DHAKA, May 25, 2026 (BSS) - Government has initiated a move to not approve or drop any development project that fails to meet key benchmarks, including economic viability, employment generation, environmental sustainability and consistency with the government's political and economic philosophy.

The incumbent government after assuming office through a landslide victory following the February 12 national election has already initiated an exercise to ascertain whether the development schemes under the Revised Annual Development Programme (RADP) are aligned or not with its election manifesto or with its priorities.

Speaking at a press briefing after the recent NEC meeting that approved a Taka 3,00,000 crore ADP for FY27, finance and planning minister Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury said the government is restructuring development priorities by reviewing inherited projects and eliminating those lacking economic justification.

"We inherited nearly 1,300 projects. Many of them were initiated without proper priority, while some were linked with inefficiency, wastage and even corruption," he said.

"We are reviewing every project. Those that are not beneficial for the people or the economy will be dropped," he added.

The minister said projects that have already crossed certain implementation stages would be reassessed to determine whether completing them would bring meaningful economic returns.

"If we think completing a project will not benefit the country, there is no reason to continue it," he said.

He said future development planning would place strong emphasis on employment generation and human resource development.

Talking to the national news agency, Member (Secretary), Programming Division of the Planning Commission SM Shakil Akhter, said that they are currently scrutinizing the ongoing over 1,300 projects under the Revised ADP for FY26 to ascertain whether those are aligned to what extent to the election manifesto and priorities of the government.

He said if a project witness financial progress of about 70 percent, then it becomes very tough to scarp it for being not viable, but if a project is in the early implementation stage or witnesses some 10 to 15 percent progress, then they could discuss about taking any decision regarding the project.

Shakil said they have already sought information about the ongoing projects from the respective sectors of the Planning Commission and have already received some information in this regard. "Once the full information is available, then it would be possible to decide whether the development projects are fully aligned or not with the government's priorities."

Talking to BSS, Director General of Bangladesh Institute of Development Studies (BIDS) Dr. A.K. Enamul Haque said the government should reassess projects that are economically non-viable and inconsistent with the election manifesto, while ensuring that ongoing politically important projects are realigned rather than abruptly halted.

Speaking on the government's move to review development projects, he said political priorities and economic priorities are not always identical and should be evaluated separately during project selection and implementation.

"A political choice is one thing, while an economic choice is another," he said.

He observed that some projects are clearly political in nature and therefore cannot be suddenly abandoned after several years of implementation, as doing so could create significant risks and disruptions.

"If a project has already continued for four to seven years, suddenly stopping it may not be appropriate. However, such projects can be realigned through adjustments in their operational framework and implementation approach," he added.

The BIDS DG said the ruling party's election manifesto was not detached from public realities or entirely different from proposals previously discussed by opposition parties.

"Our election manifesto did not come from the sky. Many of the issues highlighted there have long been discussed in public and political discourse," he remarked.

Dr. Enamul stressed that future projects must be designed more carefully to ensure greater public value and economic return.

He identified corruption and misuse of funds, rather than development projects themselves, as the country's principal challenge.

"Our main problem is not the projects themselves. The real problem is corruption and wastage of public money in projects," he said.

The economist also underscored the importance of evaluating the broader social benefits of projects alongside their economic feasibility.

"We need stronger social benefit analysis in project feasibility studies. We are still not adequately applying technically sound and professional feasibility assessments," he observed.

Dr. Enamul also called for building greater professionalism and technical capacity in project evaluation to ensure transparency, accountability and effective use of public resources.

Meanwhile, Speaking at a recent programme at the Palli Karma-Sahayak Foundation (PKSF), Finance and Planning Minister Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury said the government has introduced stricter standards for evaluating projects in the wake of past corruption, wastage and misuse of public funds.

"We have set some benchmarks. Before undertaking any project, we now examine whether it has value, whether there is a return on investment, whether it creates jobs and whether environmental considerations are properly addressed," he said.

The total number of projects under the revised ADP in FY26 stands at 1,330. These include 1,108 investment projects, 35 feasibility study projects, 121 technical assistance projects and 66 projects being implemented by autonomous bodies and corporations using their own funds.

A total of 286 projects have been earmarked for completion by June 30, 2026.

The programme also includes 170 projects funded by the Climate Change Trust Fund, reflecting the government's continued emphasis on climate adaptation and resilience.