Govt to overhaul project implementation, strengthen accountability: Zonayed Saki

The government has undertaken a comprehensive set of measures to overhaul Bangladesh's public project implementation system by reducing delays, strengthening accountability, introducing a new policy for appointing project directors (PDs), revising construction rate schedules and improving monitoring through digital platforms, said State Minister for Planning Md. Zonayed Abdur Rahim Saki today.

Briefing reporters at the PID after the meeting of the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (Ecnec) at the Cabinet Division, presided over by Prime Minister and ECNEC Chairman Tarique Rahman, the state minister said the initiatives are aimed at ensuring faster implementation of development projects, preventing unnecessary expenditure and making public investment more effective at a time when the government is prioritising economic recovery.

He said the government inherited a project implementation system plagued by procedural delays, weak coordination, overlapping responsibilities and inadequate accountability, which often resulted in significant cost overruns and delayed completion of development projects.

The Ecnec meeting approved eight development projects involving a total estimated cost of Tk 14,041.21 crore.

Another project on protecting Shibpur, Dhonia and Medua areas under Bhola Sadar and Daulatkhan upazilas from erosion by the Meghna River was returned with observations.

The proposal will be revised in line with Ecnec's recommendations and will be placed before the next meeting.

Saki said the Prime Minister reviewed every project in details and issued project-specific observations and directives focusing on eliminating wasteful expenditure, improving financial discipline and ensuring greater value for taxpayers' money.

He said every approved project would now be implemented in accordance with those directives.

"The Prime Minister and senior policymakers are examining every stage of project preparation, financing and implementation.

They are identifying unnecessary expenditure and ensuring that every taka of public money is spent more efficiently," he said.

The state minister said one of the government's foremost concerns is the unusually long time required to implement development projects.

He noted that under the prevailing practice, a project often requires one-and-a-half to two years after Ecnec approval merely to complete procedural formalities and receive work orders.

In many cases, physical implementation begins lately slowing the pace of development and increasing project costs.

"This lengthy process significantly affects ADP implementation and delays the expected economic benefits of public investment.

Faster implementation of development projects is essential for accelerating economic activities, creating employment and attracting both domestic and foreign investment," he added.

Saki said the government is therefore preparing a comprehensive implementation framework to simplify project approval procedures, reduce bureaucratic delays and ensure quicker execution.

He said ongoing projects and those included in the "green pages" of the Annual Development Programme (ADP) are being reviewed through a process of "re-scoping", under which project components may be expanded, reduced, added or dropped depending on their relevance and priority.

The objective is to align all public investment with the government's election manifesto, five-year strategic development framework and long-term national priorities.

According to the state minister, the Planning Ministry is currently implementing four major reform initiatives.

The first is preparation of a five-year strategic development framework, which has already been approved in principle by the National Economic Council (NEC).

Its summary has been submitted to the Prime Minister and will be published as a national policy document after formal approval.

Secondly, the ministry is developing a digital dashboard that will allow real-time monitoring of every development project. 

Thirdly, the ministry is reviewing institutional weaknesses responsible for delays in project implementation and preparing recommendations to address them.

As part of this effort, the Implementation Monitoring and Evaluation Division (IMED) has already submitted a report identifying implementation bottlenecks, which is currently under examination.

Saki said a draft policy for appointing Project Directors is also being prepared.

The proposed policy seeks to introduce transparent appointment procedures, specialised training, competency-based selection and structured institutional capacity-building for PDs.

Training modules and institutional courses have already been developed, while the government expects to complete the reform package within the next 180 days.

Fourthly, the government is pursuing extensive automation across the Planning Division, IMED, the Bangladesh Public Procurement Authority, the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics, the National Board of Revenue, the Office of the Comptroller and Auditor General, Bangladesh Bank and ICT-related citizen databases so that these institutions can function through an integrated digital platform.

Following the Prime Minister's earlier directives, he said a high-level committee has already held two meetings and is scheduled to meet again tomorrow to prepare revised rate schedules.

Answering a question about the repeated cost increase of the Dhaka-Ashulia Elevated Expressway despite around 80 percent completion of physical work, Saki said the additional expenditure resulted mainly from exchange rate adjustments, changes in VAT and tax calculations, relocation of utility lines that had not been included in the original Development Project Proposal (DPP), and the inclusion of five additional project components.

On accountability, Saki said the preliminary investigation report on the delayed Rupsha road construction project in Khulna, prepared by a probe committee headed by the Cabinet Secretary, was placed before the ECNEC meeting.

The Prime Minister directed the authorities concerned to determine responsibility and take appropriate action against those found responsible in accordance with the findings of the investigation.

Expressing optimism about the reform agenda, the state minister said the government expects to complete the major institutional reforms within six months.

"Once implemented, the new system will substantially improve project implementation, strengthen public accountability, enhance ADP execution and contribute to accelerating Bangladesh's economic recovery and sustainable development." he added.