ZCZC
BSS-33
GTF-WORKSHOP
Speed up projects to help Bangladesh graduate to rich nation: IMED secy
CHATTOGRAM, April 7, 2019 (BSS)- Abul Mansur Mohammad Faizullah, secretary in-charge of Implementation Monitoring Evaluation Division (IMED) under Planning Ministry, today urged all concerned to speed up project implementation and maintain quality of the works for achieving the government’s target of graduating Bangladesh to a developed country by 2041.
“The country is advancing towards a developed and prosperous country by 2041 under the leadership of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. So the rate of implementing projects under the annual development programmes (ADP) will have be accelerated,” he said.
Abul Mansur said this while addressing as the chief guest a workshop in the conference room of Deputy Commissioner (DC) here this afternoon.
Yesmin Parvin Tirmizi, deputy director of Local Government (DDLG) to the DC office, presided over the workshop while Mohammad Ali Noor, Director General (additional secretary), the Central Procurement Technical Unit (CPTU) under the IMED under Ministry of Planning, Dr. Zafrul Islam, Lead Procurement Specialist and Task Team Leader, (DIMAPPP), World Bank, and Shish Haider Chowdhury, Director (Training and Coordination), CPTU, IMED addressed as special guests.
Khadija Bilkis, Senior Deputy Director, BCCP, Mohammed Salah Uddin, Deputy Director and Senior Assistant Secretary, CPTU, also spoke on the occasion.
Abul Mansur said lack of proper skills in preparation of project documents, lax in monitoring and absence of sincerity and honesty of the concerned officials and tenderers are mainly responsible for slow progress in ADP implementation.
“In order to achieve the target of reaching a developed nation, the government has given top priority to effective utilization of public money through proper and timely implementation of various projects under its annual development program (ADP)”, he added.
Mentioning that Bangladesh growth would be more than eight per cent this year, the IMED secretary said that GDP growth rate is higher compared to the global average of two to three per cent.
“Bangladesh’s development can be compared globally as its uplift programme has touched world standard,” he added.
Abul Mansur said the country is graduating to a middle income country and has already overcome one of the three criteria by reaching per capital to as high as over US Dollar 1800.
“The country will fulfill other two criteria much ahead of 2024,” he said.
The IMED secretary noted that Bangladesh will be the 26th country by the year 2030 in terms of GDP and all indicators are indicating that the country is progressing tremendously. The workshop was organized by CPTU under Digitizing Implementation Monitoring and Public Procurement Project (DIMAPPP) of the World Bank and facilitated by Bangladesh Center for Communication Program (BCCP).
Representatives from various procuring entities and tenderers in different districts under Chattogram division participated in the workshop and raised various problems in procurement process.
In response, senior IMED and CPTU officials assured of resolving those with highest priority.
BSS/MAM/MMA/SH/1830hrs