United News of Bangladesh

The Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) on Sunday approved 25 development projects worth Tk 45,191.27 crore including a 1,000-bed Bangladesh–China Friendship General Hospital in the northern region. Of the total project cost, Tk 10,881.40 crore will be financed from government funds, Tk 32,018.09 crore from project loans and Tk 2,291.78 crore from the implementing agencies’ own resources. The approvals were given at an ECNEC meeting held at the NEC Conference Room in the Planning Commission complex, chaired by Chief Adviser and ECNEC Chairperson Professor Dr Muhammad Yunus. Two projects -the establishment of a 1,000-bed Bangladesh–China Friendship General Hospital to provide advanced medical services to the people of the northern region and neighbouring countries involving Tk 2,459 crore and Health and Nutrition Services Improvement and System Strengthening Project involving Tk 8700 crore under the Health Services Division were approved in the meeting. ECNEC clears 22 development projects Among the approved projects, 14 are new, six are revised and five involve extension of project duration. Under the Road Transport and Bridges Ministry, two projects were approved for widening and upgrading the Rangamati (Manikchhari)–Mahalchhari–Khagrachhari regional highway (R-162) and upgrading three regional highways and one district road under the Munshiganj Roads Division. One revised project under the Housing and Public Works Ministry was approved for the construction of an elevated expressway from Lalkhan Bazar to Shah Amanat International Airport in Chattogram. The Civil Aviation and Tourism Ministry received approval for two projects relating to strengthening the existing runway and taxiway at Shah Amanat International Airport in Chattogram and introducing tourism facilities at Parki in Chattogram. Two projects under the Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives Ministry were approved for promoting women entrepreneurship in sanitation and developing important rural infrastructure in Cumilla district. The Home Ministry secured approval for two projects including the construction of police outposts, investigation centres, camps, naval police centres, railway police stations and outposts, tourist police centres and highway police stations and outposts across the country as well as construction of district offices of the Department of Narcotics Control under its first phase. One revised project under Bangladesh Railway was approved for constructing a single-line dual-gauge railway track from Dohazari via Ramu to Cox’s Bazar and from Ramu to Gundum near the Myanmar border. The Youth and Sports Ministry received approval for the revised project aimed at generating employment through freelancing training for educated job-seeking youths in all 64 districts. Two revised projects under the Textiles and Jute Ministry were approved for the establishment of Sylhet Textile Engineering College and Sylhet Textile Institute. The Primary and Mass Education Ministry received approval for the project titled alternative education opportunities for out-of-school children. The Agriculture Ministry had two projects approved, including the Ashuganj–Palash Green Project and the Smallholder Agricultural Competitiveness Project (third revision). Six projects under the Water Resources Ministry were approved, covering sustainable river management in Panchagarh and Thakurgaon districts, dredging and construction of a rubber dam on the Mahananda River in Chapainawabganj, protection of both banks of the Padma River in Chapainawabganj, erosion control along the Tetulia River in Mehendiganj upazila of Barishal, protection of the right bank of the Padma River at Majhirghat Zero Point in Zajira upazila of Shariatpur district, and integrated water and land resources management to improve livelihoods in the Arial Beel area. One revised project under the Science and Technology Ministry for the Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant construction was also approved. The ECNEC meeting was also informed about 10 projects, each costing less than Tk 50 crore, which had already been approved by the Planning Adviser. These include development projects of selected government colleges, Bangladesh University of Professionals, strengthening of the Education Engineering Department through establishment of headquarters and district offices, completion of partially implemented science and education infrastructure projects, expansion of ambulance services of the Fire Service and Civil Defence, construction of RAB headquarters, widening and development of a national highway section in Narail town, and revision of the Saidpur 150 MW power plant project. In addition, the project previously titled establishment of the permanent campus of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Maritime University, Bangladesh has been renamed as establishment of the permanent campus of Bangladesh Maritime University.  

The Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (Ecnec) on Sunday approved 16 projects with an overall estimated cost of Tk 24,247 crore.  Ecnec okays 10 projects; Moulvibazar safari park project scrapped Of the total cost, Tk 3,134 crore will be provided by the government while Tk 16,719 crore will come as projects loan and Tk 4,426 crore from the own funds of the departments concerned.  Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus chaired the Ecnec meeting held at the NEC conference room of the Planning Commission. Planning Adviser Dr Wahiduddin Mahmud briefed reporters after the meeting.  

The size of Bangladesh’s economy will be $1 trillion by 2040, if the current consecutive growth of over 6 percent continues while it will be achieved by 2030 if the growth goes over 8 percent, said an official document of the planning ministry. The information has also been placed in the updated picture of the economy of Bangladesh presented by the ministry of planning in the meeting of the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC), on Tuesday. The document stated that the average economic growth of Bangladesh has been 6.4 percent in the last six years. Even if this growth falls below 5 percent, the economy of Bangladesh will touch the milestone of trillion dollars by 2040. Read more: Social stability now economy’s main challenge: Planning Minister  But if economic growth increases to 8 to 9 percent and internal stability is maintained, it will reach trillion dollars by 2030. The Canadian online publication Visual Capitalist on December 29 published the statistics of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) showing the size of Bangladesh's economy at $465 billion. Bangladesh was ranked 35th among major economies last year.

Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (Ecnec) on Tuesday cleared six development projects, including the Tk 7,189 crore project to upgrade Cumilla-Brahmanbaria National Highway to four lanes. The highway from Mainamati of Cumilla to Dharkhar of Brahmanbaria will be upgraded into a four-lane one, with separate lanes for slow vehicles on both sides, by June 2026. The project aims to establish fast, safe and cost-effective road connectivity between Sylhet and Chattogram regions. The approval came from the Ecnec meeting presided over by its chair and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina who joined the event through a virtual platform from her official residence Ganobhaban. Also read: Ecnec postpones Tk 236-crore project of Teletalk to save dollars “The total estimated cost of the six approved projects is some Tk 8,739.68 crore (only additional costs of three revised projects were included),” Planning Minister MA Mannan said at a press briefing after the meeting was held at the NEC Conference Room. Of the total cost, Tk 5,929.03 crore will be drawn from the government’s fund, while the rest Tk 2,810.65 crore will come as foreign loan, he said. According to the Planning Commission, the project titled ‘Upgrading Cumilla (Mainamati)-Brahmanbaria (Dharkhar) National Highway into Four Lanes’ will be executed at the cost of Tk 7,188.66 crore. Also read: Metro Rail (MRT Line-6) project cost goes up by Tk 11,486 cr; Gets Ecnec nod The government will finance Tk 4,378 crore and the rest Tk 2,810.65 crore will come from the Indian Line of Credit (LoC). The major project operations are acquisition of 103 hectares of lands, construction of 14 bridges (with total length of 1,218.44 meters), one 1,030-meter flyover, two underpasses, 50 culverts, 12 foot-over bridges, 50-km flexible pavement and 4.5-km rigid pavement.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Tuesday asked state-owned companies like Bangladesh Telecommunications Company Ltd (BTCL) to be self-reliant so that they do not have to depend on government funds. The Prime Minister made the directive while presiding over a meeting of the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (Ecnec) at the NEC Conference Room. She joined the meeting virtually from her official residence Ganobhaban. Planning Minister MA Mannan briefed reporters after the meeting from an online platform. “The Prime Minister instructed the state-owned companies to spend money from their own incomes. No money will be allotted from government funds in the future. They need to stand on their own feet,” said Mannan. Also read: People’s lives come first: PM Hasina He said the Prime Minister made the directive while approving a project titled ‘Installation of Telecommunication Network in Economic Zones (Phase-I)’ at the meeting. BTCL will implement a Tk 90.12-crore project by June 2023 in Srihatta economic zone in Maulvibazar, Sabrang and Naf Tourism Park at Teknaf, Sonadia Tourism Park at Maheshkhali and Jamalpur Economic Zone. The entire money will come from the state coffer.          The Prime Minister also directed the authorities concerned to quickly complete the construction works on a super specialized hospital under Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University, said Mannan. The directive came during the approval of the first revision of ‘Specialised Hospital Establishment under Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University’ project with the deadline extension and the rise in costs. Also read: PM Hasina suggests 5 actions to deal with drug-resistant diseases Now the project deadline has been extended up to June 2022 from December 2020, while the project cost raised to Tk 1561.18 crore from the original estimated cost of Tk 1,366.34 crore.    At the Ecnec meeting, a total of 10 projects involving the estimated cost of Tk 11,901.33 crore were approved, said the Planning Minister. Of them, Tk 8,991.44 crore will be borne from government funds, while Tk 2,099.91 crore will come as loan from foreign sources and the remaining Tk 809.98 crore from the own funds of the organisations concerned, he said. Nine of the projects are new while another is a revised one. Also read: Govt’s focus on agriculture to tap its full potential: PM Hasina The projects include modernisation and capacity enhancement of electricity supply by Rural Electrification Board in Khulna Division with an estimated cost of Tk 3076.23 crore by June 2025, Development of important rural roads in Cumilla, Brahmanbaria and Chandpur districts with Tk 2,500 crore by June 2025; and Construction of Upazila-Level Sheikh Russel Mini-Stadium (Phase-II) in 186 upazilas with Tk 1649.33 crore by June 2024. The rest of the projects are Rehabilitation and Expansion of Teesta Irrigation Command Area at a cost of Tk 1452.33 crore by June 2024; Flood control, drainage and irrigation at Patia in Chattogram with Tk 1,158.36 crore by June 2024; Construction of 1.4-km Panguchi Bridge over Panguchi River at Morelganj in Bagerhat with an estimated cost of Tk 912.33 crore by June 2025; Construction of Multistoried Building for the Department of Public Libraries with Tk 524.25 crore by June 2024; and Development of Rangamat’s Kargoripara-Bilaichhari Road and construction of bridges and culverts with Tk 338.54 crore by June 2024.

 

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Wednesday directed the authorities concerned to take action against those responsible for incorrect project designs that lead to project revision, pushing up costs.

The government has approved the first revision of the Covid-19 Emergency Response and Pandemic Preparedness Project, raising its cost by Tk 5,659.07 crore mainly for the procurement, preservation and distribution of Covid vaccines.

The unusual delay in implementation of Kushtia Medical College Establishment Project has irked Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.

The Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (Ecnec) on Tuesday cleared four development projects, including Tk 693-crore one to install the third submarine cable.