ECNEC okays 14 projects worth Tk 13,445cr
The Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) on Sunday approved 14 development projects at an estimated cost of Tk 13,445.41 crore, spanning infrastructure, healthcare, transport, and economic resilience.
The approvals came at the 10th ECNEC meeting of the 2025-26 fiscal year – the second under the current government – held at the Cabinet Division conference room. Prime Minister Tarique Rahman presided over the session.
Of the total outlay, Tk 8,089.56 crore will come from government funds, Tk 5,340.26 crore from project loans, and Tk 15.59 crore from the concerned organisations’ own financing. Among the 14 projects, five are new, five are revised, and four have received time extensions.
The transport sector drew the most attention, with five road projects approved under the Road Transport and Bridges Ministry. These include the construction of five climate-resilient bridges in Mymensingh division, a second phase of border road construction across the Rangamati, Khagrachhari and Bandarban hill districts, and upgrades to two major regional and national highways – the Bairagirpul-Bauphal highway and the Barishal-Bhola-Lakshmipur national highway. A revised project for the construction of Goma Bridge over the Rangamati River was also cleared.
Two railway projects were also approved: rehabilitation of railway tracks in the western zone under Phase 1, and construction of a broad-gauge railway line from Madhukhali to Magura via Kamarkhali.
In healthcare, the meeting approved “Expanding Access to Integrated Health Care for the Urban Population” under the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. The Local Government Division secured approval for four projects, including the Resilient Infrastructure for Adaptation and Vulnerability Reduction (RIVER) project, housing for sanitation workers under Chattogram City Corporation, infrastructure development for Dhaka South City Corporation, and an emergency water supply project for Dhaka city.
Other key approvals
The Ministry of Finance received approval for a revised Customs Modernisation and Infrastructure Development Project. In the fisheries and livestock sector, a revised project on the eradication of PPR disease and control of foot-and-mouth disease was also cleared.
The meeting was additionally briefed on 33 smaller projects – each below Tk 50 crore – already approved by the Planning Minister, covering roads, railways, judiciary infrastructure, river restoration, agriculture, ICT, power distribution, and special economic zones.
The meeting was attended by Finance and Planning Minister Amir Khasru Mahmud Chowdhury, Local Government Minister Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed, Foreign Minister Dr Khalilur Rahman, and several other cabinet members and senior officials.
