Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina today directed the Finance Division to take effective steps to enlist state-owned companies in the country's share market.

She said this while chairing a meeting of the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (Ecnec) at the NEC conference room in the city's Sher-e Bangla Nagar area.

Planning Division Senior Secretary Satyajit Karmaker mentioned the premier's directives at a press briefing after the meeting.

Replying to a question, Satyajit said the prime minister did not specify the names of the companies but asked the Finance Division and the finance secretary to select the companies after proper scrutiny before enlisting those in the capital market.

Planning Minister Abdus Salam and State Minister for Planning Shahiduzzaman Sarker also spoke at the briefing.

Abdus Salam described the PM's directive as an important decision saying that this would enhance the competitiveness of those government enterprises as they would be eventually able to minimise their expenditures.

"This will also create an attitude of competition ….. the government companies could be enlisted in the capital market and thus compete with the private companies," he said.

Referring to other directives from the prime minister, Satyajit said the PM asked the authorities concerned to maintain a proper height of bridges over the rivers and canals so that the structures won't hamper the water flow and let water vessels ply smoothly.

She also expressed dismay over the inclusion of her name in "Land acquisition and development and construction of basic infrastructures for establishment of Sheikh Hasina Medical University, Khulna" project.

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The prime minister also asked to drop her name from the scheme, said the planning secretary.

The participating ministers and secretaries then told her that this would invite fresh complexities and delays in project implementation as a law related to the project has already been passed in parliament.

In response, the premier cautioned that she would not approve any proposal in the future if her name was attached to any project.

The Ecnec approved ten development projects, including Tk 1,875-crore one to establish a medical university in Khulna by December 2026.

The total estimated cost of the ten projects is Tk 5,563.68 crore. Of the amount, the government will finance Tk 5,203.21 crore and the rest Tk 360.47 crore will come from foreign sources.

The ten projects include eight new schemes and two revised projects.