<div><span style="font-size: 1rem;"><b>The Executive Committee of National Economic Council (Ecnec) on Tuesday cleared a total of 16 projects including a Tk 6,345-crore one to improve urban governance and infrastructure in 88 municipalities under 48 districts.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>Among the approved projects, three other new projects involving&nbsp; Tk 8,160 crore were undertaken to improve important Upazila and Union roads in two divisions and important rural infrastructures in three districts.</div><div><br></div><div>The approval came from the Ecnec meeting presided over by Prime Minister and Ecnec chairperson Sheikh Hasina at the NEC conference room in the city’s Sher-e Banglanagar area.</div><div><br></div><div>“Today a total of 16 projects were approved. The overall estimated cost of the projects is Tk 24,362.14 crore (only additional costs of eight revised projects were counted here),” said Planning Minister MA Mannan while briefing reporters after the meeting.</div><div><br></div><div>Of the total cost, the government will finance Tk 12,873.11 crore, while Tk 11,472.88 crore will come from foreign sources and the rest Tk 16.15 crore from the own funds of the organisations concerned.</div><div><br></div><div>In terms of cost, the largest fresh project is Improving Urban Governance and Infrastructure Project (IUGIP) involving Tk 6,345.08 crore, which will be implemented by June 2028.</div><div><br></div><div>The Local Government Engineering Department of the Local Government Division will execute the project in 88 municipalities of 87 upazilas under 48 districts of eight divisions, aiming to make planned, coordinated and sustainable urbanization and ensure services through infrastructural development of good governance.</div><div><br></div><div>The three new projects designed to important Upazila and Union roads in two divisions and important rural infrastructures in three districts are Widening and Strengthening of Important Upazila and Union Roads in Chittagong Division with the estimated cost of Tk 3,110 crore (to be implemented by June 2028); Widening and strengthening of important upazila and union roads in Rajshahi division with Tk 2,400 crore ( by March 2028); and Important Rural Infrastructure Development in Noakhali, Feni and Laxmipur Districts with Tk 2,650 crore (by June 2028).</div><div><br></div><div>Moreover, a project titled ‘Economic Acceleration and Resilience for NEET (EARN)’ involving Tk 3,348 crore was undertaken to promote the participation of the youths, who have no education, employment and training (NEET), in the economic activities.</div><div><br></div><div>The main operations of the project include enhancing scopes for alternative education and related skills and ensuring their earnings and increasing scopes of self-employment, creating proper environment for them to join works, enhancing institutional skills and project management skills. - UNB</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>