Govt prioritising social welfare programmes over mega projects: Finance Minister

Finance Minister Amir Khasru Mahmud Chowdhury has said the government is adopting strict criteria in approving new development projects and will cancel many unnecessary ones.

He made the remarks on Sunday while inaugurating the second phase of the “RAISE” project, jointly implemented by the Palli Karma-Sahayak Foundation (PKSF) and the World Bank to support the development of the informal sector, at Agargaon in the capital.

Amir Khasru said that after assuming office, the present government introduced new benchmarks for project evaluation based on previous experiences of corruption and wasteful spending.

“We are considering whether a project has real value, what the return on investment is, whether it will create employment, and what impact it will have on the environment,” he said. “If a project fails to meet these criteria, we will not undertake it.”

He said there are currently around 1,300 projects under consideration at the Planning Commission, many of which are being dropped.

“Many projects did not consider return on investment, employment generation or environmental impact. We are clearly excluding such projects,” he added.

The finance minister said the government is now placing greater emphasis on social and public welfare programmes instead of large-scale mega projects, as years of patronage-driven economic policies have pushed ordinary people away from meaningful economic participation and increased poverty.

Expressing concern over public health expenditure, he said Bangladesh’s out-of-pocket healthcare spending is even higher than that of Afghanistan, describing the situation as “deeply shameful”.

To address this, the government is focusing on universal healthcare and primary healthcare services, the reflection of which will be visible in the upcoming national budget, he added.

Highlighting the concept of “economic democratisation”, Amir Khasru said the government’s goal is to ensure every citizen’s right to participate in the economy, extend the benefits of development to all, and integrate marginalised communities into the mainstream economy.

He said social programmes such as family cards, farmer cards and universal healthcare initiatives are being used to deliver direct support to people.

Referring to women’s economic empowerment, he said women manage entire households but often remain unrecognised both at home and in society.

“Through the family card system, money will go directly to women, which will strengthen their empowerment,” he said.

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The finance minister also spoke about strengthening the rural economy through the “One Village One Product” concept. He said the government plans to provide financing, skills training, design support, branding and international market access for traditional cottage industries, handloom products, shital pati weaving, blacksmith and pottery work, and other creative industries.

“A product’s value can triple because of design alone. We want local products to reach international markets,” he said.

Citing Thailand as an example, he said village-based production can successfully enter global markets if governments ensure proper skills development and market connectivity.

He also identified the creative economy, theatre, culture and sports as important economic sectors.

“People are buying tickets to watch games at stadiums — that is also part of GDP. Theatre, music and culture are all components of the economy,” he said.

Despite the ongoing conflict in the Middle East and inherited economic burdens, the current government is working relentlessly, Amir Khasru added, noting that Bangladesh’s development vision is not the responsibility of any single political party, but a collective national effort.

The minister assured all possible support for PKSF, saying the organisation’s activities are fully aligned with the government’s broader development philosophy.