New govt’s first Ecnec meeting nods 5 projects, session adjourned midway

The first Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (Ecnec) meeting today (6 March) approved five projects with the session suspended midway to accommodate another urgent engagement.

Officials said the meeting will resume discussions on the pending projects in the next meeting.

The agenda included 19 projects, but discussion on the eighth project was underway when the session was paused. Of the first seven projects, three cost revisions and two extensions were approved.

The total cost of the approved projects stands at Tk3,367 crore, reflecting an increase of Tk483 crore. Of this, Tk391 crore will be financed by the government, with Tk92 crore covered by foreign loans.

However, the Kartoa River System Development Project and the 4th phase of the Participatory Rural Development Project were returned without approval for further consideration and deeper scrutiny.

The meeting, initially scheduled at the Planning Commission, was later held in the Cabinet Conference Room, chaired by Ecnec Chairperson and Prime Minister Tarique Rahman.

A senior planning official said the prime minister used the first meeting to understand procedural matters.

The Kartoa project alone took nearly two hours of discussion, during which the prime minister sought clarifications and refrained from approving the project without fully understanding its necessity, he said.

5 projects approved

The approved projects include the Universal Social Infrastructure Development Project-2, with a revised cost of Tk1,450 crore, up by Tk368 crore. The Char Development and Settlement Project-4 was reduced by Tk3.48 crore, bringing its total to Tk30.71 crore.

The Child and Maternal Health and Health System Improvement Project (Component-2), covering modernisation of diagnostic imaging systems at eight divisional medical college hospitals, was revised upward by Tk118 crore to Tk1,213.70 crore.

Two projects received a fourth extension of their timelines: the IT Training and Incubation Centre Establishment Project (Third Revision) at Tk533.55 crore, and the Gopalganj Dental College and Hospital Project (Second Revision) at Tk139.30 crore.

Committee formed for greater accountability

Following the meeting, Finance and Planning Minister Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury said under the directive of the prime minister, a special committee has been formed to conduct a comprehensive evaluation of ongoing development projects, aiming to eliminate wasteful spending

"Prime Minister's Adviser on the Ministry of Finance and Planning Dr Rashed Al Mahmud Titumir is the convener of the committee. The committee will review projects that have been delayed for long periods or have seen repeated cost increases. This clearing of the balance sheet is essential to fulfill promises made to the citizens," he said.

The minister mentioned that the committee is tasked with a cleaning process to identify which projects should be terminated, which can be extended, and which new initiatives should be adopted for the future.

He described this as a necessary step to remove bad projects from the system to make room for good ones that provide real value to the public, reports BSS.

Rashed Al Mahmud Titumir said many projects were previously initiated based on political considerations rather than economic viability, often lacking a clear Return on Investment (ROI).

The new committee, formed under the direction of the head of government, will scrutinize these projects to determine their necessity and whether they should continue, he added.

The adviser added that the government aims to shift away from a culture of political patronage toward a system where public money is strictly used for public welfare.