<div style="text-align: justify; "><span style="font-size: 1rem;"><b>Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina directed the Finance Division to take an effective step for enlisting the state-owned companies in the country’s share market.</b></span><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">She said this while chairing a meeting of the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (Ecnec) at the NEC conference room in the city’s Sher-e Bangla Nagar area.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Planning Division Senior Secretary Satyajit Karmaker mentioned  the premier’s directives at a press briefing after the meeting on Thursday.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Replying to a question, Satyajit said the prime minister did not specify the names of the companies, but asked the Finance Division and the Finance Secretary to select the companies after proper scrutiny before enlisting those in the capital market.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Planning Minister Abdus Salam and State Minister for Planning Shahiduzzaman Sarker also spoke at the briefing.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Abdus Salam described the PM's  directive as an important decision saying that this would enhance the competitiveness of those government enterprises as they would be eventually able to minimise their expenditures.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">"This will also create an attitude of competition, the government companies could be enlisted in the capital market and thus compete with the private companies,” he said.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Referring to other directives from the prime minister, Satyajit said the PM asked the authorities concerned to maintain proper height of bridges over the rivers and canals so that the structures won’t hamper the water flow and let water vessels ply smoothly.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify; ">She also expressed surprise over the inclusion of her name in ‘Land acquisition and development and construction of basic infrastructures for establishment of Sheikh Hasina Medical University, Khulna’ project.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The prime minister also asked for dropping her name from the scheme, said the planning secretary.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Then participant ministers and secretaries told her that dropping the name will invite new complexity and delay in the project implementation as a law related to the project was already passed in Parliament.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">In response, the premier cautioned that she won’t give approval to any proposal in future if her name is attached to any project, reports UNB.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The Ecnec approved ten development projects, including Tk 1,875-crore one to establish a medical university in Khulna by December 2026.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The total estimated cost of the ten projects is Tk 5,563.68 crore. Of the amount, the government will finance Tk 5,203.21 crore and the rest Tk 360.47 crore will come from the foreign sources.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The ten projects include eight new schemes and two revised projects.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify; ">bnbd/fas</div>