The first meeting of the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (Ecnec) on Monday approved five development projects, increasing the cost of four projects while reducing the cost of one.
The first Ecnec meeting of the BNP government led by Tarique Rahman was held at the Cabinet Division at the Secretariat. The meeting approved the five projects at an estimated cost of Tk483 crore.
The General Social Infrastructure Development Project (GSIDP)-2, implemented by the Local Government Engineering Department, saw its cost rise by Tk368 crore to Tk1,450 crore.
The cost of the Establishment of ICT Training and Incubator Centre project, implemented by the Bangladesh High-Tech Park Authority, increased by Tk228 crore to Tk533 crore.
The Maternal, Neonatal and Child Health Care Project (Component-2), implemented by the Directorate General of Health Services, saw its cost increase by Tk118 crore to Tk1,213 crore.
The cost of the Gopalganj Dental College and Hospital project increased by Tk26 crore to Tk139 crore.
Meanwhile, the Char Development and Settlement Project-4 saw its cost reduced by Tk3 crore to Tk30 crore.
Finance Minister Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury has said that the BNP government led by Tarique Rahman intends to shift focus to new projects that directly reflect the current government’s manifesto and meet the immediate needs of the people.
Khosru made the remark while speaking to journalists following first meeting of the executive committee of the National Economic Council.
The government has decided to form a special committee to conduct a comprehensive evaluation of the ongoing development projects taken up during the interim government and the Awami League government, a move the government says, aims at cutting down on wasteful spending and aligning with national interest.
The finance minister said that the committee led by prime minister’s adviser Rashed Al Mahmud Titumir will review projects that have been delayed for long periods or have seen repeated cost increases. This clearing of the balance sheet is essential to fulfil promises made to the citizens.
“The committee is tasked with a cleaning process to identify which projects should be terminated, which can be extended, and which new initiatives should be adopted for the future,” said Minister Khosru.
“If necessary, steps will be taken to remove bad projects from the system to make room for good ones that provide real value to the public,” said the finance minister.
He said that a total of 19 projects were placed before the first meeting of the Ecnec for approvals. The committee reviewed seven projects of the of 19 projects.
He said that some of the seven projects reviewed in the meeting were given approvals while others were sent back for further scrutiny. “We are very cautious because every Taka spent comes from the pocket of the taxpayers,” the minister.
He pointed out that many previous projects raise questions about their necessity and justification during the tenure of the successive government in the past.
The goal of the committee’s work is to clear the current backlog of questionable projects as quickly as possible.
