The Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) approved 10 development projects worth a total of Tk 9,333.58 crore on Wednesday. The meeting was held at the Planning Commission in Dhaka's Sher-e-Bangla Nagar, chaired by Prime Minister Tarique Rahman according to his Deputy Press Secretary Md Suzauddhowla.
Of 11 projects placed before the meeting 10 were approved six new and four revised. Most of the funding Tk.8,488.71 crore will come from government resources while Tk.844.87 crore will be financed through project loans.
Two health sector projects were approved with rebuilding unusable structures at Dhaka Medical College and constructing 19 modern hostels for students across 10 medical colleges.
Other approvals include a smart bridge maintenance project under the Roads and Highways Department and two water resource projects protecting Lalmonirhat from Dharla River erosion and strengthening a coastal embankment in Sitakunda, Chattogram.
A rural roads rehabilitation project was approved under the Local Government Ministry along with a capacity-building initiative for the Department of Livestock Services.
In the power sector ECNEC approved a 100MW solar plant in Jamalpur's Madarganj and infrastructure upgrades in Dhaka's DESCO area. An infrastructure development project for Ramu Cantonment was also cleared.
Separately, the meeting was informed that nine smaller projects and each costing under Tk.50 crore had already been approved by the Planning Minister. These include a feasibility study for a BSL-3 lab, the Sundarbans Protection Project, underground grid substation construction in Gulshan and education improvement initiatives in Cox's Bazar and Noakhali's Bhashan Char.
