& çâÌæÚUæð´ ·¤è ¥ôÚU Îð¹Ùæ ÁæÚUè ÚU¹ð´ ¥ÍæüÌ ¥ÂÙð ÜÿØ ÂÚU ŠØæÙ ÚU¹ð´Ð ãæÚU Ù ×æÙð´, €UØô´ç·¤ ·¤æ× ·¤ÚUÙð âð ¥æÂ·¤ô ©gðàØ ·¤è Âýæç# ãôÌè ãñ ¥õÚU ÁèßÙ ·¤æ ¹æÜèÂÙ ÎêÚU ãôÌæ ãñÐ ÖÜð ãè ÁèßÙ ×ð´ ç·¤ÌÙè Öè ·¤çÆÙæ§ü €UØô´ Ù ¥æ°, çÁ™ææâæ ¥õÚU ©ˆâæã ÕÙæ° ÚU¹ð´Ð ŠØæÙ ÚU¹ð´, ÜÿØ ã×ðàææ ¥æÂ·Ô¤ Âæâ ãôÌð ãñ´ çÁ‹ãð´ ÂæÙð ·Ô¤ çÜ° ÂýØæâ ¥æÂ ·¤Öè Öè àæéM¤ ·¤ÚU â·¤Ìð ãñ´Ð

Make an action plan to speed up projects: WB

Star Business Report
The World Bank yesterday advised the government to prepare a time-bound action plan to speed up 11 projects as a lot of time is spent on project preparation that delays implementation.
“For the first time, the government and the World Bank reviewed the status of projects under preparation, focusing on readiness for project startup," Christine Kimes, operations adviser at the lender's Dhaka office, said after a portfolio review meeting yesterday.
The two-day meeting discussed the preparation status of some selected projects, including new operations, as well as additional financing to scale up existing projects in the health and education sectors, the WB said in a statement.
The projects in the pipeline were also discussed, said an official of the Economic Relations Division.
The government will have to complete all the preparatory work, including the approval of the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council, before the WB approves a fund, he said.
A huge amount of time is wasted in readying projects in Bangladesh, the official said, citing a recent study of Asian Development Bank.
The review meeting also prepared a set of plans to put 10 unsatisfactory projects on track, he added.
The lender may provide $1.7 billion
in new financing support to Bangladesh in fiscal 2014-15.
Since independence of Bangladesh, the WB has committed more than $18.6 billion, which accounts for 29 percent of the total foreign aid the country received so far.
The disbursement of WB financing for the country's annual development programme has witnessed an upward trend in the last four years, with a record disbursement of $944 million in fiscal 2013-14, the statement said.
It also said the bank disbursed $84.5 million in the first two months of the current fiscal year, up from the same period in previous years.
The government and the WB jointly review selected operations in Bangladesh every six months, with the goal of increasing the pace of project implementation and accelerating disbursements, the statement said.
“The tripartite portfolio review, which is a regular and periodic exercise, is an excellent opportunity to highlight key issues and agree on critical actions to enhance performance and achieve results," Kimes said.
The WB portfolio in Bangladesh consists of 31 International Development Association-financed projects and 29 Trust Fund projects with a total commitment of $7.03 billion, according to the statement.
During the review, the government and the WB examined 22 ongoing projects, including a mix of sectors, performance trends, and IDA/TF financing.
The review highlighted the success of high-performing projects and monitored
implementation progress for projects that have recently been restructured.
"The external assistance can be an important instrument to catalyse development, but it needs to be managed effectively," said Kazi Shofiqul Azam, additional secretary of the ERD. Discussions during the portfolio review will help increase ADP utilisation rates, he said.
Project directors, line ministry representatives, and officials of the WB and ERD were present at the meeting.