The Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) has approved 10 development projects involving a total expenditure of Tk 9,333 crore and 58 lakh.

The approval came at an ECNEC meeting held on Wednesday (August 19) at the NEC conference room of the Planning Commission, chaired by Prime Minister and ECNEC Chairperson Tarique Rahman. Of the 10 projects, six are new and four are revised.

Of the total cost, Tk 8,488 crore and 71 lakh will come from the government’s own funding, while Tk 936 crore and 38 lakh will be financed through project loans.

Finance and Planning Minister Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury, Local Government, Rural Development Minister Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, Road Transport and Bridges, Railways and Shipping Minister Sheikh Rabiul Alam, Water Resources Minister Md Shahiduddin Chowdhury Anee, Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Iqbal Hasan Mahmud, Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Md Asaduzzaman, Agriculture Minister Mohammad Amin Ur Rashid, Health and Family Welfare Minister Sardar Md Sakhawat Hossain, Planning State Minister Md Jonaed Abdur Rahim Saki and senior officials concerned attended the meeting.

The 10 approved projects
Two projects under the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare were approved: the replacement and reconstruction of unusable structures at Dhaka Medical College, and the first revised project for constructing 19 modern hostel buildings for students of 10 medical colleges.

The Ministry of Road Transport and Bridges’ ‘Capacity Development for Smart Maintenance Technology of Bridge Under Roads and Highways Department in Bangladesh’ project was also approved.

Two projects under the Ministry of Water Resources received approval: protecting Lalmonirhat Sadar upazila from erosion along the right bank of the Dharla River, and strengthening the coastal embankment at Banshbaria Ferry Ghat and from Banshbaria Ferry Ghat to Kumira Ghat in Sitakunda upazila of Chattogram.

The ECNEC approved the village road rehabilitation and strengthening project under the Ministry of Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives.

It also approved the third revised project for strengthening the capacity of the Department of Livestock Services under the Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock.

Two projects under the Ministry of Power, Energy and Mineral Resources were approved: construction of a 100-megawatt solar power plant in Madarganj, Jamalpur, under the second revision, and the first revised project for expanding and strengthening electrical infrastructure in the DESCO area of Dhaka.

The infrastructure development project for Ramu Cantonment under the Ministry of Defence was also approved.

Nine projects below Tk 50 crore
At the meeting, the ECNEC was also informed about nine projects with costs of less than Tk 50 crore that had already been approved.

These include a feasibility study for establishing a BSL-3 laboratory and enhancing vaccine and biologics research capacity; the first revised Bangladesh Environmental Sustainability and Transformation (BEST) project; the Sundarbans Protection Project; the second revised Southwestern Transmission Grid Expansion Project; construction of a 132/33/11 kV underground grid substation in Gulshan, Dhaka; the second revised project for improving the electricity distribution system in areas under DPDC; the fourth phase of the Mosque Library Expansion and Strengthening Project; the project for the optimum use of new media in public service delivery by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting; and the first revision of the Pre-Primary and Primary Education Improvement Project in Cox’s Bazar and Bhasan Char in Noakhali.