Tk 499 crore project for ICT services to upazila level.

The Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) on Tuesday approved seven projects involving Tk 886 crore including a Tk 499 crore project to expand the ICT services to upazila level.The approval came from the ECNEC meeting held at the NEC conference room in the city’s Sher-e-Bangla Nagar with ECNEC chairperson and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in the chair.
Briefing reporters after the meeting, Planning Division Secretary Bhuiyan Shafiqul Islam said that seven development projects involving a cost of Tk 886 crore were approved today and all of the project costs would come from the government exchequer.
He said that with the implementation the Tk 499 crore ‘Upazilla level optical fiber cable network development project’, information and communication technology would be expanded at upazilla and village level.
Bhuiyan Shafiqul informed that the optical fiber cable project would cover 290 upazilas across the country. The remaining 179 upazilas are already under optical fiber connection by BTCL and other projects.
Due to their backward geographical locations, Bhola sadar, Sandwip, Hatia, Maheshkhali, Kutubdia, Baghaichhari, Langdu, Jurachhari, Belaichari, Barkal, as well as Mehendiganj, Muladi and Hizla upazilla of Barisal district will remain out of the project.
Emphasizing the importance of the project, the Planning Commission has advised the concerned ministry to convert it into a mega project and continue its effort to have foreign funding for the project.
The  meeting also approved ‘Procurement of equipment for search and rescue operation for earthquake and other disaster project’ (Tk 159 crore). The project will be implemented for the period of July 2013 to June 2015.
The Planning Secretary said that under the project, modern equipment would be procured to tackle disasters including earthquake to make the rescue operations smoother.
The other projects approved in the meeting are: ‘Agricultural equipment technology development and expansion project (Tk 40 crore-GoB)’; ‘Beef cattle development project (Tk 26 crore-GoB)’; ‘River bank protection of the vulnerable area of Lalmohon Upazils of Bhola district (Tk-103 crore-GoB)’; ‘Applied research project on rural livelihood through surface water irrigation by using RDA technology (Tk 28 crore-GoB’; and ‘Integrated Plan for Extension and Development of Sericulture in Bangladesh (Tk 31 crore-GoB)’.
(Source: UNB)

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