Prime Minister Khaleda Zia presided over the meeting, held at the Planning Commission.

Briefing newsmen after the meeting, Finance and Planning Minister M Saifur Rahman said, the committee approved a project in the water sector under water resources ministry worth about Tk 1,059 crore.

The other important projects, which have been approved by Ecnec, are Tk 630 crore teachers' quality improvement project and Tk 174 crore infrastructure development scheme of different upazila.

Another project to buy dredgers for improving navigability of the rivers was also approved at the meeting.

Responding to a question about slow utilisation of funds under the development programme, Saifur said funds utilisation this year is better than that of previous years, but exact figures will be available later.

UNB adds: After the Ecnec meeting the finance and planning minister categorically told reporters that the country's development activities will continue in homegrown fashion even if the donors get dissatisfied.

"Development of our independent country will take place in our own fashion. If they become dissatisfied, we've nothing to do," he said, three days after international financiers to Bangladesh's development agenda re-appraised the country's current situation in their own meeting in Washington.