DHAKA, August 13, 2024 (BSS) - Adviser of the Ministries of Finance and Planning Dr Salehuddin Ahmed today asked the officials of the Economic Relations Division (ERD) to prioritize the ongoing foreign aided projects considering their effectiveness alongside ensuring transparency and accountability in implementation.

"We'll have to set the priorities before taking foreign aided projects. The donors want to support us, but before that there should be proper scrutiny like ensuring due diligence. We'll also have to protect our interest and ensure optimum utilization of aided projects," he said.

The Adviser was talking to reporters after holding a view-exchange meeting with the officials of the ERD at the ERD conference room in the city's Sher-e-Bangla Nagar area. ERD Secretary Md. Shahriar Kader Siddiky and other high officials were present.

He said the probable benefits of the foreign aided projects should have to be considered highly alongside ensuring transparency and accountability in their implementation.

Dr Salehuddin asked the ERD officials to be more hard-working and thus consider their job as a non-routine task since their work is very much linked with the development schemes.

Noting that Bangladesh has never failed in its history in repayment of loans, he said the government would prefer taking soft-term loans instead of hard-term loans so that those could be utilized properly side by side stressed on enhancing the coordination among the executing agencies.

The Adviser also put emphasis on increasing skills for the loan negotiation with the development partners since the neighboring countries are very much strong in dealing with such things.

When asked whether the government would be in pressure for repayment of loans especially against the mega projects, he said there is no denying the fact that the loans should have to be repaid and the government would do that.

Dr Salehuddin said the economic state of the country is not such bad while the government would repay the loans duly.

He said that the country's debt to GDP ratio is not so high unlike the countries of Italy, Greece and Sri Lanka.

"Our position in this regard is almost comfortable and we'll have to ensure a better management and effectiveness. We'll fulfill our commitments," he added.