The Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) on Monday approved 12 development projects involving an overall expenditure of Tk7,150.21 crore.

The entire amount will be financed from the government's own resources.

The approval came at the 5th ECNEC meeting of the current fiscal year (FY26) held at the NEC Conference Room on the Planning Commission premises on Monday with Chief Adviser and ECNEC Chairperson Prof Muhammad Yunus in the chair.

Among the approved projects, eight are new projects, two are revised ones, while two projects received time extensions without cost escalation, said a Planning Ministry press release.

Planning Adviser Dr Wahiduddin Mahmud; Finance Adviser Dr Salehuddin Ahmed; Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs and Expatriates' Welfare and Overseas Employment Adviser Dr Asif Nazrul; Home Affairs and Agriculture Adviser Lt Gen Md Jahangir (retd) Alam Chowdhury; Industries and Housing and Public Works Adviser Adilur Rahman Khan; Power, Energy and Mineral Resources, Road Transport and Bridges, and Railways Adviser Muhammad Fouzul Kabir Khan; Environment, Forest and Climate Change and Water Resources Adviser Syeda Rizwana Hasan; Health and Family Welfare Adviser Nurjahan Begum; Disaster Management and Relief and Liberation War Affairs Adviser Farooq E Azam, Bir Pratik and Education Adviser Prof Chowdhury Rafiqul Abrar, among others, attended the meeting while other senior officials were present.

The 12 projects approved in the meeting are

Ministry of Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives (Rural Development and Cooperatives Division) - 2 projects:

> Important Rural Infrastructure Development in Manikganj District at Tk450 crore.

> Rural Infrastructure Development in Satkhira District at Tk1,930 crore.

Ministry of Agriculture - 1 project

> Improvement of Minor Irrigation System in Haor Areas of Kishoreganj and Netrokona Districts at Tk164.94 crore.

Ministry of Education - 2 projects

> Infrastructure Development of Gazipur Agricultural University at Tk567.29 crore.

> Establishment of One Engineering College in Each of Chattogram, Khulna, Rajshahi and Rangpur Divisions (2nd revised) with an additional cost of Tk394.84 crore.

Ministry of Liberation War Affairs - 1 project

> Construction of Independence Monument at Suhrawardy Udyan, Dhaka (Phase 3) (1st revised).

Ministry of Health and Family Welfare - 3 projects

> Implementation of the Remaining Activities of Essential Family Planning, Maternal, Child and Reproductive Health Services Under the Completed 4th Sector Programme, 1st revised.

> Integrated Development for Operational Management of the Directorate of Health Education, NIPORT and Directorate of Nursing & Midwifery at Tk211.90 crore.

> Implementation of Essential Remaining Activities of PFD, HEF, IFM, HRD and SWPMM at Tk1,546.45 crore.

Ministry of Defence - 1 project

> Construction of 'B'-Type Officers' Residential Buildings at Nirjhor Residential Area, Dhaka Cantonment at Tk177.80 crore.

Ministry of Road Transport and Bridges - 1 project

> 4th Time Extension (2nd revised) for Construction of Kalia Bridge over Nabaganga River at the 21st Kilometer of Narail-Kalia District Highway.

Ministry of Industries - 1 project

> BSCIC Industrial Park, Tangail (3rd revised)" with an additional cost of Tk39.43 crore.

The meeting was also informed about nine projects earlier approved by the Planning Adviser.