BSS, Dhaka :
The Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) Tuesday approved four development projects including “Ensuring Employment for the Poor in Northern Region Programme (2nd phase)” involving Taka 94.88 crore aiming to alleviate poverty further through creating employments and providing training to some 33,600 beneficiaries on various trades in five districts of Rangpur Division.
The Bangladesh Rural Development Board (BRDB) under the LGRD and Cooperatives Ministry will implement the project at 35 upazilas in the five districts from April 2014 to March 2019.
The five districts are Rangpur, Kurigram, Gaibandha, Nilphamari and Lalmonirhat districts. The government will bear the entire cost of the project.
The approval came from the ECNEC meeting held at the NEC conference room in city’s Sher-e-Bangla Nagar with ECNEC chairperson and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in the chair.
Planning Minister A H M Mustafa Kamal after the meeting told reporters the ECNEC has approved a total of four development projects with the total outlay of Taka 434.91 crore.
“Of the total project cost, Taka 317.24 crore will come from the national exchequer while Taka 99.59 crore from project assistance and the organization will contribute Taka 18.08 crore from its own fund,” he added.
Planning Ministry sources said the main activities of the Ensuring Employment for the Poor in Northern Region Programme include providing 60-day long training to some 33,600 beneficiaries on various trades on skill development and employment, imparting motivational training on healthcare services, care of child, nutrition, leadership, demerits of child marriage, child labour, care of the new mother and rights of women and children.
The Planning Minister said such kind of projects would also be undertaken in south-western region of the country.
Under the project, the beneficiaries would have to provide only 6 percent service charge against their credit and no interest.
Once the programme is implemented, poverty would be further alleviated in the project areas through creation of employment opportunities.
In addition, scopes will be created for marketing of produces by the poor people as well as creating food security for all seasons for the poor community.
Besides, some shopping centres would be built in the project areas to sell the produces of the beneficiaries.
The day’s ECNEC meeting approved another project “Further Extension and Development of Chittagong Engineering and Technology University” at a cost of Taka 69.29 crore to be entirely borne by the government.
Honours and masters degree course would be launched at five new disciplines at the university with scope for advanced research and studies, once the project is completed by June 2018.
The ECNEC meeting also approved the “Ashashuni-Paikgachha road development with construction of Manikkhali Bridge (revised)” project at a cost of Taka 108.82 crore and the “Transmission efficiency improvement through reactive power compensation and re- enforcement of Goalpara sub-station” (revised) at a cost of Taka 161.92 crore.
The Planning Minister informed the meeting that four-day Finance and Planning Fair would be held in the country soon with the participation of all stakeholders comprising representatives from private sector, foreign organizations, entrepreneurs from agriculture, RMG, pharmaceuticals, ship building and ship breaking sectors.
Ministers, State Ministers, Planning Commission members and Secretaries concerned attended the meeting.
