United News of Bangladesh

The Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) on Wednesday approved 13 development projects involving Tk58,088 crore, including the Tk41,904.48 crore Fifth Primary Education Development Programme (PEDP-5), with several conditions and observations to ensure proper use of public funds. The meeting, chaired by Prime Minister Tarique Rahman, also sent four other projects back for review, asking the concerned ministries to address a number of observations before resubmitting them. Briefing reporters after the meeting, State Minister for Planning Zonayed Abdur Rahim Saki said a total of 17 projects were placed before the ECNEC, of which 13 were approved and four returned for further review. PEDP-5, one of the largest projects approved at the meeting, will cover a wide range of government initiatives to improve primary education across the country. Saki said the programme includes establishing new primary schools, renovating existing ones, providing teacher training, introducing multimedia classrooms and implementing the government’s ‘One Teacher, One Tab’ initiative. It also includes the ‘One Child, One Tree’ programme, school uniforms, shoes and educational materials for students, as well as midday meals and sports and cultural activities. The project has an estimated cost of Tk41,904.48 crore. The state minister said the Planning Commission had raised questions about several expenditure items, including Tk436 crore allocated for consultancy services, and sought rationalisation of costs in different components. The ECNEC also directed that expenditure of a revenue nature be transferred to the revenue budget within two years. The government was asked to submit the Project Completion Reports for PEDP-3 and PEDP-4, which have not yet been completed. He said the project would be revised in line with the ECNEC’s observations, including changes to its name, training arrangements, selection of beneficiaries and quality assurance of educational materials, within two weeks. Another important approval concerns the drilling of two appraisal-cum-development wells, Titas-32 and Titas-33, at the Titas Gas Field at a cost of Tk592 crore. Saki said the government had taken an initiative to undertake around 30 exploration wells during the current fiscal year to increase domestic gas production. The Prime Minister also directed the authorities to examine the possibility of extracting LPG-related components from gas fields containing the necessary elements. The project for constructing bridges and culverts up to 15 metres long on rural roads was approved with an allocation of Tk523.34 crore. Its scope has been expanded to meet the growing demand for small bridges and culverts, particularly in areas where new canals are being excavated under the government’s canal restoration programme. The Social Religious Institutions Development Project was approved at a cost of Tk2,565.59 crore to improve infrastructure at mosques, temples and other religious institutions. The third revision of the Priority-Based Important Rural Infrastructure Development Project was also approved, with an additional allocation of Tk1,047.92 crore, taking its revised cost to Tk3,951.37 crore, according to the briefing. Two projects aimed at strengthening the Bangladesh Police were approved. The purchase of operational vehicles will cost Tk4,328 crore and involve procuring more than 4,000 vehicles. Another Tk2,280.14 crore was allocated for specialised vehicles and equipment, including armoured personnel carriers, to enhance the operational capacity of the police force. Saki said the government considered strengthening the police essential to improving law and order and public security, particularly following damage to police vehicles during the July uprising. The ECNEC also approved a Tk177.19 crore project to construct 57 flats for army officers at the Mainul Road residential area in Dhaka Cantonment. A separate Tk200.11 crore project will construct three 13-storey residential buildings for government employees at the Zigatala Government Colony, providing around 160 flats. Another Tk535.54 crore project will establish five institutes of nuclear medicine and allied sciences at five medical college hospital campuses. Saki said the Prime Minister directed the authorities to prepare another project within three months to establish such facilities at the remaining 10 medical college hospitals and install cyclotrons at eight locations to improve access to nuclear medicine services. The ECNEC also approved a Tk1,203.73 crore project to ensure safe water supply and sanitation in the Barind region, covering upazilas in Rajshahi and Rangpur divisions. A Tk730.46 crore project was approved for the restoration, rehabilitation and protection of canals in Barishal City Corporation. The project will cover 29 canals and include the development of walkways and protection of ponds. An innovation project on climate-smart urban development, financed through a German grant, was also approved at a cost of Tk87 crore. It will cover Chapainawabganj, Charghat, Gaibandha and Sirajganj municipalities. The state minister said four projects were returned for further review. These include the Dhaka South City Corporation project for repairing and developing damaged roads, drains and footpaths; the Growth project for local economic development in selected municipalities; the first revised project for establishing Netrokona University; and the Dhaka Water Security and Resilience Programme. Explaining the decision on the municipal development project, Saki said the authorities had been asked to assess the results of earlier pilot initiatives, including their contribution to municipal revenue generation and the creation of new entrepreneurs. The revised proposal should also identify priority beneficiaries for training and consider expanding the programme beyond the 70 municipalities initially proposed. On Netrokona University, he said the initial project cost was around Tk2,500 crore, while the first revised proposal was reduced to Tk645 crore. A subsequent proposal sought more than Tk1,400 crore, prompting questions about infrastructure priorities, land acquisition costs and the proposed solar power facilities. The Dhaka water security project was sent back because the government is preparing an integrated plan for surface water management in the capital to avoid duplication and overlapping among existing and proposed projects. Responding to a question about the Tk436 crore consultancy allocation in PEDP-5, Saki said the government had repeatedly raised the issue during the project’s review and directed the authorities to rationalise the expenditure. He said the government wanted to accelerate development activities without compromising scrutiny and accountability. The state minister also said the Planning Ministry was developing a software-based system using artificial intelligence to examine project expenditure against approved rate schedules. For procurement outside the rate schedules, relevant experts would be invited to the Project Scrutiny Committee meetings. The government has also approved appointing price assessment companies for major projects to verify procurement prices against prevailing market rates. He said the measures were intended to strengthen institutional checks and balances and prevent wasteful spending of public money. Asked whether the approval of large projects indicated a shift from the government’s commitment to avoiding megaprojects, Saki said projects were being taken up based on public needs and national priorities. He cited primary education and urban transport as areas where large-scale investment was necessary.

The Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (Ecnec) on Wednesday approved a total of nine projects, including Tk 712.63-crore one to install smart prepayment electricity meters in Rajshahi and Rangpur divisions. The approval came from the Ecnec meeting presided over by Ecnec chair and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina at the NEC conference room in the city. Also read: Ecnec clears 11 projects involving Tk 5,826 crore “Today nine projects, including two revised ones, were approved. The overall estimated cost against the projects is Tk 2,665.21 crore (only additional costs of the revised projects were counted here),” said Planning Minister MA Mannan at a press briefing after the meeting. The project titled “Installation of Smart Prepayment Meters in NESCO areas in Rajshahi and Rangpur Divisions” will be implemented by June, 2024 in a bid to enhance revenue collection and reduce system loss of electricity there. The Northern Electricity Supply Company (NESCO) Limited will implement the project to install some 12 lakh smart prepayment meters – 11,13,608 single phase ones and 86,392 three phase ones— in 33 upazilas and two city corporations in 14 districts under the two divisions.

The Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (Ecnec) on Tuesday approved a total of 11 development projects involving  Tk 5,826 crore. The approval came at the Ecnec meeting held at the NEC Conference Room here. Ecnec Chair and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina presided over the meeting who joined it virtually from her official residence Ganobhban. Also read: Ecnec clears Tk 250-cr project to enhance women’s IT skills, create jobs “Today we endorsed 11 projects including three revised ones. The overall estimated cost of the projects is Tk 5,825.75 crore (additional costs of the revised projects were counted here),” said Planning Minister MA Mannan at a press briefing after the meeting. Of the total cost, Tk 3,963.38 crore will be financed from the government’s fund, while Tk 1,220.46 will come from the funds of the organisations concerned and the rest Tk 641.90 crore from foreign sources.  Among the projects, Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry placed three projects; two others by the LGRD and Cooperatives Ministry, and the Road Transport and Bridges Ministry each; and one each by the Shipping Ministry, the Home Ministry, the Education Ministry and the Posts, Telecommunications Ministry and IT Ministry. In terms of the cost, three largest fresh projects are Improvement of Sherpur (Kanasakhola) -Bhimganj-Narayankhola-Paranganj-Mymensingh (Rahmatpur) Road project with Tk 1,842 crore; Establishment of Sheikh Kamal IT Training Incubation Centers (14 ones) with Tk 1,115 crore; and Renovation and Modernization of Existing 33/11kv Wooden Pole Mounted Substations in BREB (Phase-1) project involving with estimated cost of Tk 680 crore. The five other new projects include Implementation of Smart Distribution System in NESCO area with Tk 241 crore; Establishment of Sheikh Zahurul Haque Rural Development Academy, Jashore project with Tk 199 crore; Navigability improvement and restoration of Ghorautra and Bolai-Srigang rivers Mithamin Upazila, Dhanu and Namakura rivers in Itna Upazila, and Dhaleshwari River in Ashtagram Upazila under Kishoreganj with Tk 342 crore. Also read: Ecnec cleared 12 projects involving Tk 12,017cr Construction of Ansar and VDP Armories (40 ones in 1st phase) project with Tk 65 crore; and Improvement of Hili (land port)-Dugdugi-Ghoraghat national highway, reconstruction of existing narrow or dilapidated culverts of 3 important roads and construction of rigid pavement and drainage for the roads in the market areas in Dinajpur project with Tk 464 crore. Three revised projects are Installation of Single Point Mooring (SPM) with Double Pipeline (3rd revised) project with the additional cost of Tk 556 crore (the cost now stands at Tk 7,125 crore from Tk 6568 crore in the 2nd revision); Local Government Initiative on Climate Change (LoGIC) (1st revised) project with additional cost of Tk 137 crore (the cost increased to Tk 304 crore from Tk 167 crore in original layout); and Establishment of one Technical School and College in 100 Upazilas (2nd revised) project with the additional cost of Tk 184 crore (the cost rose to Tk 2,520 crore from Tk 2,336 crore in the 1st revision).

