The Scandinavian donors are likely to provide Taka 757 crore as grants against various projects of the Bangladesh government during the current fiscal year (1997-98). reports BSS.

The amount would be Taka 409 crore higher than that of the corresponding figure of last fiscal (Taka 348 crore) received from them, said a senior official of Economic Relations Division (ERD).

He said the donors — Norway, Sweden and Denmark — have already separately signed contracts with the government to finance nine projects in the first six months of the current fiscal.

The projects to be financed under the Norwegian grants are female secondary education stipend project, pnase-2 under the Ministry of Education, area coverage rural electrification Kect-five in Bhola under the istry of Energy and Mineral Resources, non-formal education project-2 under the primary and mass education. They have agreed to provide Taka 141.0 crore against these three projects.

Denmark has agreed to finance Taka 90 crore in the rehabilitation of Dhaka-Arlcha highway project. This grant will be utilised to meet the additional cost for the project.

which is being implemented by Roads and Railway Division of the Ministry of Communication. Earlier, Taka 115.0 crore was provided by the Denlsh government for the project under an agreement signed in April, 1995.

The project will contribute to the development of the country by ensuring a high standard and safe structure of one of the most important, highways in the country, the ERD official said, adding transport sector is one of the priority sectors to which Denmark has been providing development assistance to Bangladesh since independence.