Infra, education, and health dominate sectoral allocations in new ADP
Priority has been given to mid-sized projects in power transmission, health, education, and water management
Infrastructure development and human capital sectors have emerged as the top priorities in the newly proposed Annual Development Programme (ADP) for fiscal year 2026-27, with transport and education securing the highest chunk of funds.
Prime Minister Tarique Rahman, during a meeting of the National Economic Council, approved the Tk3,00,000 crore ADP, marking a 30.43% increase over the previous fiscal year's original outlay.
The meeting was held at the NEC conference room in the capital's Sher-e-Bangla Nagar today (18 May).
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According to Planning Commission sources, the transport and communication sector stands at the apex of the development budget, receiving 16.70% of the total outlay, which amounts to Tk50,392.53 crore.
The education sector follows as the second-highest recipient with an allocation of Tk47,591.12 crore, or 15.86%.
Public health
Reflecting an increased institutional emphasis on public health, the health sector has secured the third-highest allocation at 11.84%, equivalent to Tk35,530.50 crore.
The power and energy sector has been allocated 10.90%, or Tk32,691.54 crore.
A deeper analysis of the proposed ADP reveals that the government intends to channel a combined Tk83,121 crore into the education and health sectors.
This combined figure constitutes more than one-fourth of the total ADP layout, representing an allocation that is nearly double the original budget of the current fiscal year and almost four times higher than the revised budget, which had previously been slashed down to Tk21,873 crore.
At the administrative level, the Local Government Division has received the highest ministry-wise share of Tk33,705.10 crore, or 11.25% of the total ADP, closely followed by the Road Transport and Highways Division at 10.25%, or Tk30,741.36 crore.
The Health Services Division and the Secondary and Higher Education Division have been granted Tk26,806.26 crore and Tk20,835.44 crore, respectively.
Collectively, the top ten ministries and divisions command 62.72% of the entire Annual Development Plan budget.
In terms of standalone mega-projects, the Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant project has clinched the highest individual allocation of Tk15,499 crore, which marks a 54.81% increase over its revised allocation for the current fiscal.
However, out of this sum, Tk14,688 crore will be drawn from project aid, while Tk811 crore will come from internal government funds.
The Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant project, carrying an estimated total cost of Tk1,39,000 crore, is slated for completion by June 2028.
While a total of Tk53,622 crore has been earmarked for 15 major projects under the proposed ADP, a deep dive indicates that funding for massive megaprojects has plateaued, shifting priority instead toward mid-sized initiatives in power transmission, education, and water management.
Sluggish progress
Notably, several heavily funded transit projects continue to receive large allocations despite registering sluggish progress.
The Dhaka Mass Rapid Transit Development Project Line-5 (Northern Route) of the Metro Rail received the second-highest project allocation of Tk7,350 crore, even though the Tk41,239 crore project has achieved only 7.70% progress over the past seven years.
Similarly, the MRT Line-1 project is set to receive Tk3,910 crore despite sitting at a 9.29% execution rate.
Notably, the primary school feeding programme has been granted Tk2,199 crore despite recording zero progress to date.
In the transport sector, funds were also set aside for the near-complete MRT Line-6, the SASEC Dhaka-Sylhet corridor, and the Chattogram-Dohazari railway project.
