‘Delta Plan-2100’ likely to expand economy substantially

A comprehensive development plan dubbed ‘Delta Plan-2100’ is now being executed in full swing. The plan lays out holistic and cross-sectoral actions needed to improve productivity and minimise disaster risks. Projects under the first phase of this centenary master plan will be completed by 2030, an official of the Planning ministry said.

He said, “We have almost finalised ‘Delta Plan-2100’ and we will take opinions of various ministries, divisions and the government agencies to this end”.

The Planning Commission has sought time from the Prime Minister for the implementation of the Delta Plan, he said

For accomplishing higher economic growth, currently a total of 80 projects worth Tk 2,97,600 crore is progressing. To follow these up, a total of Tk 34,721 crore is being further invested in the related projects during the incumbent financial year.

The ministries concerned, departments and various agencies have finalised a draft mapping for the implementation of the development blueprint. Besides, a proposal to form a ‘Delta Wing’ has been sent to the Planning Commission for approval. Work is also underway to set up a ‘Delta Knowledge Bank’ and ‘Digital Data Store’. And the process of forming a ‘Delta Fund’ has been started to ensure the financial aspects of the overall activities. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, chairperson of the ‘Delta Governance Council’, will soon hold a meeting with the 10 ministers concerned to further strengthen the smooth implementation of the Delta Plan.

When asked, ‘Delta Governance Council’ Vice-Chairman Planning Minister MA Mannan told Business Insider Bangladesh that the country’s economy will expand substantially in the next 20 to 25 years. In the following 5 to 10 years, Bangladesh’s economy will be at par with that of Malaysia or Thailand. “We want to use this opportunity to move forward,” Mannan said.

The Minister further said that the ‘Delta Plan’ will be implemented in line with the five-year plan. 

“We are moving according to that plan. The plan that has been taken, hopefully, will change the country’s economy and the financial strength of the people” he added.

According to the sources, various donor agencies, including the World Bank, the Netherlands, ADB and JICA, have expressed interest in foreign investment and assistance in this large-scale investment.

It is learned that the ‘Delta Governance Council’, headed by the Prime Minister, has already started to implement the plan. A Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) has been formed comprising ministries, departments, institutions, universities and research representatives in the implementation of the ‘Delta Plan.’

It is learned that the projects included in the Delta Plan are mainly programme-based. A draft mapping has been prepared for the implementation of these programmes separately. It has been sent to the Ministry of Planning for approval. Besides, the ministries concerned, divisions and agencies have been directed to formulate an action plan in the light of the ‘Delta Plan.’ 

In addition, a 25-member focal point group has been formed. This group will collect and coordinate the necessary information between the ministries, an official also said.

The government sees the ‘Centennial Delta Plan,’ or the ‘Delta Plan-2100’, modeled on the Netherlands, as the key to the country’s future development. Plan-2100 contains six long-term strategies for flood, river erosion, river management, urban and rural water supply, waste management and flood control and drainage management, approved by the National Economic Council (NEC) on 4th September 2016.

The 80 projects in the first phase of the Delta Plan include 75 physical infrastructures and 15 institutional capacity, skills and research. A total of 2, 97,800 crore will be spent on these projects. Of this, Tk 2,798 crore will be spent on flood control projects and Tk 48,261 crore on river management. Besides, Tk 67,152 crore is being allocated for water supply in urban and rural areas, Tk 68,879 crore for prevention of river erosion, Tk 5,986 crore for Chittagong hill areas and Tk 16,314 crore for drought prone areas, respectively. The remaining Tk 88,410 crore will be invested in other crucial projects.

According to sources, various donor agencies, including the World Bank, the Netherlands, ADB and JICA, have expressed their interests in foreign investment and assistance in this large-scale investment.

It is leant that the Delta Governance Council, headed by the Prime Minister, has already started functioning to implement the plan. A Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) has been formed comprising ministries, divisions, departments, institutions, universities and research representatives involved in the implementation of the Delta Plan.

MK Mujeri, former DG of BIDS and former chief economist of Bangladesh Bank, told Business Insider Bangladesh that the Delta Plan has been formulated with a far-reaching vision.  

“We have to work in line with the five-year plan with these guidelines. Ministries, divisions and agencies need to make sure that this is done. This is because the ‘Delta Plan’ has a lot in common with the goals set out in the Five Year Plan” he also said.

For this, the ministries have to keep an eye on whether their five-year and annual plans are in line with the ‘Delta Plan.’ The investment in the ‘Delta Plan’ is not a separate investment, it is in line with the five-year plan, he added.  

However, even if it is a remote decision, it will be available in small sizes, especially for a period of five years.

Major features of Delta Plan-2100 

Types of investments: In the first phase, an investment target of 2.5% of GDP by 2031 has been set to ensure financing of 80 projects in the implementation of Delta Plan. Under this, public investment has been set at 1.5 percent of GDP, private investment at 0.5 percent and maintenance expenditure at 0.5 percent in FY 2024-25. The investment target has been set in 2031 at the mentioned rate.

Delta Wing Formation: Delta Wing Formation has been proposed for the implementation of delta island. Under this, it has been proposed to create one branch and six branches. It is currently being processed in the planning department. After the formation of this wing, the overall coordination, implementation, acceleration, updating, evaluation and monitoring of the Delta Plan will be done.

Establishment of digital information repository: A knowledge bank has been set up on the basis of relevant information. It is made up of three purposes. The first is to establish a digital knowledge library by storing relevant knowledge and information related to Delta acquired nationally and internationally, the second is to set up a Delta ‘Data Bank’ and a ‘Delta Knowledge Bank’, respectively.

Formation of Delta Fund: In the meantime, it has been proposed to form the Delta Fund. This will be done in two steps. In the first stage, it will be considered for all types of delta related investments and maintenance. Possible sources of funding have been considered by the government of Bangladesh, development partners, environment and climate related funds, in particular the Green Climate Fund (GCF) and the public-private partnership PPP approach.

The members of the council are Minister of Agriculture, Minister of Finance, Minister of Food, Minister of Land, Minister of Environment, Forests and Climate Change, Minister for Fisheries and Livestock, Minister of Shipping, Minister of Water Resources and Minister for Disaster Management and Relief. Member Secretary of the General Economics Department of the Planning Commission, respectively.