First ECNEC meeting adjourned until next week mid-discussion

The meeting ended for the day as the prime minister had to attend another meeting, an official says

The first meeting of the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) after the formation of the BNP government has ended mid-discussion.

Nineteen projects were on the agenda, but the planning ministry said only eight were discussed in the meeting at the Secretariat on Monday.

The rest of the meeting will be held next week, it added.

Md Jashim Uddin, spokesperson for the ministry, said: “The discussions ended for the day as Prime Minister and ECNEC Chairman Tarique Rahman had another meeting.”

According to him, six of the eight projects discussed were cleared and two were dropped.

The ministry on Sunday said the meeting was scheduled for a 10:30am start to discuss 17 major projects, with the prime minister in the chair.

However, after the meeting, the ministry said two more projects were supposed to be tabled.

Traditionally, ECNEC meetings are held at the NEC conference hall in Sher-e-Bangla Nagar, where the government sets development priorities, approves budgets, and monitors project progress.

This time, however, the meeting took place in the cabinet chamber of the Secretariat.

Officials did not disclose why the venue was changed but hinted that centralising operations through the Prime Minister’s Office was a factor.

Ahead of the inaugural meeting, the NEC premises underwent extensive preparation, including landscaping, resurfacing of access roads, and the planting of new trees.

Since taking office, the premier has shifted most of his daily work and meetings to the Secretariat, reducing congestion and public disruption along the previous routes to the Tejgaon office.

The ECNEC was formed on Feb 24, with Tarique as the chair and Local Government Minister Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir as his deputy.