funds although economists had suggested reducing the number of projects in the ADP. Of those, 927 projects are included in the main development programmes while 406 remain unapproved and without allocation.

The National Economic Council (NEC) at a meeting yesterday finalised the outlay. Chaired by Chief Adviser Fakhruddin Ahmed, it also decided to take a number of measures for quicker implementation of the ADP.

According to the meeting, the government has identified repeated changes in project directors as the main reason for slower pace of implementation.

"From now on, the project directors will be allowed to continue in their posts for over six months since completion of the project," Finance Adviser Mirza Azizul Islam told reporters after the meeting.

He added, "We have taken a number of decisions and the secretary committee will take some more with regards to ADP implementation."

Of Tk 26,500 crore for the development programme, Tk 13,525 crore (51 percent) will be mobilised domestically while donors will provide Tk 12,975 crore (49 percent). More than Tk 2,100 crore is expected to come under the World Bank's Power Sector Development Credit (PSDC) scheme, sources said.

The allocations for education and religion in the next fiscal's ADP stand at Tk 3,750 crore.

A total of Tk 3,303 crore has been allocated for the transport sector. The rural development and health receive Tk 3,556 crore and Tk 2,728 crore respectively while Tk 1,587 crore has been allocated for agriculture sector.

Tk 1,413 crore has been allocated for local government, special areas and for emergency development. Of the amount, Tk 896 crore has been earmarked for local government institutions and Tk 326 crore for emergency development.

Sources said the government may come up with allocations for special benefits to the poor in cases of natural disasters and price hike of essentials.

As per the regional allocation, the government allocated Tk 2,953 crore for the development work in Rajshahi division, and Tk 2652 crore for Khulna and Barisal divisions.

More than 2 percent of the entire ADP is meant for the ICT development. This includes the voter identity card project of the Election Commission.