Nearly 50% of the beneficiaries under the social safety net programs are not actually eligible to receive the allowance, said Planning Adviser Dr Wahiduddin Mahmud.
"Many were included in the program based on political considerations, and influence was exerted in selecting the real beneficiaries under these programs," he said on Sunday during a briefing following a meeting of the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (Ecnec) held at the conference room of the Planning Commission in Sher-e-Bangla Nagar.
During the meeting, Ecnec approved 16 projects, including the infrastructure development of the Chittagong Bay Terminal.
The adviser mentioned that in projects funded by foreign loans, consultants must be appointed out of necessity.
To secure any large foreign loan, one must bear the burden of hiring small consultants, as lenders do not want to proceed otherwise, he said.
Dr Wahiduddin informed that the total cost for implementing the infrastructure development project of the Bay Terminal will be Tk13,525.57 crore.
Of this, the World Bank will provide Tk9,333 crore, while the government will finance Tk4,192 crore from its own funds, he added.
He explained that the Chittagong port is actually a river port, not a sea port. "Therefore, to support our economic development, a sea port is needed."
The adviser continued: "That is why a mega project is being undertaken for the development of Bay Terminal infrastructure. One such project was approved today. Another project will be taken up under Public-Private Partnership (PPP). In total, there will be four terminals, and it will be a mega project. Instructions have been given to ensure its swift completion."
The projects approved by Ecnec include: Establishment of a sewage system in Chittagong metropolitan area (1st phase), improvement of Chittagong water supply, preparatory technical assistance for green railway transport, drilling of two deep exploration wells in Titas and Bakhrabad fields, capacity enhancement and strengthening of the Bangladesh Geological Survey Department, development of air pollution monitoring equipment – Bangladesh Sustainable Recovery, Emergency Preparedness and Response Project, development of DAE and BADC – Bangladesh Sustainable Recovery, Emergency Preparedness and Response Project, and a multi-sector emergency response project to tackle the Rohingya crisis, among others.
