Cars, foreign tours, Acs
Syed Waliullah, Dhaka
Rejaul Karim Byron reports in The Daily Star (DS August 23) that our General Economic Division of the Planning Commission has finalised the project for implementing the Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper (PRSP). Cars, foreign tours and ACs (CFA) included in the budgeted amount of Tk 77.38 crore. Mr. Byron also reports that the Public Expenditure Review Commission (PERC) is critical of the (luxurious) items and concluded that these are simply wastage of the loan received from the donors. The PERC reportedly noted that "there are already four similar projects being implemented by the Planning Commission" and "undertaking several tech- nical projects for the same purpose creates unwanted duplication and wastage of (loan) public fund". "While the Planning Commission has huge number of cars and ACs." We fail to understand the contention and the logic of the PERC because we strongly believe that in order to do a job even for an hour we are to exert ourselves so much in the warm weather that we need AC rooms while in the office and an AC car when we travel to see the condition of the poor. Critics fail to understand that the work of the PRSP is not an ordinary job for it entails project preparation for about 50 per cent of the population in a cool atmosphere, cozy office and transport and necessary frequent international tours. Otherwise no work of any worth will be achieved for sure. We the readers of the Daily Star appreciate the unquestionable need for brand new ACs, comfortable cars, and frequent tours to distant cities, in business class if not first class, for the success of this most needed project.
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