Staff Reporter :
Spending under the Annual Development Programme (ADP) plunged to a historic low of Tk28,044 crore during the first five months (July–November) of the 2025–26 fiscal year, marking the lowest level of implementation ever recorded for this period.
The data were revealed in a report published on Monday by the Implementation Monitoring and Evaluation Division (IMED), which has been publishing ADP expenditure statistics on its website since the 2010–11 fiscal year.
IMED data show that the current figure is not only the lowest in more than a decade but also significantly below expenditure levels recorded in recent fiscals, underscoring a sharp slowdown in development spending.
In the corresponding period of the previous fiscal year, ADP implementation stood at Tk34,215 crore. Earlier, expenditure during the July–November period amounted to Tk46,857 crore in 2023–24 and Tk47,122 crore in 2022–23.
Historically, ADP implementation during the first five months of a fiscal year has remained well above the Tk30,000 crore mark, even during periods of economic stress or administrative transition. For instance, in several fiscals following 2010–11, spending during July–November consistently showed a gradual upward trend, reflecting improved project execution capacity and higher budget allocations. The current year’s performance, however, breaks that long-standing pattern.
What makes the latest decline more striking is that the previous fiscal year witnessed a student-led mass uprising, the fall of the then government, and prolonged administrative instability—yet ADP spending during that period still exceeded the current year’s implementation by more than Tk6,000 crore.
Officials and analysts say the unusually low level of ADP utilisation indicates deep structural and administrative challenges, including delays in project approval, slow procurement processes, cautious fund release, and a subdued implementation drive amid policy realignments under the interim administration. Concerns over fiscal discipline, foreign exchange constraints, and heightened scrutiny of development projects have also contributed to slower execution.
IMED records further suggest that ADP implementation traditionally accelerates in the latter half of the fiscal year. However, the exceptionally weak start in 2025–26 has raised concerns among economists about whether annual development targets can be met without a significant and sustained pickup in spending in the coming months.
If the current pace continues, the fiscal year could end with one of the lowest overall ADP implementation rates in recent history, potentially affecting infrastructure development, employment generation, and economic recovery efforts.
