The Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) on Tuesday approved the ‘Sheikh Hasina Nakshipalli,

Jamalpur (1st phase) Project’ involving Taka 722 crore in a bid to enhance the civic facilities of the Nakshi entrepreneurs, handloom and handicraft workers there.

With ECNEC chairperson and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in the chair, the approval came from the ECNEC meeting held at the NEC Conference Room in the city’s Sher-e-Bangla Nagar area, the BSS reported.

Briefing the reporters after the meeting, Planning Minister MA Mannan said that a total of six projects were approved today involving an overall estimated cost of Taka 2,650.75 crore. ‘The entire project cost will come from the state exchequer’. All the approved six projects are new projects.

The Planning Minister said that the Sheikh Hasina Nakshipalli will be set up on 300 acres of land situated at Jamalpur Sadar and Melandhoho upazilas with all necessary facilities.

Bangladesh Handloom Board under the Ministry of Textiles and Jute will implement the project by December 2021.

Mannan said the project aims to alleviate poverty and improve the living standards of the Nakshi and handloom workers of those areas side by side ensuring sustainable development of the Nakshi industry.

He said that Nakshikathas have bright prospects in abroad and once the project is implemented, the handloom and Nakshi workers would be facilitated to a great extent.

According to the Planning Commission, Nakshikatha is commonly known as the brand of Jamalpur and some 300 Nakshi entrepreneurs are producing their products in all upazilas in the district including Bakshiganj, Dewanganj,

Madarganj, Islampur, Melandhoho and sadar upazilas.

Some 261 handloom families live in Jamalpur and Sherpur districts while there are also some 76 Nakshi entrepreneurs and 3,985 Nakshi artists in Sherpur.

Since the Nakshi and handloom workers in those areas are passing their days in difficulty like financial hardship, marketing problem and lack of patronization, the Ministry moved the project proposal and thus it got ECNEC approval.

The main project operations include some 300 acres of Land acquisition, necessary land development, installing water supply system and construction of boundary walls.