Jul-Aug ADP spending lowest in 16 years

Implementation of the Annual Development Programme (ADP) in the first two months of the current fiscal year has reached its lowest point in at least 16 years, with about Tk 5,715 crore being spent during the period.

This means just 2.36 percent of the total outlay for FY26 has been used during the July-August period, according to data from the Implementation Monitoring and Evaluation Division (IMED), published today.

During this period, the utilisation of both state funds and foreign loans declined.

Of them, spending from foreign funds fell to about Tk 2,501 crore, while government funds amounted to Tk 2,747 crore, down from Tk 3,241 crore a year earlier.

The slowdown comes despite the government rolling out a reduced, austerity-focused ADP for the current fiscal year.

Planning Adviser Wahiduddin Mahmud, speaking after a meeting of the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (Ecnec) in August, expressed concern over the implementation rate.

"I reviewed the July figures. Implementation stood at less than 1 percent, lower than last year. This is a worrying sign," he said.

Nearly 27 ministries and divisions could not cross 1 percent in the first two months of the current fiscal year. Of them, around five entities did not open their expenditure books.

Among the top 15 recipients of allocations, the Ministry of Science and Technology secured the top position, utilising 10.75 percent of its allocation, followed by the Energy and Mineral Resources Division with 5.94 percent.

On the other hand, health-related sectors lagged significantly, with the Medical Education and Family Welfare Division reporting an implementation rate of merely 0.005 percent, and the Health Services Division 0.50 percent.