Economic Reporter :
The Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) today approved eight development projects involving Taka 4,606.60 crore.
The approval came at a meeting of the ECNEC held in the NEC conference room in the city’s Sher-e-Bangla Nagar with ECNEC Chairperson and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in the chair.
After the meeting, Planning Minister A H M Mustafa Kamal briefed reporters about its outcome.
He said the eight projects would require Taka 4,606.60 crore for execution.
“Of the total project cost, the government will provide Taka 3,806.60 crore from the national exchequer while the remaining Taka 800 crore as project assistance,” he added. The minister said that four projects are new while four are revised among the approved eight projects.
Mustafa Kamal said a total of 278 projects with Taka 2,68,169 crore have been approved in the 35 ECNEC meetings in the current financial year 2015-16 (FY16) while a total of 212 projects were approved with Taka 1,63,992 crore in 2014-15 financial year (FY15).
“Sixty-three percent costs have been increased in one year,” he added.
About 90 percent of the Annual Development Programme (ADP) has been implemented in the current fiscal (FY16), said Mustafa Kamal on the basis of the latest ADP implementation report.
The ECNEC today cleared the establishment project of Technical School and College in 100 upazilas across the country with Taka 2,281.69 crore. The other projects approved in the meeting are establishment of Faridpur Medical College and Hospital with Tk 474.76 crore, establishment of 20 child daycare centres with Tk 59.88 crore, Pachdona-Danga-Gorashal road development project with Tk 269.81 and river erosion protection project of Brahmaputra river of Boiragir Haat and Chilmari Port under Chilmari and Ulipur upazilas in Kurigram district with Tk 256.92 crore.
The meeting also approved a high-quality cow rearing project with Tk 151.57 crore aimed at improving the living standards of disadvantaged women.
ECNEC also cleared the self-employment and poverty-alleviation project for providing practical training to women with Tk 71.97 crore and College Education Development Project with Tk 1,040 crore.
Ministers and state ministers attended the meeting while Planning Commission members and secretaries concerned were present.
