DHAKA, Jan 31, 2019 (BSS) – Planning Minister MA Mannan today reiterated
that due emphasis would be given to further speed up the pace of development
works to yield better development outcomes.
“After assuming of office as the new Planning Minister, I had said that my
first priority would be to speed up the pace of development works… that is
what I want and our Prime Minister also wants the same,” he said.
The Planning Minister said this to the reporters after the Asian
Development Bank (ADB) Country Director Manmohan Parkash, a delegation of the
Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce and Industry (MCCI) led by its President
Nihad Kabir and Indian Acting High Commissioner to Dhaka Adarsh Swaika met
him at his office here.
The MCCI and the Acting Indian High Commissioner assured the minister that
they would work closely with the government.
“Bangladesh is a country of immense potentials and emerging
growth,” Mannan said adding that there is a lot of scope for making
investments here.
About the meeting with ADB Country Director, he said the lending agency
has suggested the government to further speed up the pace of development
works.
Country Director of the ADB informed the planning minister about their
study on the Dhaka-Chattogram rail route saying that high-speed trains could
be introduced even on the existing track and thus the travel time could be
reduced to two hours.
In response, the minister said he would look into the matter.
Mannan informed that Bangladesh has already become the highest loan
recipient country from the ADB surpassing India. “Bangladesh is doing far
better in case of utilizing the loans from ADB and now it needs to speed up
the pace of works,”
The Asian Development Bank (ADB) Country Director for Bangladesh Manmohan
Parkash said that the ADB would collaborate more closely with Bangladesh in
the coming days to help the country achieve its visions and aspirations.
“We agreed that we’ll collaborate more closely and will see how we can
help the government of Bangladesh to achieve its visions and aspirations,”
said Parkash.
Parkash said, “He (Mannan) has been eleveted to a senior minister and we’re
hoping that our past close partnership will led to even more performance-based
works and how we can help Bangladesh implement its projects faster and better.”
The ADB Country Director said the new government has come with an ambitious
programme and in 2018 the ADB had a record performance, had a huge number of
approvals and a very large commitments.
“The best thing was that our disbursement was highest and when it shows
highest that means the projects can be implemented quickly, the results will
come and people will get more benefitted,” he added.
Meanwhile, about the outcome of his meeting with Adarsh Swaika, Mannan
said the Acting Indian High Commissioner requested him to further speed up
the pace of implementation of projects under the Indian first, second and
third Line of Credit.