TDS Desk:

The government’s spending under the Annual Development Programme (ADP) fell to its lowest level in nine years during the July-January period of fiscal year 2025-26, according to official data.

Figures released today (16 February) by the Implementation Monitoring and Evaluation Division (IMED) show that Tk50,556.29 crore was spent on ADP projects in the first seven months of the current fiscal year.

The amount marks the lowest expenditure for the corresponding period in the past nine fiscal years. By comparison, Tk59,876.87 crore was spent during July-January of FY2024-25 – Tk9,320.58 crore more than the current year.

Even in FY2024-25, when government operations were affected by the student uprising, political turbulence and administrative instability, ADP spending during the first seven months was higher than this year’s outlay.

Previously, the lowest July-January expenditure was recorded in FY2016-17, when Tk39,973 crore was spent.

The implementation rate has also weakened. IMED data show that only 21.18% of the total ADP allocation has been utilised so far in FY2025-26 – the lowest rate among comparable July-January periods in recent years.

In FY2024-25, the implementation rate during the same period stood at 21.52%. The rates were significantly higher in FY2023-24 and FY2022-23, at 27.11% and 28.16% respectively.

For the current fiscal year, the government has allocated Tk2,38,695.64 crore for the ADP, including financing from autonomous organisations.

The subdued spending trend raises concerns over the pace of project execution and its potential impact on overall economic activity in the remaining months of the fiscal year.