Published: 11:49 PM, 04 November 2026
Govt seeks to expedite development projects: Saki
The government is taking steps to accelerate development activities in the interest of the people while maintaining scrutiny, accountability and financial discipline, State Minister for Planning Md. Zonayed Abdur Rahim Saki said on Wednesday.
He said the government had no intention of approving development projects under any external pressure, adding that project selection and implementation would depend on public needs and national priorities.
"The projects are not being taken up under any pressure. Those are being formulated solely in response to the needs of the people," he told journalists at the NEC Conference Room in the city's Sher-e-Bangla Nagar area after a meeting of the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) on Wednesday, BSS reports.
Responding to questions about the approval of major projects, including the Primary Education Development Programme-5 (PEDP-5), without their inclusion in an earlier publicised project list, the state minister said the government prioritised essential development interventions.
He said projects such as metro rail were important for improving Dhaka's transport system, while investment in primary education was essential for building a skilled and capable future generation.
"The important question is not whether a project is mega or non-mega. What matters is whether it meets the needs of the people and contributes to national development," he said.
Explaining the PEDP-5 project, he said the programme combined several individual interventions under a single comprehensive framework.
He said implementing those activities separately through multiple projects could make them appear less significant in terms of individual allocations, but bringing them together under one programme had resulted in a large overall project.
The state minister said the government wanted to expedite development activities because lengthy project preparation and approval processes often delayed implementation.
However, he stressed that expediting development work would not mean bypassing established procedures or compromising financial accountability.
"We are trying to accelerate development activities as much as possible. But, we do not want to bypass any process or allow public money to be wasted. We want to ensure that the maximum possible benefits reach the people," he said.
He explained that the Planning Commission and the ECNEC performed different stages of project scrutiny.
The Planning Commission assesses project proposals and raises observations, while ECNEC members, including the Prime Minister, examine the proposals and provide further instructions before granting final approval.
