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A meticulously cobbled Tk 2.30-trillion annual development programme (ADP), this interim government's maiden make of national development recipe, gets the all-clear today (Sunday) with enhanced allocations to struggling health and education sectors, officials said.
The outlay will be 13.2-percent lower than the original Tk 2.65 trillion worth of ADP of the outgoing fiscal year (FY) 2024-25 but 6.48-percent higher than the pared-down Tk 2.16-trillion revised allocation.
"We are going to place a Tk 2.30- trillion ADP before the National Economic Council (NEC) Sunday. We are hopeful of getting its approval from the Prof Yunus-led Council," said a senior Planning Commission (PC) official on Saturday.
Out of the Tk 2.30 trillion worth of proposed ADP outlay, the Commission has proposed Tk 1.44 trillion from government's internal resources and Tk 860 billon from external resources as project aid.
In the current Tk 2.16-trillion revised ADP, the government allocated Tk 1.35 trillion from its exchequer and Tk 810 billion pooled from external resources of budget funding.
Eschewing the lavish splurge on infrastructure sector by the ousted Sheikh Hasina government, the post-uprising interim administration has allocated higher money for the impoverished health and education sector, they said.
The health sector is going to get 114.41-percent higher funds while the education sector 40.33 per cent in the upcoming ADP for the next fiscal year (FY2026), PC officials said.
"Only the infrastructure had got the highest focus over the last one and a half decades. But, this time around, we have proposed higher allocations for the health and education sectors in the upcoming ADP aimed at developing a better human capital," says a senior PC official.
Since Bangladesh's health services and education had been struggling for decades, this interim government has given the highest priority on both for rearing a skilled nation, he adds.
Meanwhile, the extended committee of the PC, led by Planning Adviser Professor Wahiduddin Mahmud, on May 6 last endorsed the Tk 2.30-trillion ADP for the next fiscal, Tk 40 -billion higher than the Tk 2.16 -trillion outlay for the current FY2025, the PC officials said.
According to the PC, the extended committee has proposed Tk 181.48-billion outlay for the health sector in the upcoming ADP, 114.41-percent higher than the Tk 84.64 -billion current allocation.
The education sector has also got an extended Tk 285.57 -billion fund in the coming ADP, 40.33-percent up from that of Tk 203.50 billion in the current ADP.
Although the PC has proposed a little higher funds for the road transport and highways division in the upcoming ADP, but it has proposed to cut 21 per cent worth of funds for the local government division, 31.86 per cent for the Railway Ministry, 21 per cent in the Water Resources Ministry, and 8.29 per cent for the Power Division.
Another PC official says the last government had mainly laid emphasis on infrastructure development with megaprojects rather than taking steps to improve the country's human capital as they had provided lower allocations in the development budget every year.
Over the past decade, the health sector had received some 5.0 per cent on average of the ADP, and its share of GDP had always been recorded below 2.0 per cent.
The education sector had also remained slighted heretofore, having received only about 10 per cent of the ADP.
Experts and sector people had cried so long for higher public investment in the health and education sectors for years.
Meanwhile, the health- sector reform commission on Monday handed over its report to the Chief Adviser recommending public investment in the health -sector development at least 5.0 per cent of GDP and 15 per cent of the national budget.
According to the PC, the health-sector allocation has been proposed to be Tk 181.48 billion in the next ADP, 7.89 per cent of the total Tk 2.30-trillion outlay.
Previously, the health sector would get Tk 84.63 billion, 3.92 per cent of the current FY2025 Rmrevised ADP, Tk 120.66 billion or 4.93 per cent of the FY2024 ADP, Tk 192.78 billion or 7.83 per cent of the FY2023 ADP and Tk 137.97 billion or 6.65 per cent of the FY2022 ADP.
Meanwhile, the education sector is going to receive Tk 285.57 billion, 12.41 per cent of the ADP for the upcoming FY2026.
The allocation was Tk 203.498 billion or 9.42 per cent of the FY2025 ADP, Tk 172.299 billion or 7.03 per cent of the FY2024 ADP, Tk 290.81 billion or 11.82 per cent of the FY2023 ADP and Tk 208.24 billion or 10.03 per cent of the FY2022 ADP.
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