DHAKA, Feb 28, 2022 (BSS) - The National Economic Council (NEC) is 
scheduled to sit Wednesday to finalise the Revised Annual Development 
Programme (RADP) for the current fiscal year (FY22) where the transport and 
communication sector would continue to enjoy the highest priority.

   "The NEC is likely to consider a Taka 2,07,550 crore RADP for the current 
fiscal year," said a senior Planning Commission official.

   NEC Chairperson and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will preside over the 
meeting. 

   The official told BSS that the RADP is likely to witness a Taka 17,774.14 
crore cut (7.89% of original ADP allocation) from the original ADP outlay of 
Taka 2,25,324.14 crore. The funding from the foreign sources is likely to 
experience the entire cut of Taka 17,774.23 crore to stand at Taka 70,250 
crore while the funding from the local sources will remain at Taka 1,37,300 
crore.

   However, considering the probable RADP allocation of Taka 9,613.68 crore 
for the autonomous bodies and corporations, the overall RADP allocation for 
the current fiscal year (FY22) would stand at Taka 2,17,163.68 crore.

   The RADP size of the current fiscal year is likely to become Taka 9,907 
crore or 5.01 percent higher than the RADP size of Taka 1,97,643 crore in the 
last fiscal year (FY21).

   Talking to BSS, Planning Commission member (Industry and Energy Division) 
AKM Fazlul Haque said that the draft RADP allocation against the concerned 
ministries and divisions has been finalized based on their demands and their 
capacity to utilize those within this fiscal year.

   "The draft RADP allocation has been made based on the practical situation 
and the utilization capacity of the executing agencies," he added.

   The Planning Commission member said that in case of the power and energy 
sector projects, the government has been giving priority to the smart pre-
paid metering projects to ensure optimum use of power and energy and thus 
minimizing the system loss.

   Planning Commission officials said out of the highest allocation recipient 
10 sectors in the RADP, the transport and the communication sector is likely 
to get Taka 55,827.36 crore, followed by the power and energy sector Taka 
39,214.09 crore, the housing and community facilities sector Taka 23,595.51 
crore, education sector Taka 20,824.46 crore, local government and rural 
development sector Taka 15,520.29 crore, health sector Taka 13,797.26 crore, 
environment, climate change and water resources sector Taka 9,084.98 crore, 
agriculture sector Taka 7,279.48 crore, industry and economic services sector 
Taka 4,537.84 crore and public discipline and security sector Taka 3,478.05 
crore. 

  Among the mega projects, the Rooppur nuclear power plant project will enjoy 
a downsized RADP allocation of Taka 14,836.39 crore followed by the Matarbari 
2x600 MW ultra super critical coal powered power plant Taka 6,162 crore, 
Fourth Primary Education Development Programme (PEDP-4) Taka 6,138.03 crore, 
Padma Bridge rail link project, 1st revised Taka 6,137.34 crore, Dhaka Mass 
Rapid Transit Development Project (MRT-6) Taka 4,233 crore, Hazrat Shahjalal 
International Airport Expansion, 1st phase, 1st revised project Taka 3,472.60 
crore, Padma Multipurpose Bridge Construction project, 2nd revised, Taka 
2,499.99 crore, SASEC road connectivity project-II: Elenga-Hatikumrul-Rangpur 
highway upgradtion into four-lane project, 1st revised, Taka 2,344.72 crore, 
Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib railway bridge construction project Taka 2,177.35 
crore and land acquisition and utility transfer project: support to Dhaka 
(Kanchpur)-Sylhet-Tamabil highway into four-lane and construction of separate 
service lanes on both sides with Taka 2,150 crore.

   Another official at the Planning Commission said that some 1,754 projects 
would be included in the RADP for the current fiscal year with necessary 
allocations. Out of those projects, some 1507 schemes are investment 
projects, some 140 are technical assistance projects while some 107 projects 
are being implemented with the concerned organization's own fund.

   Besides, some 78 projects will be kept for implementation under the Public 
Private Partnership (PPP) initiative in the RADP of the current fiscal year 
(FY22).