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The government on Tuesday approved 12 development projects involving Tk 157.45 billion including five projects to improve rural infrastructures.
The approval came from the regular Executive Committee of National Economic Council (ECNEC) meeting, with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who joined it virtually from her official residence Ganobhaban, in the chair.
Other ministers and officials concerned were connected with the virtual meeting from the Conference Room of the Planning Commission in the city, as per a report on UNB.
"Today the meeting approved 12 projects with an overall estimated cost of Tk 157.45 billion," said Planning Minister MA Mannan while briefing reporters after the meeting.
Of the total cost, Tk 116.75 billion will be drawn from the government's fund, while Tk 40.68 billion from external sources as foreign loans and Tk 12.0 million from the own fund of the organisations concerned, he said.
The five projects placed by the Local Government Division will cost Tk 113.42 billion.
The five projects are Construction of Important Bridges On Rural Roads (Phase-II) with estimated cost of Tk 405 million, Widening and Strengthening Upazila and Union-Level Important Roads in Barishal Division with Tk 26.93 billion, Local Government Covid-19 Response and Recovery (LGCRR) involving Tk 25.55 billion, Water Supply through Rainwater Harvesting in Coastal Districts with Tk 9.62 billion and Universal Social Infrastructure Development-2 with Tk 10.82 billion.
According to the project factsheet, the Local Government Engineering Department (LGED) will implement the rural bridge construction project in 58 upazilas of 35 districts under eight divisions by December 2026.
The major operations under the project would be 17,697 metres of bridge construction, 4,230 metres of river training works and 38,800 metres bridge approach road or connecting road construction.
The LGED will also implement the road improvement project in 42 upazilas of six districts under Barishal Division by December 2025, while the universal social infrastructure development project in the entire country by June 2025.
Under the social infrastructure development project, a total of 17,321 social and religious infrastructures including mosques, temples, churches, Pagoda, Eid Gahs and graveyards will be constructed in the country.
The Local Government Division will implement the LGCRR project in the country's 10 cities and 329 municipalities by December 2025 in order to enhance the capacity of the local government bodies in fighting the Covid-19 pandemic and strengthen the preparedness for a similar possible situation in future.
The Public Health Engineering Department will execute the rainwater harvesting project in 44 upazilas of the country's 10 coastal districts by June 2024.
At the outset of the meeting, the planning minister said that the ECNEC meeting greeted the PM for the inauguration of Payra Power Plant and the attainment of 100 per cent electricity coverage in the country.
The six other new projects are Collection of 200 BG Passenger Carriage for Bangladesh Railway with the estimated cost of Tk 17.04 billion, Improvement of three regional highways and three district highways under Naogaon with Tk 11.82 billion, Establishment of seed farms in south-eastern region of Bangladesh with Tk 4.39 billion, Establishment of external telecommunication network for Rooppur Nuclear Power Plan with Tk 3.79 billion, Irrigation area and capacity enhancement through raising underground lines as well as the introduction of drip irrigation system on the pilot basis with Tk 3.29 billion and Improvement of Governance and Management Research and Training Facilities with Tk 2.28 billion.
The lone revised project is BAF Base Zahurul Haque Chattogram Airmen Training Institute Establishment (1st revised).
The ECNEC cleared the first revision of the project raising its cost by Tk 1.40 billion. Now its cost has increased to Tk 3.60 billion from Tk 2.19 billion in the original project.