The approval came from the 14th Ecnec meeting of the current fiscal year held at the NEC Conference Room with Ecnec Chairperson and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in the chair.

Planning Minister AHM Mustafa Kamal briefed reporters after the meeting.

"Today, the Ecnec approved a total of 28 projects involving an overall estimated cost of Tk 30,234.60 crore," he said.

Of the total project cost, Tk 24,854.68 crore will come from the national exchequer while Tk 539.17 crore from the own funds of the organisations concerned and the rest of Tk 4,840.75 crore as project assistance, the minister said.

Of the 28 projects, 19 are new while the rest are revised ones.

One of the projects is to set up Sheikh Hasina University in Netrakona with Tk 2,637.41 crore for creating well-educated and skilled human resources through providing general, science and technology-based education.

About the project, Mustafa Kamal said Bangladesh University Grants Commission and Sheikh Hasina University, Netrakona will jointly implement the project by June 2021 with 100 percent finance from the government fund.

On January 30, 2017, the Cabinet decided to establish Sheikh Hasina University as a research-based general university.

Besides, academic activities on humanities, science, social science and commerce will also be carried out at the university where MPhil and PhD degrees will be conferred on successful candidates.

The university will be established on some 500 acres of land under Shingher Bangla union which is 5 kms away from the district town.

The admission of students for academic year 2018-19 will be held initially from the Technical Training Centre at Rajur Bazar. In the first academic year, departments like Bangla, English, Computer Science, Engineering and Development Economics will be opened.

The minister said Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina at the meeting asked the authorities concerned to keep sufficient space for sports and games at university alongside keeping system for preserving rainwater.