ECNEC Approves 13 Projects Worth Tk 58,088 Crore

The Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) has approved 13 development projects with a combined cost of Tk 58,088 crore and 92 lakh. Of the approved projects, 11 are new and two are revised. The meeting was also briefed on five additional projects costing less than Tk 50 crore each.

The projects were approved at an ECNEC meeting held at the Bangladesh Secretariat on Wednesday (November 4), chaired by Prime Minister and ECNEC Chairperson Tarique Rahman.

Of the total estimated cost, Tk 50,041 crore and 20 lakh will come from government funds, Tk 7,974 crore and 65 lakh from project loans, and Tk 73 crore and 7 lakh from the implementing organisations' own resources.

The Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives Ministry accounts for the largest number of approved projects, with five. These include the Safe Water Supply and Sanitation Project in the Barind region; the first phase of embankment protection, restoration and re-excavation of various canals under Barishal City Corporation; the Climate-Resilient Urban Development Innovation Project; the Social Infrastructure Development Project; and the third revision of the Priority Important Rural Infrastructure Development Project.

Two projects under the Home Affairs Ministry have also been approved. They involve procuring specialised vehicles to strengthen the capacity of Bangladesh Police and operational vehicles to enhance police capabilities.

Other approved projects include the construction of Type-B residential accommodation for officers in the Mainul Road residential area of Dhaka Cantonment under the Defence Ministry, and the construction of a multi-storey residential building for government employees at Gabtala Colony in Jigatala under the Ministry of Housing and Public Works.

Under a project of the Ministry of Science and Technology, Institutes of Nuclear Medicine and Allied Sciences (INMAS) will be established on the campuses of five medical college hospitals across the country. The Ministry of Education's Fifth Primary Education Development Programme (PEDP-5) has also received approval.

The Ministry of Power, Energy and Mineral Resources has secured approval for a project to drill two appraisal-cum-development wells, Titas-32 and Titas-33, at the Titas Gas Field. The third revision of a project to construct bridges and culverts up to 15 metres long on rural roads under the Ministry of Disaster Management and Relief has also been approved.

Meanwhile, the Planning Minister had already approved five projects costing less than Tk 50 crore each. The ECNEC meeting was briefed on these projects, which include modernising cardiac treatment services at the Zia Heart Foundation Hospital and Research Institute in Dinajpur; ensuring safe internet use among children, adolescents and secondary-level students; the first revision of a road safety project involving traffic infrastructure development in Dhaka North City Corporation areas; the first revision of the project to expand and modernise the Dhaka Central Drug Addiction Treatment Centre; and procuring modern vehicles and equipment to improve waste management in Gazipur City Corporation.

Those attending the meeting included Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed, Education Minister Dr A N M Ehsanul Haque Milan, Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Md Asaduzzaman, Posts, Telecommunications and Science and Technology Minister Fakir Mahbub Anam, Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Iqbal Hasan Mahmud, Health and Family Welfare Minister Sardar Md Sakhawat Hossain, Road Transport and Bridges and Railways Minister Sheikh Rabiul Alam, Disaster Management and Relief Minister Asadul Habib Dulu, Finance and Planning Adviser Rashed Al Mahmud Titumir, State Minister for Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives Mir Shahe Alam, and State Minister for Planning Md Zunaid Abdur Rahim Saki, along with senior government officials.