Staff Correspondent:

Dhaka – Lawmakers from rural constituencies will get a special allocation of 20 crore takas each for development projects like roads, bridges and culverts.

The Executive Committee of the National Economic Council at a meeting headed by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Sunday gave the go ahead to the allocation totaling an amount of 6,476.65 takas for the lawmakers.

The project will be implemented by June 2024.

The meeting also approved other projects involving 2983.34 crore takas.

Planning Minister Mannan said the meeting approved am overall allocation of 9,460.09 crore taka estimated for implementation of 10 projects.

“It is a matter of pleasure that the entire money will come from the government fund,” the minister told an online news briefing after the meeting in Dhaka.

Of the approved 10 projects, six are new while the rest four are revised projects.

The lawmakers will get the money under “Development of rural Infrastructures on priority basis Phase-III Project” involving an estimated cost of Taka 6,476.65 crore, Mannan said.

“I think it will be very useful for the welfare of the people,” he said adding that the project would cover all the parliamentary constituencies of the entire country except those in different city corporation areas.

The project includes development of 305.21 km upazila roads, 660.37 km union roads, 5075.76 km village roads, maintenance of 1090.77 km village roads, construction of 7992.22 meter infrastructures on rural roads (construction of small bridges and culverts, each one with less than 100 meter in length).

The planning minister said the Annual Development Plan implementation rate during the July-May period of the outgoing financial year reached 57.37 percent compared to 67.97 percent during the same period in the last fiscal year.

The approved five new projects are Protection of Moulvibazar Sadar, Rajnagar and Kulaura upazilas from the erosion of Monu River involving Taka 996.28 crore; Development of Sustainable Water Supply, Sanitization and Hygiene Management in Haor Region Project with 557.62 crore taka; Reconstruction of 100-metre gauge passenger carriage of Bangladesh Railways (Phase-II) Project with 74.12 crore taka; Improvement of Tekerhat-Gopalganj (Haridaspur)-Mollahat (Ghonapara) Regional Highway into due standard and width project with 612.58 crore taka; and Reconstruction of Jamalpur District Jail Project with 210.03 crore taka.

The meeting also revised projects undertaken previously that included Improvement of Important Regional Highways into due standard and width (Chattogram Zone) (1st revised) Project with an additional cost of 256.36 crore taka (total Taka 692.36 crore); Increasing fish production by improving water bodies (2nd revised) Project with an additional cost of 116.85 crore taka (Total Taka 409 crore); Development of Important Rural Infrastructures in Greater Patuakhali District (Patuakhali and Barguna districts) (2nd revised) Project with an additional cost of 159.60 crore taka (total Taka 691.80 crore) and Construction of BAFO Bangabandhu Complex, Jashore (3rd revised) Project with no rise in the estimated project cost.

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