The country’s per capita income  increased by US$ 233  to US$ 2,824 during FY22, as per a provisional estimate of Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS). Planning Minister MA Mannan disclosed this at a press briefing after the meeting of the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (Ecnec) held at the NEC conference room here on Tuesday. Also read: Growing per capita income contributed to reduce child marriage: Planning Minister Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina chaired the meeting, joining it virtually from her official residence Ganobhaban. “Our per capita income went up to US$ 2,824 or Tk 241,470 in the 2021-22 fiscal, which was US$ 2,591 in the last fiscal (2020-21),” said Mannan. The GDP’s provisional estimate was done done based on the available data and statistics of 6-7 months of the current 2021-22. As per the estimate, the GDP growth rate is 7.25 per cent in the  FY22, which was 6.94 per cent in the last fiscal year, said the minister. Also read: Don’t evaluate Bangladesh by Sri Lanka model: Mannan The country’s GDP has increased to US$ 465 billion (Tk 39,76,500 crore) in the 2021-22 fiscal from US$ 416 billion (Tk 35,30,200 crore) in the 2020-21 fiscal. Among the three major sectors, the growth rates are 2.20 per cent in the agriculture sector, 10.44 per cent in the industrial sector and 6.31 per cent in the service sector.

The Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (Ecnec) on Tuesday approved a total of 11 development projects involving an overall estimated cost of Tk 4,542 crore. The approval came from a Ecnec meeting presided by Ecnec chair and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina who joined the event from her official residence Ganobhaban through a videoconference. Also read: Ecnec cleared 12 projects involving Tk 12,017cr Other ministers and officials concerned were connected to the meeting from the NEC Conference Room in the city. Among approved projects, a fresh project titled ‘Her Power Project: Empowering Women with Technology (Phase II)’ was designed to create self-employment opportunities for women and thus ensure their sustainable empowerment as entrepreneurs by enhancing their skills through the best and safest use of information technology. The ICT Division will implement the project at 130 Upazila in 44 districts under eight divisions at the cost of Tk 250 crore by December 2024. “Today’s meeting approved six fresh projects and five revised ones. The overall estimated cost of the 11 projects is Tk 4,541.81 crore (only additional costs of the revised projects were counted here),” said Planning Minister MA Mannan at a press briefing. Among those, four projects are under the LGRD and Cooperatives Ministry, three under the Road Transport and Bridges Ministry, two under the Water Resources Ministry, one each under the ICT Division and the Railways Ministry, he said. All the projects will be implemented with finance from the government, said the Planning Minister. In terms of the cost, the biggest fresh project is “Protection of river banks from Kaliganga River Erosion to protect different important areas in Nababganj upazila of Dhaka, Saturia, Ghior, Manikganj Sadar and Singair upazilas of Manikganj” involving Tk 689 crore. The Water Development Board will execute the project by June 2024. The four other new projects are "Expansion of Dairy Cooperative Activities in Milk-Deficit Upazilas" with estimated cost of Tk 156.88 crore; “Waterlogging Elimination in Sadar upazila of Narayanganj district” with Tk 149.70 crore; Waste management development of Mymensingh City Corporation and Necessary Equipment and Machineries Supply" with TK 122.13 crore; and "Protection of Morelganj Upazila Sadar and its adjoining areas in Bagerhat district from Panguchi river erosion and Re-excavation Of Bishkhali River" with Tk 658.83 crore; The five revised projects include "Excavation of canal from Bayaipara of Bahaddarhat to Karnaphuli River (2nd revised)” project (its cost rose to Tk 1,362.62 crore from Tk 1,256.16 crore in the first revision