Focus on rural dev along with infrastructure, PM Hasina tells Ecnec

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has put emphasis on rural development along with building infrastructure.

"I think, besides infrastructural development, we also need the overall development of the rural areas," she said while presiding over the Executive Committee of National Economic Council (Ecnec) meeting in the capital on Tuesday.

At the meeting, a total of nine projects with a combined cost of Tk4,453 crore, was approved. Of the cost, the government will bear Tk3,909 crore and the implementing agencies will spend Tk290 crore. The remaining Tk254 crore to be mobilised from the foreign sources as loans or grants.

At the current government's first Ecnec meeting, Sheikh Hasina asked all concerned, particularly the secretaries of the ministries, to take prompt measures in completing the low-cost projects at the quickest possible time.

"I will ask the cabinet secretary to convey this to all secretaries in different ministries so that such projects are completed quickly," she said.

"The timeframe of some projects was extended. I think these projects should be accomplished quickly. Otherwise, expenses will increase unnecessarily and even time as well"

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina

With the finishing of these projects, it would be easy for the government to take up new development programmes, the premier added.

Sheikh Hasina also instructed completion of the time-extended development schemes swiftly to save money and time as well.

"The timeframe of some projects was extended. I think these projects should be accomplished quickly. Otherwise, expenses will increase unnecessarily and even time as well," she said, asking her office to supervise the matter.

She also asked all the ministries to take important and acceptable development schemes for the country's socio-economic advancement, directing them to complete the other low-cost projects quickly.

"We have to choose important and acceptable development projects for our socio-economic prosperity," she added.

In this regard, she asked all to remain cautious while taking any kind of development projects so that the government could attain its goal.

Sheikh Hasina, also president of the Ecnec, said the world has been facing economic pressure due to global conflicts. Otherwise the country was moving fast towards prosperity.

"The growth was increasing, development was expediting, but due to the Covid-19 pandemic the whole world came to a standstill, and when the whole world started to move from that situation, it was hit by the Ukraine-Russia war followed by sanctions, counter-sanctions," she said.

The ongoing attack on Gaza and killings there again mark further global unrest that already barred transportation, resulting in price hike, she continued. "As a result, the cost and time of transportation has increased manifold."

To face the situation, the premier said she has instructed all concerned to increase food production bringing every inch of arable land under cultivation. "And it has given us better results."

She also stressed the need for reducing dependency on importing food items.

The head of the government said Bangladesh is currently producing 40% of onion against its demand. The country is importing 90% of edible oil against its demand. However, the harvest of edible oil this season is 40% against its demand.

"Our target is to be self-reliant in food production gradually," she added.

Approved projects

Briefing the media after the Ecnec meeting, Satyajit Karmakar, senior secretary of the Planning Division, said a project involving training of 29,000 youths on freelancing in 48 districts in the next three years was approved in the meeting. The Department of Youth Development will implement the project estimated at about Tk300 crore.

Another project, titled "Improvement of important rural infrastructure in Dhaka district" with an estimated cost of Tk1123.40 crore was approved. The Local Government Engineering Department (LGED) will implement the project by December 2027.

The West Zone Power Distribution Company to implement another project to install smart prepayment meters with estimated cost of Tk761 crore by December 2027.

A project worth Tk529.61 crore has been approved to expand the activities of the Palli Daridro Bimochon Foundation (PDBF), a government foundation with the goal of eradicating poverty.

Other projects approved include the second revision to the project for establishing a super-specialised hospital under Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University, the construction of ACC divisional office buildings in Khulna, Rangpur, Rajshahi, Barishal, and Sylhet, as well as the upward expansion of the Mymensingh divisional office.