NEC approves Delta Plan 2100

The National Economic Council on Tuesday approved the much anticipated Delta Plan 2100 in a bid to tap the huge potentials of Bangladesh as a Delta country through water resources management, ensuring food and water security and tackling disasters.

The approval came from the NEC meeting today held at the NEC conference room in the city’s Sher-e-Bangla Nagar area with NEC chairperson and prime minister Sheikh Hasina in the chair.

Briefing the reporters after the meeting, planning minister AHM Mustafa Kamal said that the government would need $37 billion by 2030 for implementation of the Plan. The short-term of the plan will be implemented by 2030, the mid-term by 2050 while the long-term by 2100.

State minister for finance and planning MA Mannan, GED member of the planning commission Shamsul Alam and secretaries concerned were present at the briefing.

AHM Mustafa Kamal said through the implementation of the Plan, the country could boost the GDP growth by another 1.5 per cent by 2030.

He said today is a ‘Red Letter’ day for Bangladesh and also for the Planning Commission as such long-term nearly 100 year plan has been approved in the country for the first time.

The planning minister said based on the experiences of the Netherlands, prime minister Sheikh Hasina had earlier directed the authorities concerned to frame such plan to tap the maximum potentials of Bangladesh as a deltaic region.

He informed that the Netherlands have been benefitted largely through adopting such plan as that country had been able to reclaim around 6,000 square kilometers of land in addition to their mainland.

‘We firmly believe that our most important resources are the water resources. If we could properly utilize these resources, then we will certainly not lag behind in agriculture and Bangladesh will grow much stronger economically,’ he added.

Kamal also informed that work is underway to frame another perspective plan for the year 2021-2041 to transform the nation into a developed one.

News Courtesy: www.newagebd.net