and Tk 326.85 crore in the original layout); “Construction of Broad Gauge Railways between Chilahati and Chilahati Border to Establish Rail Link with India ( 1st revised)” project (the cost increased to Tk 140.69 crore from Tk 80.17 crore) ; "Border Roads (Rangamati, Khagrachhari and Bandarban Hilly Districts) (1st Phase) Construction (1st revised)" project (the cost went up to Tk 3,874.72 crore from Tk 1,699.85 crore). The rest two revised projects are “Upgradation of District Highways to Appropriate Standards and Widths (Cumilla Zone) (1st revised)” project (the cost stood now at Tk 735.22 crore from Tk 657.31 crore) and “Nabinagar-Shibpur-Radhika Regional Highway Construction and Development (R-203) (1st revised)” project (the cost enhanced to Tk 439.52 crore from Tk 343.60 crore). Increase own income, PM to city corporations In the Ecnec meeting, the Prime Minister asked the city corporations to be self-reliant gradually by increasing their own revenue, said the Planning Minister She stressed the need for paying a special attention to waste management and said effluent treatment plants (ETPs) should be set up so that no water from drains is directly get mixed with rivers. Hasina also directed the Rural Development and Cooperatives Division to expand dairy cooperatives in the upazilas where milk production is insufficient to meet the growing demand of protein, said Mannan. No institutional corruption in country: Mannan Replying to a question, the Planning Minister said corruption might take place at individual level to some extent, but there is no institutional corruption according to his knowledge. The government is now curbing individual-level corruption, he said. Also read:5 projects to develop rural infrastructures get Ecnec nod ADP implementation reaches 45.56pc in 9 months: The Planning Minister said the implementation rate of Annual Development Programme (ADP) during the first nine months (July-March) of the current fiscal year is 45.56 per cent with an overall expenditure of Tk 98,934.92 crore. He said the rate is 3.64 per cent higher than the corresponding period of the previous fiscal year ( 2020-21). The ADP implementation rate was 41.92 per cent with the expenditure of Tk 87,735.51 crore in the same period of 2020-21 fiscal, according to a report of the Implementation Monitoring and Evaluation Division (IMED). In March, 2022 alone, the implementation rate was 10.53 per cent, which is 7.23 per cent higher than March, 2021. The ADP allocation is Tk 217,175.35 crore for the current fiscal year.

Planning Minister MA Mannan has said it is wrong to evaluate Bangladesh by Sri Lanka model considering the country's economic development. Bangladesh does not take unnecessary projects in any circumstances, he said. The minister was briefing reporters after the meeting of the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) on Tuesday. Also read:Government agencies need to be friendly to business: MA Mannan A total of 12 projects were approved at the meeting where the Ecnec chair Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina joined through video conferencing from Ganobhaban. Mannan said the ECNEC has given final approval for 12 projects at a cost of Tk1,2016.88 crore. Of this, government funding is Tk 7,990.14 crore, foreign funding is Tk 3,000.39 crore and funding from its own source is Tk 594.43 crore. Replying to a question he said “Considering the economic situation, do not compare Bangladesh with Sri Lanka. Some people are trying to do it. It is not right." In response to a question whether unproductive projects are being taken in Bangladesh like Sri Lanka, the minister said, "We do not do unnecessary work. We do what is good for the people of the country. Sri Lanka and our context are not the same. Sri Lanka is our friend state. I will not comment on this.” Also read:Lack of authentic data held back timely implementation of incentive package: MA Mannan “We are researching, watching and listening. I repeat, the economy of Sri Lanka and the economy of Bangladesh are not the same,” Mannan added.

