Prime minister Sheikh Hasina on Wednesday asked the Planning Commission to identify which of the running projects could be finished quickly with little cost to reap maximum economic benefits from the programmes.

‘We have to prioritise the development programmes which will be finished with little money. Because I think that the quicker we would be able to finish these projects the quicker would be the returns and the country will get the benefits,’ she said.

The prime minister said this in her introductory speech at the first meeting of the commission after forming the new government at NEC Auditorium of the Planning Commission in Sher-E-Bangla Nagar. She is also chairperson of the commission.

She asked the officials concerned to avoid delays in the implementation of projects and their extension.

PM Hasina asked the officials to deeply look in to the costs of the projects and the expected returns.

‘While taking up new projects, please look deeply in to the expenditure of the projects, how much loan is involved, how much we have to repay with interest, how much time we would get for repaying loans,’ she said.

She also asked to examine whether the country has the capability to take that much loan.

‘This is urgently needed before taking up any project,’ she said.

Besides, she said, the government has to consider the returns and effectiveness of a particular project for a particular area.

‘How much the common people will benefit and how much it would inject in the economy. We have to look in to that,’ she added.

The prime minister mentioned that Bangladesh is bracing for the biggest challenge in 2026 when it will complete the graduation to a developing country.

‘We have to be specific what kind of facilities we would get as the developing country. From those we have to pick up the best facilities for us. And we have to start our work according to that,’ she said.

She mentioned that many facilities as the LDC country might not be available after the graduation, although it will be available till 2029 and the government has already requested to extend those up to 2032.

‘We have to consider all these elements while counting our challenges and find out the ways to face those,’ she said.

She requested all to work hard so that the positive results of the independence and spirit of the liberation would be reached to every door of the country and the people enjoy developed and prosperous lives.

She also vowed to turn the country into a smart one by 2041.