The foreign-aid inflow increased by 34.72 per cent to US$1.94 billion in the first quarter (Q1) of the current fiscal year (FY 2021-22), official data showed.
The figure was $1.44 billion in the same quarter (July- September) of the last FY.
The Asian Development Bank (ADB)'s assistance to procure Covid-19 vaccines has helped accelerate it during the period, according to provisional data released by the Economic Relations Division (ERD) on Wednesday.
The bilateral and multilateral development partners like the ADB, the World Bank, Japan International Cooperation Agency, Islamic Development Bank and China provide concessional loans every year for the development of Bangladesh.
However, the development partners made an aid commitment of $94.03 million in loans and grants in Q1, which is much lower than that of $797.46 million in the same period of FY 2020-21.
A senior official at the ERD told the FE that the foreign aid disbursement in the Q1 was impressive as the ADB had already released some $1.06 billion worth of loans.
Of the total ADB loans, more than $500 million was for procuring Covid-19 vaccine, he added.
Besides, China disbursed $212 million worth of loans during the Q1 against different ongoing development projects in the country.
Out of the total $1.94 billion aid released during the Q1 of FY'22, the development partners disbursed $1.86 billion in loans and $75.13 million in grants, the ERD data showed.
In the same period of FY'21, the government received $1.38 billion in loans and $60.29 million in grants from the development partners.
According to the ERD, the government repaid $593.86 million worth of interest and principal against its total outstanding loans during July-September period of FY2022.
Of the amount, the government paid $419.85 million as the principal of the outstanding loans while $174.01 million as interest.
In the same period of FY2021, a total of $508.25 million worth of interest and principal of the outstanding loans were repaid, the statistics showed.
