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The Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) has approved a project worth 1.72.59 crore of Tk to provide potable water in rural areas, sanitation and hygiene facilities, including running water to prevent Covid-19.
The project was approved at an ECNEC meeting chaired by the ECNEC President and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in the Sher-e-Bangla Nagar NEC meeting room in the capital on Tuesday. The Prime Minister joined the meeting via video conference from her official Ganobhaban residence.
At the end of the meeting, the superior secretary of the Ministry of Planning. Asadul Islam told a press conference that the 19th ECNEC meeting of the current financial year has approved five projects at a cost of Tk 3,308.36 million rupees. Of this, government funding will be Tk 1,245.30 crore, the agency’s own funding will be Tk 20.96 crore and loan assistance from foreign sources will be Tk 2,042.06 crore. Of the five approved projects, two are new and three are reviewed.
Mamun-al-Rashid, member of the Physical Infrastructure Division of the Planning Commission, said: “The Department of Public Health Engineering of the Ministry of Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives will implement the Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene Project Rural Development for Human Resources in December 2025. The World Bank and AIIB will provide credit assistance of 1,731.06 million Tk for the project. The project will be implemented in 98 upazilas in 30 districts of 6 divisions.
He said that if the project is implemented, 45 lakh people will get clean water.
Under the project, 6 large piped water supply systems, 3,374 piped water supply systems at the community level, 352 public sanitation and hygiene facilities, 500 sanitation and hygiene facilities in community clinics, 3,000 toilets in community clinics, 3 bathrooms in community clinics. The construction of 260 toilets, 72 hand washing stations with water facilities to prevent Covid-19 and the necessary materials to prevent Covid-19 will be provided.
The Narsingdi District Rural Infrastructure Development Project approved by ECNEC at a cost of Taka 695.18 crore will be implemented by the Local Government Engineering Department (LGED) of the Ministry of Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives from July 2020 to June 2023 in Narsingdi Sadar, Palash, Shibpur, Manohardi, Belabo and Raipura upazilas.
Under the project, 569.4 km of rural roads, 22,553 meters of drones, 12,000 meters of slope protection, 638 bridges, 6 ghats and 14 markets will be built.
Asadul Islam said that during the ECNEC meeting, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina emphasized making a “master plan” for the proper construction of infrastructure, mini stadiums and bodies of water in each upazila.
Referring to the ECNEC approval of an additional Tk 259.16 crore for the further development project (1st Amendment) of Rajshahi University of Engineering and Technology, the Planning Secretary said: “The Prime Minister directed interested parties to find better ways to guarantee the responsibility of the country’s universities “.
He led the preparation of a ‘master plan’ for the development work of these institutions so that no unplanned buildings or infrastructure are built on the campuses of universities and other large educational institutions.
He further said that the Prime Minister has instructed not to pay the rent if government officials are not in assigned government houses. He said that those in whose name the government house will be assigned will have to stay in that house.
“The prime minister has requested the approval of the Finance Ministry to change the rental hours,” he said.
Other projects approved by ECNEC are: Acquisition of land for the construction of a sewerage system in the Khulna district Expenditures have increased by 118 million taka through the First Amendment. The original cost of the project was Tk 96 crore. In addition, it approved a project to install prepaid gas meters (second amendment) at a cost of Tk 753.63 crore.
