ECNEC reconstituted with Tarique Rahman as Chair, Fakhrul as alternate chair

The government has reconstituted the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC), appointing Prime Minister Tarique Rahman as its chair.

The new committee was formed through a gazette notification issued on Tuesday (February 24) by the Cabinet Division, signed by Additional Secretary (Committees and Economic Affairs) Md Humayun Kabir under the authority of the President.

According to the notification, the Prime Minister will serve as ECNEC chair, while Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives Minister Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir will act as alternate chair.

Other members of the committee include Finance and Planning Minister Amir Khasru Mahmud Chowdhury, Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed, Foreign Minister Khalilur Rahman, Industries, Commerce and Textiles & Jute Minister Khandaker Abdul Muqtadir, Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Md Asaduzzaman, Health and Family Welfare Minister Sardar Md Sakhawat Hossain, and Road Transport, Bridges, Railways and Shipping Minister Sheikh Robiul Alam.

Senior secretaries and secretaries of relevant ministries and divisions—including the Cabinet Secretary, Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister, secretaries of Finance Division, Economic Relations Division, Planning Division, Implementation Monitoring and Evaluation Division (IMED), Statistics and Informatics Division, and members of the Planning Commission—will serve as supporting officials. The term “secretary” in this context also includes senior secretaries.

Mandate and Functions
ECNEC will review and approve all Development Project Proposals (DPP), Technical Assistance Project Proposals (TAPP) and Technical Project Proposals (TPP).

For public sector projects involving investment exceeding Tk 50 crore, the committee will consider recommendations of the Project Evaluation Committee (PEC) before granting approval and will also review implementation progress.

The body will further examine proposals from private, joint or participatory investment companies.

Additionally, ECNEC has been entrusted with monitoring the overall economic situation, reviewing key policy matters related to economic activities, approving annual foreign aid targets, and evaluating progress in achieving those targets.

The notification states that meetings will be held as necessary, with the Planning Division providing secretarial support to the committee.