The government has included 1,270 new projects in the Annual Development Programme (ADP) for the upcoming 2026-27 fiscal year budget, State Minister for Planning Zonayed Saki said Saturday.
Speaking at a seminar titled 'Budget 2026-27 in Times of Crisis' organised at CIRDAP, Saki said of the 1,333 ongoing ADP projects, 1,150 will continue in the next fiscal year while the rest will be completed by June.
The new projects were selected from around 1,600 proposals, he said.
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He said unlike in the past, projects this time have been planned in a coordinated manner. “Previously, projects were taken in isolation, power plants were built without transmission lines, hospitals without equipment. This time, every project will be implemented in a coordinated way so ordinary people can actually benefit.”
Saki said public investment transparency is a prerequisite for expanding private investment. “Without accountability in public spending, from budgeting to taxation, private investment cannot flourish.”
Criticising past five-year plans, the state minister said those plans lacked any roadmap for implementation. Going forward, the government will design its five-year plan with implementation challenges factored in from the outset, aiming to show tangible results within four and a half years.
He warned that financial waste from poor implementation costs the country more than corruption itself, and said the government is working to minimise project-wise fund wastage.
On the banking sector, Saki said a few vested business groups had colluded with previous Awami League government to devastate the banking system, leaving genuine entrepreneurs to bear the consequences. “Restoring depositor confidence and creating an enabling banking environment for new entrepreneurs remain key challenges.”
The state minister also raised sovereignty concerns over a past decision to hand tax automation work to a country that is a direct commercial competitor of Bangladesh. “Handing over our tax data to a competing nation undermines our sovereignty.”
On energy, Saki said the government is committed to self-sufficiency and is actively pursuing a target of 10,000 megawatts of renewable energy. “The government has already moved away from the previous policy of pricing electricity to benefit import-dependent fuel traders.”
Defending recent hikes in electricity and fuel prices, he said the current government is being transparent about the reasons, something the public was never told before. "There may be criticism, but we have ensured transparency.”