Planning Adviser Wahiduddin Mahmud has warned that the elected government may find it challenging to fully implement the ambitious reforms introduced by the interim government.

Speaking to journalists after the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) meeting today, Wahiduddin Mahmud said, “In my view, the interim government has implemented a lot of reforms—very ambitious reforms. It may be somewhat difficult for the elected government to digest all of them. I expect that the majority of reforms, or at least their essence, will be adopted.”

He added that several ordinances are being handed over to the incoming government. “For example, there is an ordinance to make the judiciary independent. Whether it grants them too much autonomy is something the new government will certainly review. However, in some areas, it may feel uncomfortable,” he said.

Wahiduddin Mahmud explained that making the judiciary fully independent means that the Ministry of Law will have less control over many matters, marking a significant reform.

During the ECNEC meeting, he highlighted reforms across various sectors, including reform committees, the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS), and procurement policies. He expressed hope that the next National Parliament would review these ordinances and legislate accordingly.

He also noted ongoing challenges faced by project directors. “The problem is that now, nobody is keen to become a project director, and contractors are not showing much enthusiasm either. From what I have heard, corruption has not decreased significantly, and extortion is still reported,” he said.

The ECNEC meeting approved a total of 17 projects, involving a total expenditure of Tk 15,383 crore. Of this, Tk 9,451 crore will come from government funding, Tk 5,610 crore from project loans, and Tk 379 crore from the implementing agencies’ own resources.

The meeting was chaired by Chief Adviser and ECNEC Chair Professor Muhammad Yunus at the NEC Conference Centre in Sher-e-Bangla Nagar. Among the approved projects, 13 are new, while five are revised projects.