ADP implementation hiccups

To us it appears that there is no real urgency on the part of the administration to streamline the entire process other than periodically indulging in blame game between the implementing agencies and those involved in release of funds. It is our impression that all this is the result of lack of commitment and sincerity on the part of all those involved and bureaucratic red tape including lack of effective monitoring.

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Broadly speaking, approval of additional projects at the fag-end of the administration is also not understandable except in terms of the election fever. Given the time left for this government, it is most likely that far from the ongoing projects there is but little chance for advancing on the new ones. While this is the prevailing scenario in the case of projects under local currency funding, there is altogether a different dimension in respect of foreign-aided projects.

Donor agencies are getting restive about the slow progress of implementation of projects funded by them. The failure to timely implement a project has long-term ramifications. First, it raises questions in their minds about the administration's overall management and absorption capacities; and secondly, it is bound to cast a shadow over funding of projects in the future.

Most of us are, however, aware of the problems of fund utilisation; what we now expect of the key and the senior most minister in the cabinet is to devise mechanisms to solve them and be part of the solution.