Finance minister AHM Mustafa Kamal on Saturday said his ministry did not release 15 per cent of budgetary allocations against projects under the annual development programme to check misuse.
"You will take money from us and then misuse, it won't be tolerated," he replied to a question after a meeting of the cabinet committee on government procurement.
"Basically, we've done it… to check misuse and distortion of money amid the present situation. We hope you will give us full mark for this act."
Finance ministry in a circular in the middle of fiscal year (FY) 2020-21 informed all ministries that it would not release the last 15 per cent of the annual allocated funds under the ADP.
Only in some special cases, the ministry would release the entire funds for projects, the circular said.
Mr Kamal was briefing journalists after the meetings of the cabinet committee on economic affairs (CCEA) and public purchase in Dhaka on Saturday.
The CCEA approved one proposal and the purchase committee 15 others.
About planning minister MA Mannan's remarks on "polishing budget" for FY2022, Mr Kamal said his (planning minister) comment was not understandable.
"Like you, I couldn't understand the issue. If you talk to the planning minister, you can know what he means."
Mr Kamal said planning ministry had given their proposal before the announcement of the budget and it was considered in the budget.
"All the information about the budget is open to all. Yet, I didn't know what he wanted to mean. Unless knowing his detailed comment, it's impossible to me to comment."
The planning minister during a webinar on Wednesday said the proposed budget for FY2022 should be polished.
On a query about uncertainty over vaccination with increased coronavirus infections, Mr Kamal said, "I'm also concerned like you about getting a vaccine."
But he hoped for a positive solution soon.
When asked about rising unemployment and poverty amid the pandemic, Mr Kamal said the prime minister herself was working on possible interventions for them.
On Bangladeshis' illegal migration, he wondered, putting a question: "Why Bangladeshis are trying to reach Europe illegally, risking their lives, despite the country's huge economic progress?"
"They can migrate there in a legal way."
The minister said this when reporters drew his attention to the recent rescue of 264 Bangladeshis from the Tunisian coast of the Mediterranean.
Meanwhile, the purchase committee approved nearly double price for LNG import from an American company compared to the price two months ago.
The government will procure 3.36 MMBTU of liquefied natural gas (LNG) from M/S Excelerate Energy LP at Tk 4.48 billion.
Briefing reporters after the meeting virtually, cabinet division additional secretary Md Shamsul Arefin said Petrobangla would procure LNG at $13.42 unit price per MMBTU.
Last April, the government approved procurement of 3.36 MMBTU of LNG from M/S AOT, Switzerland at Tk 2.43 billion.
The purchase committee endorsed Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority's procurement of seven tugboats from Dockyard and Engineering Works operated by Bangladesh Navy at Tk 970 million, education materials from Nahid Advbertising and Printing Bangladesh at Tk 174.23 million under the SESIP project.
It also okayed construction package (W-3) of Banga Builders at Tk 1.43 billion under the 'Multistoried residential building construction at Ajimpur Colony for the government official project', package W-4 at Tk 1.47 billion, package W-8 at Tk 1.68 billion, package W-9 at Tk 1.65 billion, package W-7 at Tk 1.63 billion, and package W-6 at Tk 1.57 billion, variation payment of additional Tk 144.98 million for package PW-03 of Wahid Construction Ltd, M/s Kohinoor Enterprise and Orient Trading & Builders Ltd JV under the 'Widening of roads in Barisal Zone project'.
The committee also approved additional payment of Tk 182.64 million to Taher Brothers Limited and Mahabub Brothers Pvt Ltd JV for WP-01 of Jashore-Khulna highways construction project.
Prior to the purchase committee meeting, the CCEA approved a proposal to reduce time frame for submitting tender bids to 15 days from 42 days from the publication date of ads in newspapers.
The government will procure 0.2-million tonnes of wheat from Russia under DPM method while another 0.3 million tonnes of wheat under open-tendering method.
kabirhumayan10@gmail.com