The Asian Development Bank has awarded three of its best performing project teams in Bangladesh as part of its efforts to promote efficient project implementation.

Cai Li, deputy country director of the ADB resident mission in Bangladesh, presented the awards for the year 2016 to the winning teams at a ceremony in Dhaka on Sunday, according to a statement.

Senior government officials, project directors of ADB-assisted projects, members of the winning project teams, and ADB staff members attended the ceremony.

The winning project teams are: Participatory small scale water resources sector project, executed by the Local Government Engineering Department; SASEC railway connectivity: Akhaura-Laksam double track project, executed by Bangladesh Railway; and, Power system efficiency improvement project, part A -- construction of Ashuganj 450 megawatt power plant, executed by Ashuganj Power Station Company Ltd. 

“The project teams were selected for results delivery, efficiency, effective project implementation, efforts to empower women, transparency, and other criteria,” said Cai Li.

Participatory small-scale water resources sector project (with $55 million ADB financing) is developing community-based infrastructure with participation of stakeholders, including farmers, fishermen, landless people and women.

The project, including two of its forerunners, helped raise cropping intensity from 176 percent to 237 percent, saved one crop from regular flooding, added over 390,000 tonnes of crops, and created employment of 6.27 million person days per annum.

The SASEC railway connectivity: Akhaura-Laksam double track project (with $505 million ADB financing) is helping to upgrade the 72-kilometre Akhaura-Laksam section of the Dhaka-Chittagong railway corridor to a double track dual-gauge railway line, along with modern signalling equipment.

This project will help reduce transport costs, improve logistics of strategic corridors, such as Dhaka-Chittagong link, for domestic and sub-regional trade, and enhance inclusiveness of railway services by introducing infrastructure.

The power system efficiency improvement project (with $500 million ADB financing) is helping to construct a 450MW combined cycle modern power plant in Ashuganj, which will produce 80 percent more power by using the same amount of energy as before, thus contributing to environmental sustainability.

The best project team recognition programme was initiated in 2001, and has been a regular annual exercise by the ADB to promote development effectiveness of ADB-assisted projects in Bangladesh.

As of April 30, the ADB's ongoing lending to Bangladesh stood at $7.6 billion for 54 projects, while the ongoing technical assistance amounted to $28.6 million for 32 projects. The lender approved more than $1 billion for Bangladesh in 2016.