Staff Correspondent
The Cabinet on Monday approved a proposal in principle for raising financial authority of the project directors and field-level officials, including the ones at divisional, district and upazila levels.
As per the proposal, amendments will be brought to the relevant circulars on 'Delegation of Financial Powers for Development Projects' and 'Delegation of Financial Powers and Sub-delegation of Power for Non-development Revenue Expenditure'.
The Cabinet gave the approval at its regular meeting held at the Secretariat with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in the chair. Later, Cabinet Secretary M Musharraf Hossain Bhuiyan briefed the media about the meeting decision.
Bhuiyan said this step would help expedite the decision-making process and bring dynamism into government's development activities.
However, financial authority of ministries will remain unchanged, the Cabinet Secretary said.
At present, the ministries need approval of the cabinet committee on government purchase in case of works and procurement of goods and materials when the cost amount exceeds Tk50 crore and Tk10 crore in case of consultancy and services.
The circulars were last amended in 2008. Since then the size of the national budget as well as the Annual Development Programme (ADP) has increased manifold. Under the perspective, the Finance Division suggested raising financial powers of the project director and field  officials, Bhuiyan said.
He said the extent of such financial authority is yet to be decided. The Finance Division would decide on the amount needed to be increased in case of project director, divisional, regional, district and upazila-level officials, after consulting with the ministries and divisions concerned.
The Cabinet also approved a separate proposal to  dissolve the Bangladesh Railway Board.
Cancelling its earlier approval on the 'Bangladesh Railway Board (Amendment) Bill, 2014', the Cabinet on Monday approved a draft of 'Bangladesh Railway Board (Repeal) Bill, 2014' since the Legislative Division of the Law Ministry opined that there is no necessity for the proposed law under the current perspective.
Earlier, the Cabinet decided to turn the ordinances into  laws updating those following the higher court verdict.
Ministers and State Ministers and secretaries concerned were present at the meeting.