The Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) has approved 13 development projects with a total estimated cost of Tk 8,333.28 crore. Of this, Tk 4,437.82 crore will come from the government fund, Tk 1,225.36 crore from project loans, and Tk 2,670.09 crore will be financed by the implementing agencies themselves. The approvals were granted during an ECNEC meeting held on Wednesday, September 17, at the NEC conference room in the Planning Commission premises. The meeting was chaired by Chief Adviser and ECNEC Chairperson Dr. Muhammad Yunus.

Among the 13 approved projects, seven are new, five are revised, and one project received an extension in its implementation period without any increase in cost. Several advisers were present at the meeting, including Planning Adviser Dr. Wahiduddin Mahmud; Finance and Science & Technology Adviser Dr. Salehuddin Ahmed; Home and Agriculture Adviser Lt. Gen. (Retd.) Md. Jahangir Alam Chowdhury; Foreign Affairs Adviser Touhid Hossain; Liberation War and Disaster Management Adviser Farooq E Azam; Education Adviser Prof. Dr. Chowdhury Rafiqul Abrar; Industries and Housing Adviser Adilur Rahman Khan; Power, Energy, Transport, and Railways Adviser Muhammad Fawzul Kabir Khan; and Environment and Water Resources Adviser Syeda Rizwana Hasan, along with other relevant officials.

The approved projects include: the second phase (third revision) of the “Info Apa” project under the Ministry of Women and Children Affairs, aimed at empowering women through information and communication technology; a project by the Ministry of Education to modernize and enhance the research lab capacity at Dhaka University of Engineering & Technology (DUET), Gazipur; three projects under the Ministry of Power, Energy & Mineral Resources — procurement of a 2000-horsepower drilling rig, drilling of four appraisal-cum-development wells and one exploratory well in Shahbazpur and Bhola North areas, and modernization of the power distribution network in the NESCO region.

Other projects include the third revision of the “Export Competitiveness for Jobs (EC4J)” project under the Ministry of Commerce; the third phase of a cyclone shelter construction project in coastal and cyclone-prone areas under the Ministry of Disaster Management and Relief; and the revised conversion of the Sheikh Hasina Specialized Jute Textile Mill to the proposed Jamuna Specialized Jute & Textile Mill under the Ministry of Textiles and Jute. The Ministry of Local Government received approval for three projects: the second phase of the Khulna Water Supply Project, a revised project for land acquisition and development of a solid waste management system in Kadamrasul area of Narayanganj City Corporation, and an integrated project for services and livelihood support for displaced people from Myanmar and the host community.

Additionally, two major infrastructure projects were approved: the first phase of the expansion of Sylhet Osmani International Airport, and the construction of high-rise residential flats for government officials and employees in Pallabi, Mirpur, Dhaka.