The Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) has approved 10 development projects involving a total estimated cost of Tk 9,333.58 crore, including a major Tk 4,963.67 crore project to rehabilitate and strengthen rural roads across the country.
Of the total cost, Tk 8,488.71 crore will come from government funds, while Tk 936.38 crore will be financed through project loans.
The approvals came at the second ECNEC meeting of the current fiscal year, held at the NEC Conference Room of the Planning Commission with Prime Minister and ECNEC Chairman Tarique Rahman in the chair.
State Minister for Planning Md Zonayed Abdur Rahim Saki briefed reporters after the meeting.
The largest project will cover all 64 districts and all upazilas across the country’s eight divisions. Around 5,223 kilometres of rural roads and 7,000 metres of bridges and culverts will be rehabilitated.
The Prime Minister directed authorities to use modern technologies to improve the durability of rural roads. Rubber-bitumen technology will initially be tested on 100 kilometres of roads, with wider use depending on the results.
Saki said the government would also ensure proper maintenance after road rehabilitation, noting that maintenance remains one of the weakest areas of infrastructure management.
Health and infrastructure projects
The ECNEC approved a Tk 1,154.83 crore project to replace and reconstruct unusable structures at Dhaka Medical College. The project will be implemented with government funding from September 2026 to August 2030.
Another health-sector project, costing Tk 201.70 crore, will construct 19 modern hostel buildings for students of 10 medical colleges.
A Tk 115.73 crore project was also approved to introduce smart maintenance technology for bridges under the Roads and Highways Department. With support from KOICA, the technology will initially be used to monitor four bridges and identify possible deterioration before major damage occurs.
The government also plans to provide technology transfer and training to Bangladeshi engineers to build long-term capacity in bridge monitoring and maintenance.
Water, energy and defence
Two water-resource projects were approved: Tk 298.65 crore for protecting Lalmonirhat Sadar from Dharla River erosion and Tk 558.83 crore for strengthening a coastal embankment in Sitakunda, Chattogram.
In the power sector, the ECNEC approved Tk 101.82 crore for the second revision of a 100MW solar power plant in Madarganj, Jamalpur, and Tk 627.23 crore for strengthening electrical infrastructure in the DESCO area of Dhaka.
The government also approved Tk 1,311.53 crore for infrastructure development at Ramu Cantonment. The Prime Minister directed that the natural terrain of the hilly area be preserved during construction.
Saki said the government aims to generate up to 10,000MW of solar power within its five-year tenure, with renewable energy receiving high priority.
Development planning reforms
The Planning Commission is also moving towards a programme-based cluster system to prevent duplication and overlap among development projects.
Saki said discussions had already been held with around 41 ministries and divisions. The government is also working to make project implementation more time-bound and budget-bound.
A new project monitoring dashboard has been developed to allow the Prime Minister’s Office, Finance Ministry, Planning Ministry and relevant ministries to monitor project progress.
The government is also working to modernise the national statistical system so that reliable and updated data can be used to measure the impact of development programmes.
Saki said the government’s five-year strategic framework aims to take Bangladesh “from fragility to prosperity,” with the initial two years focused on economic recovery, followed by three years of transition and reconstruction.
The energy and power sector remains one of the government’s major challenges, with plans to increase domestic gas production, expand renewable energy and strengthen emergency fuel reserves.
