DHAKA, Oct 29, 2019 (BSS) – The Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) today approved 10 development projects involving Taka 11,467.23 crore, including the ‘Population Census and House Listing 2021’ project with Taka 1,761.79 crore.
The approval came up at the ECNEC meeting with its Chairperson and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in the chair held at the NEC Conference Room in the city’s Sher-e-Bangla Nagar area.
Briefing the reporters after the meeting, Planning Minister MA Mannan said that a total of 10 projects were approved today involving an overall cost of Taka 11,467.23 crore. “Of the total project cost, Taka 8,271.23 crore will come from the state exchequer while Taka 267.11 crore from project assistance and Taka 2,928.79 crore from foreign credit.”
The minister said the government will conduct the weeklong 6th population census and house listing from January 2 to 8 in 2021. Under the project, he said, the government for the first time will count the Non-Resident Bangladeshis (NRBs) and foreigners who live in the country.
He said the government will appoint around 5.06 lakh people for ensuring the correct information of the country’s population.
Mannan said the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS) will implement the project from July 2019 to June 2024. Out of the total project cost, Taka 1,578.68 crore will come from the government exchequer while Taka 183.11 crore will come from foreign credit and project assistance.
The other projects approved in the meeting are ‘3rd amendment of the establishment of four Marine Academies in Pabna, Barisal, Sylhet and Rangpur districts’ with Taka 521.46 crore, ‘proper development of the Kishoreganj Pakundia-Mirzapur-Tok district highway’ with Taka 729.79 crore, ‘three bridges at the Aminbazar, Salehpur and Narahat under the Dhaka-Aricha highway’ with Taka 388.91 crore, ‘2nd revised of the “Skills for Employment Investment Programme (SEIP)’ project’ with Taka 3,712.33 crore, ‘development of Nuclear Regulatory Infrastructure of the Bangladesh Atomic Energy Regulatory Authority for supervision of Nuclear Security at Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant’ with Taka 1,710.63 crore, ‘expansion of irrigation in the grater Rangpur district through the best use of ground water and conservation of rain water’ with Taka 250.57 crore, ‘rural employment and road protection project-3’ with Taka 1,723.15 crore, ‘protection project for the Nowapara area under Naria upazila under Shariatpur district from the erosion of the right bank of the branch of Padma river and the Charaatra area from the left bank of the Padma river’ with Taka 557.24 crore and ‘the establishment of water refinery at the Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Shilpa Nagar’ with Taka 632.82.
Referring to development of Nuclear Regulatory Infrastructure of the Bangladesh Atomic Energy Regulatory Authority for supervision of Nuclear Security at Rooppur Nuclear Power plant, Mannan hoped that the implementation work of the power plant will be completed within the scheduled time.
As per the recommendation of the International Atomic Energy Commission, he said, the government has taken the project for ensuring security at the project area.