Government shuts down Sheikh Hasina jute mill project citing ‘unauthorised spending’

The interim government has shut down a jute textile mill project taken in the name of ousted prime minister Sheikh Hasina after it registered only about 2 percent progress in seven years and incurred “unauthorised spending”. The decision was taken on Wednesday at a meeting of the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) presided over by Chief Advisor Muhammad Yunus at the NEC conference room in Planning Commission. The Sheikh Hasina Specialised Jute Textile Mill (First Revised Completion) project was undertaken in 2018 at a cost of Tk 5.19 billion, with a completion target set for 2020. Only Tk 398.2 million has been spent to date, the majority of it on land acquisition. In a post-ECNEC briefing, Planning...