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CHATTOGRAM: The government will not approve any development project unless it meets four specific conditions, Finance and Planning Minister Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury said on Tuesday.
He said the government would not tolerate any misuse or waste of public money and that every government project must ensure proper use of taxpayers’ money and deliver tangible returns.
The minister made the remarks while addressing a programme as the chief guest marking the 24th University Day of Chittagong University of Engineering and Technology (CUET) in Chittagong.
“Waste of public money will not be tolerated. When implementing any government project, we must ensure proper use of taxpayers’ money and value for that investment,” he said.
Outlining the four conditions, Amir Khosru said he would ensure four issues before approving any project as finance minister.
“First, there must be value for money. Second, we need to know what return we will get from the investment. Third, the project must create employment. And fourth, environmental protection must be ensured,” he said.
“If these four conditions are not met, do not bring any project to me. I will send it back,” he said, stressing that the money involved belonged to ordinary taxpayers and could not be wasted under any circumstances.
Referring to an IT incubator he had established in Dhaka about 24 years ago while serving as commerce minister, Amir Khosru said the facility could not be fully utilised because successive governments failed to maintain consistent initiatives and oversight.
He said a significant amount had also been invested in an IT incubator at CUET, but it was necessary to assess whether the investment was producing meaningful results.
“We need to examine whether we are actually getting any good results from this investment,” he said.
The minister also raised concerns over overlapping control of institutions and said an organisation operating within a university campus should primarily be managed by the university itself.
“If a single institution is controlled by three entities—the university, the ICT Ministry and the UGC—work cannot progress properly,” he said.
He said the IT incubator was located within the CUET campus and therefore its operation should be handled by the university. CUET should also determine what outputs it expected to achieve from the facility, he added.
“I will discuss the matter with the ICT Ministry and the UGC after returning to Dhaka. I also advise the CUET vice-chancellor to come to Dhaka so that we can hold a meeting and find a permanent solution to this complication,” Amir Khosru said.
The minister praised the CUET vice-chancellor for taking initiatives and being willing to accept challenges to advance the university.
He said the vice-chancellor had several good ideas for the university’s development and was prepared to move beyond conventional approaches.
“I hope that, by moving beyond business as usual, they will be able to take CUET much further within a short period,” he said.