Mid-fiscal reckoning hits Bangladesh hard: the Annual Development Program (ADP) shrinks 12.5% to 208,935 crore taka (3.3% GDP), down from 230,000 crore taka. NEC’s scalpel carves deepest into health (74% cut from 18,148 crore taka) and education (55% from 28,557 crore taka), triggered by half-year spending slumps.
Contributing factors include lackluster revenue, delayed overseas financing, and thin project slates. Low uptake in social sectors prompted the retooling to elevate overall execution rates by fiscal close. Local government grabs the lion’s share at 37,534 crore taka, powering welfare schemes, poverty busting, infrastructure, and civic operations.
The updated lineup tallies 1,330 projects—dominated by 1,108 investments, alongside studies, tech aids, and self-funded efforts. Ramifications are grave: health service disruptions for oncology, dialysis, and cardiology patients; education funding shortfalls risking mass student exits.
This rebalancing may juice ADP performance short-term, but masks deeper maladies in social implementation. Bangladesh needs a forensic audit of procedural failures to rebuild trust and efficacy in these critical arenas. Without reform, repeated cuts erode public health and learning outcomes, stunting national growth.