TDS Desk:

Construction work for one information technology-related training centre in each of eight districts was commenced in 2017. For each centre, between one and five acres of land were acquired. However, such a large quantity of land was unnecessary. This led to excess expenditure of Tk 13 crore (130 million) in land acquisition alone.

Each training centre comprises a six-storey building. These buildings are now awaiting inauguration. However, a two-storey structure would have sufficed. This resulted in an additional cost of Tk 110 crore (1.1 billion).

Now an uncertainty regarding the utilisation of these buildings has appeared due to the absence of trainers and required human resources.

The excessive expenditure in land acquisition and building construction under the project titled “Establishment (2nd Revised) of IT Training and Incubation centre” in eight districts has been reported by the investigation committee formed by the interim government.

These eight training centres, constructed at a cost of approximately Tk 534 crore (5.34 billion) are scheduled to be handed over to the Bangladesh Hi-Tech Park Authority by June.

Project Director (PD) Humayun Kabir informed with Journalists on 5 March that he had taken over the responsibility of this project one year ago.

He stated that those previously in charge would be able to explain why such large plots of land were acquired and why six-storey buildings were constructed.

Humayun Kabir, however, acknowledged that the acquisition of surplus land was evident.

Another project concerning information technology training was undertaken in 2020. Under this project, with a budget of Tk 837 crore (8.37 billion), IT training and incubation centres are being established in 14 districts. This project also involves the acquisition of more land than necessary and the construction of buildings with additional storeys.

The investigation committee noted that, thus far, Tk 252 crore (2.52 billion) has been spent. They also added that eliminating unnecessary expenditure could potentially save Tk 74 crore (740 million).

The wasteful spending is not limited to these two projects. The investigation committee has discovered instances of overspending in 19 other ongoing and completed ICT projects implemented during three consecutive terms (2009-2024) of the Awami League government.

In various cases, excessive funds were spent on purchases, website development, establishing academics, land acquisition and construction under the guise of project implementation.

Experts state that although there was substantial investment in the ICT sector during the Awami League’s tenure, the desired outcomes were not realised. In terms of ICT sector advancement, Bangladesh is far behind other nations with comparable economies.

A 12-member committee was formed on 28 August to evaluate ongoing and completed projects under the ICT Division implemented during the three terms of the Awami League government.

The committee is chaired by Mahbubur Rahman, Additional Secretary of the ICT Division, who is currently serving as Secretary of the Ministry of Commerce.

Mahbubur Rahman stated that the report has been submitted to the ICT Division. The report outlines various irregularities and inconsistencies observed in the projects.

According to data from the ICT Division, a total of Tk 19,020 crore (190.2 billion) was allocated for the implementation of 21 projects. Of this, just over Tk 5,000 crore (50 billion) has been spent. Between 2009 and 2024, five ministers and state ministers were in charge of the ICT Division. They are – Syed Abul Hossain, Mostafa Faruque Mohammed, Abdul Latif Siddique, Mustafa Jabbar and Zunaid Ahmed Palak.

Upon reviewing the projects, the investigation committee found that some included activities unrelated to their stated objectives. The committee recommended eliminating such unnecessary components from ongoing projects. Moreover, some projects included activities that do not fall under the purview of the ICT Division. The report estimates that removing these unnecessary items could save Tk 6,981 crore (69.81 billion).

On 5 March, ICT Division Secretary Shish Haider Chowdhury stated “Due to irregularities in the projects, we have forwarded the investigation report to the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC). The ACC is currently investigating the irregularities and corruption. Based on the committee’s recommendations, we have already discontinued several project components.”

TRAINING CENTRES WITHOUT TRAINEES

In 2022, the Bangladesh Hi-Tech Park Authority initiated a project aimed at fostering entrepreneurship in the ICT sector in 14 districts. The total budget for constructing training centres and incubation centres in these district headquarters was set at Tk 1,115 crore (11.15 billion).

Upon reviewing the investigation committee’s report, it was observed that despite the plan for district-level implementation, five of the centres are being built in upazilas.

These include Madhupur in Tangail, Parshuram in Feni, Kashiani in Gopalganj, Debiganj in Panchagarh and Nawabganj in Dhaka. The remaining nine are being constructed in district headquarters.

The committee argues that establishing training centres at the upazila level lacks justification and is being carried out for unfair political considerations. Moreover, no provision has been made for hiring trainers.

For each centre, one to seven acres of land were acquired, despite one acre being sufficient. Buildings of up to seven storeys are being constructed. According to the investigation committee, two or three-storey buildings would have sufficed. The report states that Tk 437 crore (4.37 billion) could have been saved by avoiding construction of unnecessary floors while Tk 41 crore (410 million) was wasted on excess land acquisition.

Since 5 August, the project has been overseen by Mohammad Saiful Hasan who on 11 March that, based on current requirements, buildings with three, four or five storeys will now be constructed instead of seven-storey buildings. Additionally, construction of the training centres in Nilphamari Sadar, Sherpur Sadar, Parshuram and Kashiani has been cancelled. A new design will now be required.

In 2017, a separate project was initiated to establish IT parks in 12 districts with Indian financial assistance. The project was estimated to cost Tk 1,846 crore (18.46 billion). The investigation committee observed that at least four of these parks lacked justification. If unnecessary allocations are removed, Tk 1,340 crore (13.4 billion) could be saved.

