ECNEC Approves 22 Projects Worth Tk 464.20 Billion Including HSTU and Climate-resilience Initiatives
The Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) has approved 22 development projects involving a total estimated cost of Tk 464.19 billion, including projects for Haji Mohammad Danesh Science and Technology University (HSTU) and climate-resilient livelihood development initiatives.
Of the total allocation, government funding amounts to Tk 304.82 billion, project loans stand at Tk 16.89 billion, and implementing agencies’ own financing totals Tk 142.48 billion.
Among the approved initiatives, Tk 5.77 billion has been allocated entirely from government funds for the development of Haji Mohammad Danesh Science and Technology University during the 2026–2028 period. The funding aims to enhance the quality of technological education through improved training and research facilities.
Similarly, to expand access to higher education and improve the academic environment, the government has approved a revised budget allocation of Tk 6.42 billion for the development of Bangladesh University of Professionals (BUP), focusing on academic and laboratory infrastructure.
In addition, ECNEC approved a Tk 12.69 billion project under the Local Government Engineering Department to improve climate-resilient livelihoods. Of this amount, the government will finance Tk 3.05 billion, while IFAD will provide Tk 8.54 billion in loans and DANIDA will contribute Tk 1.10 billion as a project grant.
The approvals were given at an ECNEC meeting held on Tuesday, December 23, at the NEC Conference Room of the Planning Commission complex, chaired by Chief Adviser and ECNEC Chairperson Professor Dr Muhammad Yunus. Of the approved projects, 14 are new, five are revised, and three involve extensions of project duration.
The meeting was attended by Planning Adviser Wahiduddin Mahmud; Foreign Affairs Adviser Md Touhid Hossain; Food and Land Adviser Ali Imam Majumder; Social Welfare and Women and Children Affairs Adviser Sharmeen S Murshid; Home Affairs and Agriculture Adviser Lieutenant General (retd) Md Jahangir Alam Chowdhury; Industries, Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives, and Housing and Public Works Adviser Adilur Rahman Khan; Power, Energy and Mineral Resources, Road Transport and Bridges, and Railways Adviser Muhammad Fouzul Kabir Khan; Environment, Forest and Climate Change and Water Resources Adviser Syeda Rizwana Hasan; Health and Family Welfare Adviser Nurjahan Begum; Religious Affairs Adviser Dr A F M Khalid Hossain; along with senior government officials.
The 22 approved projects include three under the Road Transport and Bridges Ministry, one under the Housing and Public Works Ministry, five under the Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives Ministry, two under the Defence Ministry, one under the Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry, one under the Social Welfare Ministry, one under the Health Education and Family Welfare Ministry, two under the Education Ministry, four under the Water Resources Ministry, one under the Agriculture Ministry, and one under the Religious Affairs Ministry.
During the meeting, ECNEC was also informed about 10 projects with individual costs below Tk 500 million that had already been approved by the Planning Adviser. These projects cover areas such as education infrastructure development, poverty alleviation through employment, noise pollution control, climate adaptation initiatives, riverbank protection, flood management, law enforcement capacity building, improvement of government office facilities, urban lake development, and the revised Economic Census 2023.
DBTech/JEU/EK/OR
