The Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) has approved 12 development projects involving a total of Tk 7,150.90 crore. All the projects will be funded entirely from the government’s own resources.
The approval came on Monday (November 10) during a meeting held at the NEC Conference Room in the Planning Commission at Sher-e-Bangla Nagar, Dhaka. Chief Adviser and ECNEC Chairperson Dr. Muhammad Yunus presided over the meeting.
Of the projects approved, nine are new, two are revised, and one project’s duration has been extended without increasing costs. However, the “Land Registration Management Automation” project under the Ministry of Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs was returned for further review instead of being approved.
Among the approved projects are rural infrastructure development in Manikganj and Satkhira, small-scale irrigation improvement in haor areas of Kishoreganj and Netrokona, infrastructure development at Gazipur Agricultural University, and the establishment of one engineering college each in Chattogram, Khulna, Rajshahi, and Rangpur.
Other approved initiatives include the third phase of the Independence Monument construction at Suhrawardy Udyan in Dhaka and three health sector projects — maternal and child healthcare, development of the Directorate of Health Education and Nursing, and completion of unfinished works under ongoing programs.
Under the Ministry of Defence, the construction of “B-type” residential quarters for officers in the Nirjhar area of Dhaka Cantonment was approved. The Road Transport Ministry’s project to construct a bridge over the Nabaganga River on the Narail-Kalia Highway received an extension, while the “BSCIC Industrial Park, Tangail” project under the Ministry of Industries was approved for the third time in a revised form.
Planning Adviser Dr. Wahiduddin Mahmud also informed the meeting about nine additional projects previously approved. These include capacity enhancement of the Education Engineering Department, improvement of private secondary schools, preservation of freedom fighters’ graveyards, youth self-defense training, artificial intelligence skill development, coastal forest management for climate resilience, establishment of an agricultural research center in Meherpur, infrastructure and environmental development in Dhaka, and enhancement of RAB’s technological capacity.