Govt forms committee to clean development projects for greater accountability: Khosru
Under the directive of Prime Minister Tarique Rahman, a special committee has been formed to conduct a comprehensive evaluation of ongoing development projects, aiming to eliminate wasteful spending and ensure alignment with the national interest, said Finance and Planning Minister Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury. “Prime Minister's Adviser on the Ministry of Finance and Planning Dr Rashed Al Mahmud Titumir is the convener of the committee. The committee will review projects that have been delayed for long periods or have seen repeated cost increases. This clearing of the balance sheet is essential to fulfill promises made to the citizens,” he said.
The minister made these remarks while speaking to journalists following the first meeting of the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) of the newly formed BNP government with the Prime Minister in the chair. The meeting of the fiscal year 2025–26 took place at the Cabinet Division conference room in the Bangladesh Secretariat here.
The Finance Minister mentioned that the committee is tasked with a cleaning process to identify which projects should be terminated, which can be extended, and which new initiatives should be adopted for the future. He described this as a necessary step to remove bad projects from the system to make room for good ones that provide real value to the public. Regarding the ECNEC meeting, the minister revealed that a total of 19 projects were placed before the ECNEC for consideration. Out of those 19, only seven projects were reviewed during today's session, he added.
Among the seven reviewed, he said, some were approved, while the remaining projects were referred back for further consideration and deeper scrutiny. “We have to be very careful because every Taka spent belongs to the people of Bangladesh," the Minister stated, noting that many previous projects were questioned regarding their necessity and logical justification. He said that the ultimate goal of the committee's work is to clear the current backlog of questionable projects as quickly as possible.
By addressing these unnecessary expenditures of taxpayer money, he said, the government intends to shift focus to new projects that directly reflect the current government’s manifesto and meet the immediate needs of the people. While talking to reporters, Rashed Al Mahmud Titumir highlighted that many projects were previously initiated based on political considerations rather than economic viability, often lacking a clear Return on Investment (ROI). The new committee, formed under the direction of the head of government, will scrutinize these projects to determine their necessity and whether they should continue, he added.
The Adviser emphasized that the government aims to shift away from a culture of political patronage toward a system where public money is strictly used for public welfare. He noted that the history of project expenditure in the country has often lacked accountability, with costs frequently increased through various tricks. The Adviser pointed out a concerning trend where the government's operating expenses have risen while the Annual Development Program (ADP) has not seen proportional growth.
He stressed that ADP constitutes capital expenditure, which is vital for achieving national growth. "If the quality and implementation rate of the ADP do not increase, the national growth rate will continue to decline," the Adviser warned, noting that the growth rate has recently faced downward pressure due to stagnant capital spending. Addressing questions regarding political bias, the Adviser stated that in the past, projects were often used as tools for partisan patronage or to benefit party workers.
He asserted that the current government’s focus is to transform election manifestos and public commitments into a national agenda. The goal of the review committee is to ensure that every project aligns with the national interest and the mandate of the people, he added.
