The government has taken an around Tk 60-crore special project to highlight its development works before the rural people eyeing the next general elections.

A meeting of the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) held with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in the chair yesterday approved the project titled "Strengthening the Publicity for Development of Rural People".

The government's development works would be presented through short films, film shows, songs and women's rallies across the country.

Under the project, 65 short films will be made, 21,960 film shows, 9,792 musical programmes and 4,554 outreach programmes titled “Agiye Jachchhey Bangladesh" be arranged, and 1,470 women's rallies will be organised. Besides, 70 multimedia projectors and 70 television sets would be purchased to implement the project.

The project is set to be implemented by the Directorate of Mass Communication by November 2020.

Once the project is implemented, it would be helpful to materialise the 10 special initiatives for development of the rural people. The project would also help the government's development programmes and check terrorism and militancy.

The 10 initiatives include "Ekti Bari Ekti Khamar", Ashrayan, Digital Bangladesh, Education Aid Programme, Women Empowerment, Electricity at Every Home, Community Clinics and Social Safety Programme.

The ECNEC also approved another project for setting up male and female juvenile clubs throughout the country at a cost of Tk 551 crore.

Under the project, 4,883 clubs for male and female juveniles under the women and children affairs ministry would be set up by 2020. The project aims at making the adolescents able to prevent child marriage and genderbased violence.

Besides, training on sexual and reproductive health and rights would be provided to enhance their awareness.

Sport equipment and musical instruments would also be purchased under the project and foreign trips would be arranged.

The ECNEC also okayed another project for widening 77.6-kilometre Elenga-Jamalpur national highway at a cost of Tk 489 crore.

Along with these three, 10 projects were approved yesterday that would costTk 3,415 crore in total.