Govt gives nod to 19 project proposals

The government yesterday approved 19 project proposals, including those for extending the tenure of two power plants.
The cabinet committee on purchase gave a go-ahead to 15 proposals of which the government expenditure to implement 13 proposals would be Tk 1,420 crore.
The cabinet committee on economic affairs okayed four proposals, including construction of shopping malls cum guest houses under public-private partnership on railway lands in Chittagong and Comilla.
Finance Minister AMA Muhith presided over the meetings of both the committees at the Cabinet Division.
The purchase committee extended the tenure of the 110-megawatt furnace oil-based Khulna Power Company Ltd by another five years.
During the extended time, the government will buy electricity at Tk 15.13 kilowatt per hour (kWh), while the existing rate is Tk 19.
The committee also extended the tenure of another 55 MW diesel-based power plant in Khulna by five years.
During the tenure, the government will procure electricity from the plant operated by Aggreko International Power Project Ltd at Tk 19.55 kWh, while the existing rate is Tk 21.21.
The purchase committee also approved a proposal to import 50,000 tonnes of wheat at a rate of $311 per tonne. M/s Honeybee Pvt Ltd will supply the wheat through a Cyprus-based company.
The purchase committee gave a nod to a proposal to import two lakh tonnes of fertiliser, of which 1.5 lakh tonnes will be procured from Russia through state-to-state arrangement and the rest through a private importer.
The cabinet committee on economic affairs gave permission to import muriate of potash fertiliser from a new source, Canada, in state-to-state arrangement. The purchase committee approved the food ministry's proposal to procure 1.5 crore pieces of sacks from Bangladesh Jute Mills Corporation at a cost of Tk 103.50 crore.
The committee also gave a nod to the proposal for appointment of consultant for the third Sitalakhya bridge and proposals for purchase of various services for several projects of the railways and local government ministries.