WEBSITE NAMED “HASINA AND FRIENDS”

A project titled Innovation Design and Entrepreneurship Academy (IDEA) was undertaken in 2016 with an allocation of BDT 443 crore. Under this project, a website named Hasina and Friends (www.hasinaandfriends.gov.bd) was developed, with a budgetary provision of approximately BDT 20 crore. Of this, BDT 18 crore was reportedly expended.

The investigation committee has deemed the website to be unnecessary and has recommended its cancellation. As of 10 March, attempts to access the website were unsuccessful. According to the ICT Division, the website has been discontinued.

AKM Fahim Mashroor, Chief Executive Officer of BDJobs on 11 March that the website appeared to have been developed merely to appease certain individuals.

He added that such a website would ordinarily cost BDT 1 to 2 crore, indicating that the expenditure incurred was highly irregular.

Under the same project, BDT 65 crore was allocated for a digital transaction gateway titled ‘Binimoy Payment’ of which BDT 44 crore has been spent. The investigation committee has noted that since the gateway is not operational, the remaining BDT 21 crore could be recovered.

The Binimoy platform, launched in 2022, was designed to facilitate inter-transactions among banks, mobile financial services (MFS) PSPs. It was intended to enable seamless transactions from one MFS account e.g., bKash to Rocket, or Rocket to mCash or to bank accounts.

At a programme held on 29 January, Bangladesh Bank Governor Ahsan H. Mansur stated that the Binimoy platform, intended for mobile financial services interoperability, had been operated by a shell company owned by the former Prime Minister’s son, Sajib Wazed Joy.

He added that placing the platform under the purview of the ICT Ministry was a major obstacle to its advancement.

Additionally, the investigation committee has raised concerns regarding an allocation of BDT 19 crore for organising the Bangabandhu Innovation Grant.

UNUSED 164 MOBILE GAME

In 2016, the previous government launched a project titled Skill development for mobile game and application projects with a budget of BDT 330 crore. According to the investigation committee, the project resulted in the development of 164 mobile games and 102 mobile applications. These activities were deemed inappropriate for a government project and most of the developed content is currently not in use. All games and applications were procured from vendors, with none developed under direct project supervision.

The investigation committee has concluded that approximately BDT 146 crore was squandered under this project through the production of 11 animated features, holographic visuals, VR films, mobile games and applications.

In another project approved in 2019 with a budget of BDT 167 crore, the committee identified several unnecessary expenditures, including the purchase of computer software. It has been estimated that BDT 17 crore could be saved from this initiative.

EXCESSIVE SPENDING ON TRAINING

In 2022, the Bangladesh Computer Council (BCC) initiated a project worth BDT 2,541 crore aimed at fostering an enabling environment for digital governance and a digital economy. However, the expenditure allocations under the project have been described by the investigation committee as arbitrary. For instance, BDT 103 crore was allocated for training of 10,000 government employees, and BDT 21 crore for consultancy services. The committee has raised questions regarding the reasonableness of these expenditures. As of now, BDT 376 crore has been spent under the project.

The investigation committee has said that the cancellation of unnecessary allocations could save as much as BDT 1357 crore.

PROJECT WITHOUT LOAN AGREEMENT

In 2021, the ICT Division launched a project titled Establishing Digital Connectivity with a proposed expenditure of BDT 5,923 crore. Of this, BDT 2,505 crore was to be funded by the Government of Bangladesh, with the remaining amount expected to be financed through a loan from the Government of China. The project aimed to provide 190,244 broadband internet connections to various educational institutions and public and private organisations.

However, the project was initiated without finalising a loan agreement with China. The investigation committee has stated that providing internet connectivity does not fall within the core responsibilities of the ICT Division. Furthermore, since no formal loan agreement was executed, the project may be considered for cancellation. The committee concluded that excluding unnecessary components could potentially save BDT 4,075 crore and that the amount already spent constitutes a waste of public funds.

FRONTIER INSTITUTE IN SHIBCHAR

In 2022, a project worth BDT 1,534 crore was undertaken to establish a specialised institute in Shibchar, Madaripur, named the Bangladesh Institute of Frontier Technology, Shibchar, Madaripur. Under this project, 70 acres of land were acquired at a cost of approximately BDT 200 crore.

The investigation committee has noted that such a large area of land was unnecessary and deemed the acquisition an example of misappropriation of public funds. The report further states that establishing such a specialised institution at the upazila level lacks justification.

Additionally, BDT 15 crore has been allocated for the construction of facilities such as a nine-storey building, commercial centres, officers’ quarters, a Bangabandhu Digital Corner and tennis court etc. expenditures which the committee has categorised as wasteful. By eliminating non-essential activities, a saving of BDT 50 crore could be achieved.

MULTIFACETED LOOTING HAS OCCURRED

Iftekharuzzaman, Executive Director of Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB) told Prothom Alo that the ICT sector has experienced multifaceted looting over the past 15 and a half years.

He noted that although the former government promoted slogans such as ‘Digital Bangladesh, Smart Bangladesh’, the substantial investments made in the sector have not yielded the expected outcomes.

Expressing the need to take action, Iftekharuzzman said that those involved in formulating and approving such projects must be held responsible.

He added that a strong message must be sent for the future to avoid practices in the ICT sector.

Source: Prothom Alo