The government approved Tuesday a compact township project for the rural people titled 'Palli Janapad' at a cost of Tk 4.24 billion aimed at saving the arable lands and ensuring food security of the country.
Presided over by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) endorsed the project which would be implemented on a pilot basis at seven villages across the country.
Emerging from the meeting, Planning Minister AHM Mustafa Kamal, said that the Palli Janapad and two other projects to be implemented at a cost of Tk 8.29 billion were approved at the ECNEC meeting.
About the Palli Janapad project, AHM Mustafa Kamal said the government would build four-storied buildings at seven villages of seven divisions accommodating some 272 families in each village.
The compact township project will have all types of facilities for the rural families like poultry, water reservoir, lakes, ponds, community bio-gas plants, solar power, training for self-employment and credit facilities for the family members.
Four types of flats will be constructed in the buildings for the rural families under the pilot project. The size of type-A flats would be of 915 square feet (sqf), while type-B flats 710sqf, type-C flats 460sqf and type-D flats 365sqf. The prices of each square foot of the flat has been fixed at Tk1603.
The government would initially provide 70 per cent of the project cost while the rest 30 per cent will come from the beneficiaries. The flat owners would repay the loan to the government in 15 years at a flat interest rate of 5.0 per cent.
Planning Commission officials said the projects would save Tk8.0 million worth of fuel cost of the 272 beneficiary families at the seven villages.
The 'Palli Janapad' project is expected to be completed by June 2017. The government will provide Tk 3.62 billion of the project cost, and the beneficiaries will provide Tk 613.6 billion. The Centre for Irrigation and Water Management (CIWM) and Rural Development Academy (RDA) will jointly implement the project under the Rural Development and Cooperatives Division.
The two other projects approved at the ECNEC meeting Tuesday are: the Siddhirganj-Maniknagar power transmission line installation at Tk520.5 million and Extension of cotton production (phase-1) at a cost of Tk 1.05 billion. Ministers, planning commission members, secretaries and high officials concerned were present at the ECNEC meeting.
