The Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) today approved six development projects with an outlay of Taka 7,312 crore.

The approval came at the regular meeting of the ECNEC held at the NEC Conference Room with its Chairperson and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in the chair.

Planning Minister M A Mannan, after the meeting, briefed the reporters about the outcomes of the meeting.

He said, of the total cost of Taka 7,312 crore, the government would provide Taka 2,778 crore from the national exchequer while the organizations concerned would contribute Taka 321.69 crore and the remaining Taka 4,212 crore would come as project assistance.

The minister said the government’s prime two aims are development of road communication and power system up-gradation that is why among the six projects, one is related to power while the remaining five for road development.

He said the government has planned to convert all the zigzag roads into straight ones and replace the old bridges by constructing new ones as well as upgrade the inter-district roads into four-lane.

Mannan said a book compiling the directives of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina given at the ECNEC meeting during the January, 2009 to June, 2019 period was uncovered at today’s ECNEC meeting.

The projects approved by the ECNEC are upgrading Monihar-Murali part of Palbari-Dartana-Monihar-Murali National Highway into four-lane (Taka 131.17 crore), Up-gradation of Bogura-Sariakandi District Highway and Construction of Ariarghat Bridge on Bangali River (Taka 240 crore), Expansion and Up-gradation of Magura-Narail Regional Road (Taka 723 crore), Expansion and Up-gradation of Feni-Alokdia-Valukia-Laskarhat-Chhagolnaiya District Road (Taka 59.85 crore), Construction of Connecting Road from Natore road to Rajshahi bypass (Taka 206.64 crore) and Dhaka and Western Power Grid Transmission System Project (Taka 5,949 crore).

Ministers, state ministers and secretaries concerned were present at the meeting.