Dhaka, April 19 -- Implementation of Bangladesh's Annual Development Programme (ADP) for the 2024-25 fiscal year has fallen to its lowest level in at least 15 years, as political transition, fiscal austerity, and stalled projects weigh on development expenditure.

According to data released on Thursday by the Implementation Monitoring and Evaluation Division (IMED), the government utilised Tk 82,894 crore in the first nine months of FY25, representing only 36.65 percent of the revised ADP outlay.

The figure marks a significant decline compared to the same period in FY21-at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic-when the implementation rate stood at 42 percent.

Planning ministry officials attribute the underperformance to political unrest a...