The government considers designing and undertaking metro-rail projects for Chattogram and other major cities having larger airports as done in Dhaka. The issue for metro-rail projects for other large cities was discussed at a meeting of the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (Ecnec) held virtually with Ecnec Chairperson and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in the chair. The PM joined the meeting virtually from her official residence Ganobhaban, while others were connected from the NEC conference room. Read: Govt unveils 27 border infrastructure projects “The Prime Minister said not only in Dhaka, the metro-rail project should also be in Chattogram. Prepare a design for the metro-rail project for Chattogram Airport to Chattogram Railway Station. Later, we should go for designs for metro-rail-like projects in large cities where there’re big airports,” said Planning Minister MA Mannan while briefing reporters after the meeting. The minister hoped that metro-rail projects would be placed for other large cities in the future. “We, on part of the Planning Commission, will also encourage city corporations to design such projects,” he said. Mannan said the Prime Minister at the meeting also stressed the need for the construction of satellite cities and towns. Read: DU Solar Project: Tariff issue remains pending with Power Division for a final decision 3 mega projects up for opening in 2022 The minister said three mega projects -- Padma Bridge, Metro-Rail (MRT-6) and Karnaphuli Tunnel-- out of 10 will be opened this year, which will play a significant role in accelerating the economic growth of the country. “The projects will play a massive role in the country’s economy as these will accelerate the economic growth,” he said, adding that the projects might accelerate the GDP growth by 2pc to 2.5pc according to some economists. State Minister for Ministry of Planning Dr Shamsul Alam said Padma Bridge is supposed to be opened in June 2022, while Karnaphuli tunnel in October 2022 and Mass Rapid Transit (MRT)-6 in December, 2022.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's ambitious plan to give Cumilla a much-needed makeover on the lines of a smart city has gained momentum. Better water and energy management as well as enhanced mobility options ensuring last-mile connectivity make modern cities across the world sustainable and liveable. Read: Growing vegetable export revives Cumilla farmers’ hopes Cumilla would boast of all such modern facilities under the "renovation project", for which a whopping Tk 1,500 crore has now been approved by the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC). Cumilla City Mayor Monirul Haque Sakku thanked Prime Minister Hasina, who chaired the committee meeting on Tuesday, on behalf of the residents. "The residents of Cumilla are very happy to receive this gift on the Golden Jubilee of independence and the centenary of Father of the Nation Sheikh Mujibur Rahman," an elated Mayor said. The project plan includes great infrastructural development in the city, officials said. Cumilla City Corporation execution officer Shafiqul Islam said the Mayor, engineers and officials of the civic body have all been working on this mega project for the past one year as per the government's directions. Read: Cumilla pottery: Heritage on the verge of extinction "The corporation is, in fact, adhering to all the step-by-step directions of the Minister for Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives," he said. "Through the implementation of this project, everyone's dream of building a modern, developed, livable city will come true," said Shafiqul.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Tuesday alleged that the then Khaleda Zia government, which was involved in gruesome activities, did not want to hand over the dead bodies of August-21 grenade attack to their relatives. “Not only they made killing attempts, but also carried out heinous activities with dead bodies after killings,” she said. Read: Bangladesh observes 17th anniversary of Dhaka grenade attack The Prime Minister said this in her introductory speech at the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) held at NEC Auditorium. She joined the meeting virtually from her official residence Ganobhaban. Talking about the 17th death anniversary of Ivy Rahman, former president of Bangladesh Mahila Awami League and wife of late president M Zillur Rahman, the PM said she was taken to the Combined Military Hospital (CMH) for treatment. “I don’t know when she (Ivy) died. Khaleda Zia had been there to see her. After her departure, Ivy Rahman was declared dead,” she recalled. She mentioned that Ivy Rahman’s three children -- Papon (present BCB president), Tania and Moyna -- were kept under lock and key in a room for 3-4 hours while the then Prime Minister Khaleda Zia had been there. Read:Spl show to commemorate Aug 21 grenade massacre

Even seven months after its approval red tapes are holding back a much-hyped government project aimed at the sustainable conversation of Sundarbans, the world's largest mangrove forest.   The Tk. 1.5-billion Sundarbans Conservation project got the go-ahead by the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (Ecnec) at its last January 5 meeting chaired by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. Read: Tiger population growing in the Sundarbans: PM The meeting set December 31, 2024, as the deadline to complete the project. But officials are yet clear necessary files delaying take-off of the important project on the Sundarbans, home to famed Bengal Tigers, exotic flora, and fauna. Besides, the forest has worked as a natural shield to protect the coast from severe cyclones. What’s the project about? The project will be implemented to protect the Sundarbans in a sustainable manner through the modernisation of internal communication systems with ICT. Read Effective strategies adopted to protect Sundarbans: Environment Minister Surveys will be conducted to track the number of animals, their habitats and diseases and the characteristics of the conserved area and its environment under this project. This project also aims at automating the conventional permit system and identity cards of about 30,000 collectors of the forest’s resources and other beneficiaries, introduce a plan for ‘Eco-tourism’ and ensure training up the tourist guides. Employment opportunities will also be created through the project for locals in excavation and re-excavation programs of ponds, canals and rivers of the Sundarbans. Read Golpata trees dying a slow death in the Sundarbans “At least 3 million people of 39 upazilas of Barishal division will get jobs on implementation of this project,” said Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) of West Sundarbans, Dr Abu Nasr Mohsin. Programs will be conducted to establish, repair and maintain offices, residential buildings, barracks, wooden jetties, pontoons and to buy fast moving vessels. Besides, the officials appointed for safeguarding the vast forest area will be trained up, Khulna-based Geographic Information System (GIS) laboratory, computer software, software license and GPS tracking facilities will be improved under this project. Read:Sundarbans plays role as a carbon sink: Alok Sharma