Cementing base for democracy, good governance interim govt’s main task: Planning adviser

The main task of the interim government should be facilitating the transition to a well-governed democratic system, which can be accomplished through its initiatives – be it reforms or arranging polls, Planning Adviser Dr Wahidudin Mahmud has said.

"The main objective of the interim government is to cement the base of a well-governed democratic governance system," he told reporters following the Ecnec meeting at the NEC conference room of the Planning Commission in the capital's Sher-e-Bangla Nagar yesterday.

The meeting, presided over by Chief Adviser and Ecnec Chairperson Muhammad Yunus, approved 10 projects worth Tk4,246 crore. Of this, government funding will be Tk3,632.1 crore, while project loans will be Tk205.79 crore, and funding by organisations concerned will be Tk408.92 crore.

Talking to reporters, Adviser Wahiduddin further said in terms of the "demographic dividend", Bangladesh has suffered long-term losses, which, he said, can be compensated if good democratic governance is ensured.

The demographic dividend is the economic growth potential of a country when the proportion of its working people becomes higher than the non-working age groups.

Wahiduddin said now is prime time for Bangladesh to take full advantage of the demographic dividend, as the rate of the country's working youth remains higher compared to the population growth.

The adviser also noted that from the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic to the recent July uprising, the youth have been going through a turbulent time, suffering losses in education, training, and skill development opportunities. These are long-term losses, he said.

He highlighted that to fully leverage the demographic dividend potential, it is imperative to ensure a democratic governance system.

The adviser further said the national economy is presently thriving, with significant growth in exports, along with a rise in remittances. "Remittances are part of the national income. It helps boost business in the informal sector and local economies."

Wahiduddin said although inflation eased slightly in December, it is still high. "At present, food inflation is higher than wage growth. Pressure on daily wage earners is increasing due to inflation."

In addition, political activity is currently gaining momentum, he said, adding that it increases monetary flow, ultimately leading to a more robust economic environment.

The adviser also acknowledged that due to feasibility studies for the previous projects, there remained an absence of approval so far.

"However, new projects backed by government funding have begun to emerge. But, as there are no MPs at present, local projects are not being initiated."

Wahiduddin noted that by December 2024, the Annual Development Programme (ADP) recorded expenditures of Tk44,000 crore, compared to Tk62,000 crore for the corresponding period in the previous fiscal, marking a downward trend.

He said one of the reasons for the low implementation of the ADP is that the projects taken up during the previous government have gone under a selection process and scrutiny. "Now, many projects will be implemented quickly. Some new projects taken during the previous government have been granted approval."

Commenting on GDP's quarterly results, the adviser said there has been an expansion growth in the first quarter (July-September) of the current fiscal, securing 0.16% growth for agriculture, 2.13% for industries and less than 2% (1.54%) for the service sector.

"No work was carried out in July [last year]. There was a lot of chaos in the industrial sector, until recently."

Responding to a query from journalists, the adviser said all previously established plans for the country's river and water management must be revisited, as the impacts of climate change were not adequately featured in those documents.

Noting that the previous government undertook a 100-year Delta Plan – a 100-year mega plan to achieve climate-resilient prosperity – the adviser said Bangladesh needs a medium-term plan of 30-40 years instead. "Because, it is impossible to predict the trajectory of Bangladesh over the century."

Responding to another query, Wahiduddin said for a prolonged period, the previous government focused solely on addressing the issues faced by 55 public universities. "Now, problems have arisen in private universities, which are governed by trustees. It is a legal crisis, and the direction it may take is unpredictable."

He said the Education Ministry has no authority to intervene in private universities' internal issues.

Commenting on the delay in textbook distribution, the adviser said the interim government has had very little time to prepare textbooks and had to do it quickly. However, a review of textbook distribution figures since 2010 showed that it took till March to deliver textbooks to students. In some years, it even extends till June or July, he said.

Responding to another query on dearness allowance of government employees, Wahiduddin said wage rates as well as private sector salaries have increased. "Generally, the wages of government personnel are subject to increases after a certain period, taking inflation into account. The employees include government staff, health workers, and teachers. But the matter is very sensitive."

At the Ecnec meeting today, the projects granted approval include the Ministry of Finance's "Construction of Chattogram NBR building", the Ministry of Shipping's three projects – "Conservation Dredging of Pashur Channel in Mongla Port", "Procurement of Supporting Vessels For Mongla Port (1st Amendment)" and "Establishment of Global Maritime Distress and Safety System & Integrated Maritime Navigation System (EGIMNS)", Ministry of Agriculture's two projects – "Strengthening of Sustainable Nutrition Security through Pulse & Oil Seed Production (2nd Phase)" and "Increasing Agricultural Production through Surface Water Management and Utilisation in Sylhet Division".

In addition, the Ministry of Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives' "Southern Country Iron Bridge Reconstruction & Rehabilitation (2nd Amendment)" project, Ministry of Power, Energy and Mineral Resources "Excavation of Dupi Tila-1 and Kailashtilla-9 wells (Exploration wells)" project, Ministry of Religious Affairs' "Construction of Bangladesh Buddhist Monastery Complex at Lumbini Conservation Area, Nepal" project and Ministry of Food's "Construction of Modern Food Storage Facilities (4th Amendment)" project.