DHAKA, Feb 22, 2022 (BSS) - The Executive Committee of the National 
Economic Council (ECNEC) today approved a Taka 1,059.10 crore project for 
developing the optical fiber transmission network of Bangladesh 
Telecommunications Company Limited (BTCL) for expanding 5G network in the 
country.

  The approval came at the 11th meeting of the ECNEC in the current fiscal 
year (FY22) held with its Chairperson and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in the 
chair.

  The premier joined the meeting virtually from her official Ganabhaban 
residence here. 

  Ministers, State Ministers and Secretaries concerned attended the meeting 
from the NEC Conference Room in the city's Sher-e-Bangla Nagar area.

  Briefing the reporters after the meeting, Planning Minister MA Mannan said 
a total of 10 projects were approved today involving an overall estimated 
cost of Taka 8,804.10 crore.

  "Of the total project cost, Taka 8,515.87 crore will come from the 
government of Bangladesh, Taka 120.78 crore from the concerned organization's 
own fund while the rest of Taka 167.45 crore from project assistance," he 
added.

  State Minister for Planning Dr Shamsul Alam, Planning Commission Members 
and Secretaries concerned were also present at the briefing.

  The planning minister said the main objective of the optical fiber network 
upgradation project is to spread uninterrupted state of the art 
telecommunications network and modern broadband internet facilities across 
the country. 

  Besides, the optical fiber transmission network of the BTCL will also be 
developed and expanded to meet the growing demand.

  The BTCL under the Post and Telecommunication Division will implement the 
project by December 2024.

  The project aims to raise the data transmission speed to 100 gigabits per 
second (Gbps) at upazila levels.

  The superfast mobile service can deliver a peak data rate of up to 20 Gbps 
and can connect virtually everyone and everything, including machines, 
objects, and devices.

  The project will improve and expand BTCL's optical fiber transmission 
network to provide uninterrupted telecommunication and modern broadband 
internet facilities.

  The fund of the project will be used to procure and install 
telecommunication and electrical equipment and establish 146 underground 
optical fiber cable links with a combined length of 3,144 kilometres.

  The planning minister said Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in the meeting 
asked the authorities concerned to expand the 5G network in the country and 
also to strengthen the 4G network.

  The premier also stressed the need for expediting the work for launching 
the 2nd Bangabandhu Satellite in the orbit, he said.

   Mannan said the premier also emphasised the need for gradually coming out 
from the subsidy system in the power and energy sector.

  "It's a serious matter and we must get out of this subsidy system. The 
process will start and this has to be done gradually and gently," he said.

  The minister said that the government has been giving subsidies in many 
sectors and the prime minister has suggested coming out from the subsidy 
trend gently which should also be economically acceptable.

   Supplementing the planning minister, State Minister for Planning Dr 
Shamsul Alam said that subsidy in the power sector is costly and there is a 
need for cutting down such subsidy in industrial production.

  He, however, said that the subsidy in the agriculture sector would continue 
as usual.

  Revealing some of the directives from the prime minister in the ECNEC 
meeting, Mannan said that the premier asked the concerned Ministry to keep 
ready necessary manpower for operating the modern machines and equipment in 
the hospitals so that those do not remain idle.

  The prime minister also directed the concerned authorities to set up 
Novotheatres under a big project in those districts which do not have at the 
moment.

   She also suggested setting up a separate body under the Ministry of 
Science and Technology to supervise the operations of the Novotheatres.

  The premier also directed the authorities concerned to ensure good waste 
management in the public hospitals side by side motivating the private 
hospitals to have sound waste management of their own, Mannan said.

  She also advised the authorities concerned to take steps for expanding the 
mangrove forests in Barguna.

  Meanwhile, the planning minister informed that the Annual Development Plan 
(ADP) implementation status during the July-January period of the current 
fiscal year (FY22) is 30.21 percent which was 28.45 percent during the 
corresponding period of the previous fiscal year (FY21).

  Mannan said this has been possible due to the hard work of the countrymen 
irrespective of their class and creed as well as the firm decision making 
character of the premier.

Answering to a question, Implementation Monitoring and Evaluation Division 
(IMED) Secretary Abu Hena Morshed Jaman said that process is on to further 
strengthen the IMED while results in this regard would be visible in near 
future.

   Of the approved 10 projects, 8 are new while 2 are revised ones.

   The other projects approved in the meeting are : SASEC road connecting 
project: Joydevpur-Chandra-Tangail-Elenga Road (N-4) upgradation into four-
lane, 3rd revised with a cost cut of Taka 45.95 crore, Land acquisition and 
utility transfer project: Support to DHAKA (Kanchpur)-Sylhet-Tamabil Highway 
upgradation into four lane and separate service lanes on both sides, 1st 
revised with an additional cost of Taka 4,089.59 crore, Hospital-based 
medical waste management in 15 public hospitals with Taka 214.48 crore, 
Establishment of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Novotheatre in Khulna with 
Taka 553.84 crore, Integrated community based center for child care, 
protection and swim-safe facilities project with Taka 271.83 crore, 
Rehabilitation of polders under Barguna district and protecting Betagi and 
other important risky areas from the erosion of Bishkhali and Payra Rivers 
with Taka 826.49 crore, Coastal embankment rehabilitation, drainage system 
development and embankment protection of Mujibnagar and Monpura under Bhola 
district with Taka 1,092.70 crore, Establishment of two modern fire stations 
at Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Shilpanagar with Taka 122.72 crore and Smart pre-
payment metering project in distribution zones of BPDB with Taka 619.30 
crore.