B Mirror Report: The implementation of the Annual Development Programme (ADP) in the current 2025–26 fiscal year has experienced a significant slowdown, with expenditure falling to its lowest level in nine years.

During the first seven months of the fiscal year (July–January), spending under the ADP amounted to Tk 50,556.29 crore, marking the lowest figure recorded over the past nine fiscal years.

The information was disclosed in an updated report published on Monday (February 16) by the Implementation Monitoring and Evaluation Division (IMED).

According to the report, the ADP implementation rate during the first seven months of the current fiscal year stood at only 21.18 percent, significantly lower than in recent years. During the same period of FY2023–24, the implementation rate was 27.11 percent, and in FY2022–23 it was 28.16 percent. Even in FY2024–25 amid political unrest and a change in government the rate during the corresponding period was 21.52 percent, slightly higher than this year’s figure.

An analysis of IMED data shows that in the first seven months of FY2024–25, despite student-led protests, the fall of the government, and administrative instability, ministries and divisions managed to spend Tk 59,876.87 crore under the ADP. In comparison, spending during the same period this fiscal year declined by Tk 9,320.58 crore.

Looking further back, expenditure during the first seven months of FY2016–17 was Tk 39,973 crore. Since then, spending during the same timeframe each fiscal year had been higher than this year’s amount. As a result, the implementation rate and total expenditure in FY2025–26 have dropped to their lowest levels in recent times, according to concerned officials.

For the current fiscal year, a total allocation of Tk 238,695.64 crore has been made under the ADP, including funding from autonomous bodies. However, more than half of the fiscal year has already passed, and a substantial portion of the allocation remains unused.

Economists fear that the slow pace of development project implementation could affect overall economic momentum. Reduced spending on major projects in infrastructure, transport, energy, and social sectors may negatively impact investment, employment generation, and domestic demand.