Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) on Wednesday approved 10 projects involving a total cost of Tk9,333.58 crore. The approved package comprises six new and four revised projects.
Of the total estimated cost, Tk8,488.71 crore will be sourced from the government’s own funds, while Tk844.87 crore will be financed through project loans.
The approval came during an ECNEC meeting held at NEC Conference Room of Planning Commission, with Prime Minister and ECNEC Chairperson Tarique Rahman presiding.
Under Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, two projects were approved. These involve the replacement and reconstruction of unusable structures at Dhaka Medical College and the construction of 19 modern hostel buildings for students of 10 medical colleges.
For the transport sector, the committee approved the Roads and Highways Department’s project titled “Capacity Development for Smart Maintenance Technology of Bridges under Roads and Highways Department in Bangladesh.”
In the water resources sector, two projects were approved to mitigate erosion and reinforce embankments.
These involve protecting Lalmonirhat Sadar upazila from erosion along the right bank of Dharla River, and strengthening the coastal embankment at Bashbaria ferry ghat in Sitakunda, Chattogram, and the stretch extending from the ferry ghat to Kumira ghat.
For rural connectivity, ECNEC approved a project for the rehabilitation and strengthening of rural roads under the Ministry of Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives. A project for strengthening the capacity of Department of Livestock Services was approved under Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock.
In the power sector, two major projects received the go-ahead, including the construction of a 100 MW solar power plant at Madarganj in Jamalpur and the expansion and strengthening of electrical infrastructure in the DESCO area of Dhaka.
The committee further approved an infrastructure development project for Ramu Cantonment under the Ministry of Defence.
Meanwhile, the meeting was informed that nine projects costing less than Tk50 crore each have already been approved by Planning Minister Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury.
These schemes include a feasibility study for establishing a BSL-3 laboratory and enhancing vaccine and biologics research capacity, Bangladesh Environmental Sustainability and Transformation (BEST) project, and Sundarbans Protection Project.
The remaining ministerial approvals cover the expansion of south-western transmission grid, the construction of a 132/33/11 kV underground grid substation in Gulshan, the improvement of electricity distribution system under DPDC, the expansion and strengthening of mosque libraries, the optimal use of new media for public service delivery, and the improvement of pre-primary and primary education in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh district and Bhahashan Char of Noakhali.
