Only 7 districts grab half of ADP allocation: Study

Only seven districts receive 50% of the Annual Development Programme (ADP), while just 13% goes to the 25 lowest recipient districts, according to a study unveiled on Saturday, in a display of severe disparity in the country's region-based allocation.

Dhaka district gets 21% of the development allocation, with Cox's Bazar securing second place with a 9% allocation due to various ongoing projects, including power projects, said Professor Adil Mohammed Khan, executive director at the Institute for Planning and Development (IPD).

Presenting the findings of the study on "Regional-based Allocation of the Annual Development Budget of Bangladesh" carried out by the institute at a webinar, he said Chattogram and Narayanganj stood third and fourth respectively, with 6.85% and 3.85% allocation.

Professor Adil said there has been high disparity in development budget allocation within the country.

Meherpur and Panchagarh remained in the lowest positions, respectively, with a mere 0.36% and 0.39% allocation in the ADP, he said, adding Chuadanga secured 0.41% of the development budget, while Thakurgaon, Jhalakathi, Jhenaidah, Barguna, and Joypurhat each received 0.43%, 0.45%, 0.48%, 0.48%, and 0.48% of the budget, respectively.

Urban planner Redwanur Rahman and Professor Adil jointly conducted the study.

The study conducted a spatial analysis of the annual development budget for the fiscal 2021-22, taking into account the district and regional distribution of budgets for ongoing projects in 12 sectors. Approximately 70% of ADP projects were considered in this analysis.

The study kept the general public services, defence, and public order and security sectors outside its analysis.

However, the study did not include the country's nationally important mega projects such as Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant, Padma Multipurpose Bridge, Padma Rail Bridge and Bangabandhu Rail Bridge on the River Jamuna considering their national impact.

Regional disparities in Bangladesh's development budget allocation are still visible.

"To ensure balanced development of Bangladesh, backward regions need special allocation in the development budget and sustainable economic initiatives," Professor Adil added.

He also said that the allocation for the country's north-western region, consisting of Panchagarh, Thakurgaon, and Lalmonirhat, the northeastern region, consisting of Netrokona, Sunamganj, Kishoreganj, and Habiganj, and the central south region, consisting of Meherpur, Chuadanga, Magura, and Rajbari, is significantly lower compared to that of the central region, such as Dhaka, and the southeastern region, such as Chattogram.

"As a result, the poverty rate is relatively high in many areas of these regions. To ensure the balanced development of the entire country by making a transition from this situation, the development plan and budget allocation should be ensured taking into consideration the regional reality," he said.

In terms of regional considerations, Greater Dhaka region (old large district) is getting 32% and Chattogram region is getting 15%. On the contrary, Greater Kushtia is receiving the lowest 1.53% of the allocation, while 1.60% goes to the Hill Region, 1.68% to Greater Bogura, and 1.80% to Greater Dinajpur.

As a result, significant differences are being observed in the budget allocation at the district and regional levels of the country, said Professor Adil, who teaches at the urban and regional planning department of the Jahangirnagar University.

However, in addition to the launch of the Padma Bridge in the country, due to various infrastructure and development initiatives, there has been an opportunity to reduce the development disparity in the south western region, he observed.

IPD Advisor Professor Akhtar Mahmud also spoke at the webinar.