The approval came from the weekly ECNEC meeting held at the NEC conference room in the city with its Chairperson and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in the chair.
Briefing reporters after the meeting, Planning Minister AHM Mustafa Kamal said a total of 13 projects were approved involving an overall estimated cost of Tk 204.02 billion (Tk 20,402.75 crore).
Of the approved 13 projects, 11 are new while two are revised ones.
The planning minister said Islamic Foundation Bangladesh under the Ministry of Religious Affairs will implement the construction of some 560 mosques-cum-Islamic Cultural Centres by December 2019.
Of the total project cost of Tk 90.62 billion (Tk 9062.41 crore), the government will provide Tk 8.92 billion (Tk 892.62 crore) while the rest of Tk 81.69 billion (Tk 8,169.79 crore) will come as grant from Saudi Arabia.
Under the project, model mosques in 64 districts and 16 coastal areas will be four-storey buildings, while the rest of model mosque buildings will be three-storey ones. In these mosques, some 4,40,440 males and 31,400 females will be able to perform their prayers every day.
The meeting also approved the Introduction of 3G Technology and Extension of 2.5G Network of State-run Teletalk with an estimated cost of Tk 6.75 billion (Tk 675 crore) to be entirely borne by the government.
The other projects approved at the meeting are Patuakhali (Paira)-Gopalganj 400 KV Transmission Line and Gopalganj 400 KV grid substation construction with Tk 32.94 billion, setting up of Moheshkhali-Anwara parallel gas transmission pipeline with Tk 11.09 billion, construction of road from Kalurghat Bridge to Chaktai Canal along the Karnaphuli River with Tk 19.78 billion and Upgrading important regional Highways (Mymensingh Zone) to due standard and width with Tk 7.98 billion.
