Editorial
The ADP sounds ambitious but doable
Emphasis rightly placed on implementation
The National Economic Council has unveiled Annual Development Programme (ADP), 2007-08 that is refreshingly not the run-of-the-mill type we have been accustomed to seeing as the handiwork of political governments. This is because of the fact that the new ADP is a political pressure-free product of an interim government. It didn't have to pander to political considerations getting the better of economic judgement. ADPs in the past, by and large, have been employed as instruments of distributing favours to constituencies of ruling party MPs, ministers and top party officials so that the development agenda acquired a partisan rather than a national character. Moreover, the project formulation quality being poor and misdirected, its implementation also suffered in the end.The just-announced ADP with a Tk 26,500 crore outlay which is 23 percent higher than the revised ADP for fiscal 2006-07, on the face of it, may look ambitious but given the higher expectation of external resources input, measures put in place to bolster mobilisation of internal resources, and above all, steps taken to streamline project implementation, the overall goal seems realisable. It is good to see that disparity in regional allocation has been bridged and high priority has been received by the power sector with an allocation topping 31 percent from the previous level. Fourteen new power plants are expected with a generating capacity of 2,505 MWs. Human resources development and poverty alleviation have received sizable allocations. Of particular importance is the focus on timely implementation of projects. First, as an antidote to frequent transfer of project directors which badly hindered project implementation it has been decided by the National Economic Council (NEC) that project directors would be appointed for the entire duration of the project plus six months from the deadline of the project implementation period. Secondly, if the content and cost of any unimplemented or partially executed projects do not require any changes, then it will be left to the ministries concerned to extend the project period without referring to Planning Commission for approval. Last but not least, the NEC has asked the secretaries' committee to recommend a process to the advisory council whereby the procurement procedures for different projects can be simplified. In the end, we would like the project Implementation, Monitoring and Evaluation Division (IMED) of the Planning Ministry to play a hands-on role in the present context.
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