Dhaka: The Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) on Tuesday approved five development projects involving Taka 700.08 crore.

The approval came at a meeting of the ECNEC held in the NEC conference room in the city's Sher-e-Bangla Nagar with ECNEC Chairperson and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in the chair, reports BSS.

After the meeting, Planning Minister A H M Mustafa Kamal briefed reporters about its outcome.

He said the five projects would require Taka 700.08 crore for execution and the project cost would come from national exchequer.

Mustafa Kamal said about 92.49 percent of the Annual Development Programme (ADP) has been implemented in the 2015-16 financial year (FY16) which was better than previous fiscal FY15.

The ECNEC today cleared the infrastructure development project for Ansar and VDP (Village Defence Party) with a cost of Tk 52.71 crore as part of the initiatives taken to build kitchen room, dining hall and class room at the 39 battalions of 64 districts across the country.

In the first phase, the government will expand the infrastructure facilities in 29 battalions of 29 districts, he added.

Mustafa Kamal said Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has instructed the officials concerned to implement the projects within the stipulated times.

The other projects approved in the meeting are different vessels building for Bangladesh Coast Guard with Tk 445.42 crore, establishment of Begum Amina Mansoor Textile Engineering Institute at Kazipur under Sirajganj district with Tk 87.46 crore, establishment of BSIC industrial city in Bhairab with Tk 72.91 crore and balancing, modernisation, renovation and expansion of the existing cloth processing centre at Madhabdi in Narsingdi with Tk 41.58 crore.

Ministers and state ministers attended the meeting and Planning Commission members and concerned secretaries were also present.