PM for speedy completion of projects

ECNEC approves 9 projects worth Tk 33.5b

FE Team | Published: February 13, 2024 23:49:15

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Tuesday put emphasis on the rural development along with building infrastructure, report agencies.
The Prime Minister gave the directives while chairing the 1st meeting of the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) under the tenure of the new government at the NEC Conference Room in the city's Sher-e-Bangla Nagar area.
Briefing reporters after the meeting, Planning Division Senior Secretary Satyajit Karmakar said that the day's meeting approved a total of nine projects with an overall estimated cost of Tk 33.54 billion.
Prime Minister said"I think besides the infrastructural development we also need the overall development of the rural areas."
Prime Minister asked authorities concerned to quickly finish the development projects which are beiny delayed due to allocation of small funds.
"I will ask the cabinet secretary to convey this to all secretaries in different ministries so such projects are completed quickly," she said
She said with the finishing these projects it would be easy for the government to take up new development programmes.
She also said that deadline of some development projects have been increased, but hose also have to be completed very soon.
"Because, if that remains unfinished costs of the projects will increase unnecessarily and it also kills time. Make sure that this is done," she said.
Hasina said that for the socioeconomic development of the country the government must take development projects.
In this regard, she asked all to remain cautious while taking any kind of development projects so that the government could attain its goal. She mentioned that due to global condition the countryis having some pressure on economy. Otherwise the country was moving fast towards prosperity.
"The growth was increasing, development was expediting, but due to the COVID-19 pandemic the whole world came to a standstill, and when the whole world started to move from that situation, it was hit by the Ukraine-Russia war followed by sanctions, counter-sanctions," she said.
She also mentioned that the world is bracing for another phase of instability after Israeli troops launched heinous attacks on the innocent people in Palestine.
"As a result, the cost and time of transportation has increased manifold," she said.
She said that due to these external factors the pressure is on in Bangladesh.
The prime minister said she has requested all to utilise every inch of arable land of the country for production of food grains.
"And it has given us better results," she said.
Regarding the nearly Tk 3.0 billion project for generating employments through imparting freelancing training to the educated job-seeking youths across some 48 districts of the country, Planning Commission Member Abdul Baki said the Prime Minister termed freelancing as a global issue and suggested for updating the curriculum in line with the global demand.
Statistics and Informatics Division Secretary Dr Shahnaz Arefin said they are working on giving the quarterly GDP alongside revealing regularly the Monthly Consumer Price (CPI) index.
Secretary of the Implementation Monitoring and Evaluation Division (IMED) Abul Kashem Md Mohiuddin said that the Premier put utmost importance on in-depth monitoring and impact analysis of projects.
The approved projects in the meeting are: establishment of Super Specialized Hospital (2nd revised) under BSMMU with an additional cost of Tk 1.51 billion; Extension of the operations of PDBF, 2nd phase, with Taka 5.29 billion; Important rural infrastructures development of Dhaka district with Tk 11.23 billion; Climate Resilient Infrastructure Mainstreaming Project (CRIMP) (1st revised) with an additional cost of Tk 2.91 billion: Integrating Climate Change Adaptation into Sustainable Development Pathways of Bangladesh with Tk 609.9 million; Smart prepaid metering (2nd phase) for West Zone Power Distribution Company Limited areas with Tk 7.61 billion; Construction of new buildings of ACC divisional offices of Khulna, Rangpur, Rajshahi, Barishal and Sylhet and upward extension of Mymensingh divisional office with Tk 1.33 billion; and Urban Resilience Project (URP): Project Coordination and Monitoring Unit (PCMU), 4th revised with an additional cost of Tk 33.1 million.
Besides, the meeting extended the timeframe for Secondary Education Sector Investment Programme, 3rd revised till December 2024.
Ministers and state ministers attended the meeting while Planning Commission members and secretaries concerned were present.