Health, agriculture passed over

Amid talks of prioritising the health and farming sectors, the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council yesterday approved giving lawmakers from rural areas Tk 20 crore each for infrastructure development in the next five years.

The money is part of Tk 6,477 crore approved by the Ecnec for infrastructure outside the city corporations.

The MPs from city corporation areas will not get the funds.

The project for rural infrastructure development has been passed at a time when the country is suffering from a cash crunch due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Noted economist Zahid Hussain pointed out that among the fiscal management strategies outlined by the finance minister in his budget speech, expenditure prioritisation was number one.

"Health, social protection, agriculture and employment were identified as the top four priorities. We are looking at a large revenue shortfall. The government will need to find savings within the budget to cope with the shortfall without cutting expenditures in the top priority areas," he said.

"Under such circumstances, it is difficult to understand the logic behind allocation of such a large sum for local infrastructure development," he added.

The rural infrastructure is important, but can be postponed, considering the circumstances, he said. 

"Given that there are currently much more pressing needs to protect lives and livelihoods. The money would be better spent on health, social protection and agriculture."

However, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina said the funds should be given because people in the rural areas demand local roads and small bridges from their MPs. And such demands are justifiable, Planning Minister MA Mannan said quoting the PM.

According to the project factsheet, each MP will prepare a list of roads that need immediate development, construction, or maintenance.

Yesterday's was the 24th Ecnec meeting of the outgoing 2019-20 year. It was held at the NEC conference room in the capital. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina was in the chair.

She and the planning minister joined the meeting through a videoconference.

"Today's (yesterday) Ecnec meeting approved 10 projects and the total estimated cost of the projects is Tk 9,460.09 crore. It is a matter of pleasure that the entire money will come from government funds," said the planning minister at a press briefing.

Of the total 10 projects, six are new and four are revised ones.

The rural MPs will get the Tk 20 crore funds under the project titled Development of Palli Infrastructures Phase-III Project involving Tk 6,476.65 crore, he said.

The project will start from next month and will be implemented by June 2024.

According to the project factsheet, all the parliamentary constituencies of the country, except the city corporations, are the project areas.

The project include development of 305.21 km upazila roads, 660.37 km union roads, 5075.76 km village roads, maintenance of 1090.77 km village roads, construction of 7992.22 metres of infrastructure on rural roads such as small bridges and culverts less than 100 metres in length.

Short and long term employment will be created in the rural areas through the project, documents mentioned. 

Communication among remote health centres, educational institutions, and other service providing organisations will also be facilitated through the project.

The meeting said that most people live in villages. Livelihood and the economy of the areas largely depend on agriculture.

It is very important to improve communication networks to accelerate the economy of the villages, the meeting added.

Asked why such a large amount was given for the project during the pandemic, the planning minister said revenue income was not bad.

"Just yesterday, we got $ 1 billion from the World Bank," he said.

At one stage, he asked, "Have we stopped eating due to Covid-19?

"It's an important project as 80 percent of the works of the project will be done in village areas."

The prime minister asked the authorities concerned to build the while maintaining quality, keeping the provision of virtual court in each jail, and modernization of the railway workshops.

Ministers, state ministers and Planning Commission members and secretaries were present.

The Ecnec yesterday approved 10 projects involving Tk 9,460 crore.