Wednesday, 01 October, 2025
Despite a standing austerity policy restricting vehicle purchases this fiscal year, the interim government has moved ahead with a Tk445 crore plan to buy 280 brand-new vehicles for election-duty officials and incoming ministers of the next elected government.
According to official correspondence seen by TBS, the public administration ministry has written to the finance ministry seeking funds, arguing that the current transport pool is “inadequate” and that the ageing fleet — purchased in 2015–16 — is costly to maintain. Over Tk100 crore of the allocation will go towards 60 high-end Mitsubishi Pajero SUVs, each priced at Tk1.69 crore, for ministers, state ministers and deputy ministers of the next government.
The plan also includes 195 new SUVs for Upazila Nirbahi Officers (UNOs) and 25 microbuses for deputy and divisional commissioners’ offices. Officials claim these vehicles are essential for maintaining law and order, running mobile courts, and carrying out field-level election duties.
But the timing of the procurement has sparked criticism. A finance ministry circular in July explicitly banned all vehicle purchases under both development and operational budgets to enforce spending discipline amid strained public finances. The decision to bypass that austerity directive — through direct procurement from state-owned Pragati Industries — has raised eyebrows among budget analysts, who see it as yet another example of exceptions being made for political expediency.
This is not the first time vehicle purchases for top officials have triggered debate. Earlier this year, a proposal to buy 25 vehicles for interim advisers was rejected by the Economic Affairs Advisory Committee on cost-cutting grounds. Yet within weeks, preparations for a much larger procurement have quietly been put in motion — this time justified by the need to serve a future government that has not yet been elected.
Critics argue that the move sends the wrong signal when ordinary citizens are being urged to brace for economic tightening and when ministries have been told to delay new projects to protect dwindling foreign reserves. “If austerity is only for development spending but not for luxury vehicles for ministers, then the policy itself loses credibility,” said a former finance ministry official, requesting anonymity.
Government insiders say approvals are being fast-tracked so that vehicles can be delivered ahead of the February national elections and handed over to the new cabinet soon after its formation. The decision underscores how procurement priorities can be rearranged when it comes to the comfort and mobility of the political elite — even as other sectors wait indefinitely for funds.
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Despite a standing austerity policy restricting vehicle purchases this fiscal year, the interim government has moved ahead with a Tk445 crore plan to buy 280 brand-new vehicles for election-duty officials and incoming ministers of the next elected government.
According to official correspondence seen by TBS, the public administration ministry has written to the finance ministry seeking funds, arguing that the current transport pool is “inadequate” and that the ageing fleet — purchased in 2015–16 — is costly to maintain. Over Tk100 crore of the allocation will go towards 60 high-end Mitsubishi Pajero SUVs, each priced at Tk1.69 crore, for ministers, state ministers and deputy ministers of the next government.
The plan also includes 195 new SUVs for Upazila Nirbahi Officers (UNOs) and 25 microbuses for deputy and divisional commissioners’ offices. Officials claim these vehicles are essential for maintaining law and order, running mobile courts, and carrying out field-level election duties.
But the timing of the procurement has sparked criticism. A finance ministry circular in July explicitly banned all vehicle purchases under both development and operational budgets to enforce spending discipline amid strained public finances. The decision to bypass that austerity directive — through direct procurement from state-owned Pragati Industries — has raised eyebrows among budget analysts, who see it as yet another example of exceptions being made for political expediency.
This is not the first time vehicle purchases for top officials have triggered debate. Earlier this year, a proposal to buy 25 vehicles for interim advisers was rejected by the Economic Affairs Advisory Committee on cost-cutting grounds. Yet within weeks, preparations for a much larger procurement have quietly been put in motion — this time justified by the need to serve a future government that has not yet been elected.
Critics argue that the move sends the wrong signal when ordinary citizens are being urged to brace for economic tightening and when ministries have been told to delay new projects to protect dwindling foreign reserves. “If austerity is only for development spending but not for luxury vehicles for ministers, then the policy itself loses credibility,” said a former finance ministry official, requesting anonymity.
Government insiders say approvals are being fast-tracked so that vehicles can be delivered ahead of the February national elections and handed over to the new cabinet soon after its formation. The decision underscores how procurement priorities can be rearranged when it comes to the comfort and mobility of the political elite — even as other sectors wait indefinitely for funds.
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