The government is planning to end lawmakers’ direct control over constituency-based development funds and place such projects under closer oversight of the Prime Minister’s Office.
Under the proposed system, the members of parliament will first submit project details, and a dedicated cell in the Prime Minister’s Office and the concerned ministry will then review the project’s necessity, cost, spending plan and public benefit before approval.
The cell will also monitor implementation and receive monthly progress reports by the fifth of every month.
The government plans to replace the previous direct allocation system with a centralised review mechanism under the PMO, said Rashed Al Mahmud Titumir, the Prime Minister’s adviser on the finance and planning ministries.
Guidelines for the proposed system are being prepared and will be placed before the prime minister once finalised. After the prime minister’s approval, the cell will proceed with the next steps.
Experts may also be included in the process if necessary.
The move is aimed at ensuring transparency in budget spending and making the MPs more accountable for the use of public money in local development projects.
Lawmakers will have to explain why a project is needed, how much money will be required, how the funds will be spent and how people in the constituency will benefit.
The PMO cell will then examine whether the budget demand is reasonable and whether there are signs of nepotism, political influence or unnecessary spending.
After the initial review, the proposals will be sent to the relevant ministry for further processing. The ministry will later report back on the progress of the projects and any problems faced during implementation.
Under the previous system, each MP received around Tk 25 crore over five years for infrastructure development in their constituency.
They received around Tk 5 crore each year under the “Important Rural Infrastructure Development Project on Priority Basis and could use the money for roads, bridges, culverts, markets, ghats and other local infrastructure.
But the system drew criticism over allegations of fund misuse, incomplete projects, nepotism and political influence in selecting schemes, PMO officials said.
The government now wants to limit the MPs’ direct control over development funds and bring project approval, spending and implementation under a central review system.
“If a proposal is weak, unnecessary or politically motivated, it can be questioned before money is spent. The idea is not to stop development work, but to make sure public money is used for real public needs,” said an official familiar with the process.
Meanwhile, the proposed system has drawn mixed reactions from lawmakers.
A section of MPs questioned whether a PMO cell in Dhaka would be able to properly assess local needs before reviewing constituency-based projects. They said field realities, political pressure and urgent development demands often differ from area to area.
“People come to us when a road is damaged or a bridge is needed. If we cannot respond quickly, they will blame us, not the PMO cell,” said a lawmaker on the condition of anonymity.
The government should trust MPs’ judgment on local development needs, said another lawmaker.
“The party trusted us with nominations, and the people elected us. So there should also be trust in our judgment about development work in our own constituencies. If every local project is controlled or closely overseen from Dhaka, it may make our work difficult,” the MP said.
However, another group of MPs welcomed the move, saying it could reduce pressure on lawmakers and protect them from allegations of corruption, favouritism and misuse of funds.
Officials said monthly reporting will be a key part of the new system.
The system would help identify delays, inflated costs and poor-quality work at an early stage, said a PMO official.
“If there is regular monitoring, everyone will remain alert. The MPs, ministries and implementing agencies will know that project progress is being reviewed,” the official said.
