The Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) on Sunday greenlit 14 development projects with a combined budget of Tk 13,445.41 crore.

The meeting, held at the Cabinet Division conference room in Dhaka and chaired by Prime Minister Tarique Rahman, focused on a mix of new initiatives and critical revisions. Of the approved projects, five are entirely new ventures, five are revised versions of existing plans, and four have been granted time extensions to ensure completion.

The funding structure for these initiatives involves Tk 8,089.56 crore from the national exchequer, while Tk 5,340.26 crore will be sourced via international loans. The participating organizations will contribute the remaining Tk 15.59 crore.

A notable feature of the session was the Prime Minister`s call for accountability regarding project delays. An investigation committee, headed by the Cabinet Secretary, has been formed to probe why three specific infrastructure projects required five separate timeline extensions, highlighting the government’s push for efficiency in public spending.

Key highlights of the approved projects include:

Healthcare and Social Welfare: A major project titled "Expanding Access to Integrated Health Care for the Urban Population" was approved under the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. Additionally, the Local Government Division secured funds for sanitation worker housing in Chattogram and emergency water supply solutions for Dhaka.

Transport and Connectivity: The transport sector received the largest share of attention with five major bridge and highway projects. These include the construction of climate-resilient bridges in Mymensingh, a second phase of border road construction in the Chittagong Hill Tracts, and several highway upgrades in the Barishal and Patuakhali regions.

Railways and Trade: Two significant railway projects were cleared, focusing on the rehabilitation of tracks in the Western Zone and a new broad-gauge line connecting Madhukhali to Magura. On the trade front, the ECNEC approved the first revision of the "Customs Modernization and Infrastructure Development Project" to streamline border and port activities.

Agriculture and Environment: In the livestock sector, a specialized project aimed at eradicating Foot-and-Mouth disease was revised and approved. The meeting also moved forward with the "Resilient Infrastructure for Adaptation & Vulnerability Reduction (RIVER)" project to mitigate climate change risks.

The high-level meeting was attended by senior cabinet members, including Local Government Minister Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, Finance and Planning Minister Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury, Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed, and Road Transport and Bridges Minister Shaikh Rabiul Alam.