Lighting up every house a great achievement: PM

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Tuesday said bringing every house under electricity coverage is a great achievement of the government. 

She also said her government has already materialised a dream of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman by lighting up each and every house, reports BSS.

"Now, our next and only target is to materialise another dream of Bangabandhu that none would remain homeless and landless in the country," Sheikh Hasina said while presiding over the meeting of the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (Ecnec) virtually from her official residence Ganabhaban.

The prime minister said her government has allowed the private sector to produce power to meet the growing demand.

Megnaghat 450MW power plant and Haripur 360MW power plant are the first such initiatives built in the private sector, she said, adding that the US-based AES (Allied Energy Systems) had built the plants.

The prime minister said that they had taken many measures in setting up power plants after assuming office in 1996.

But unfortunately, she said the measures could not be implemented as her party did not come to power in 2001.

After coming to power in 1996, she said that they had found only 1500 MW power which her government increased to 4300 MW.

At a press briefing following the Ecnec meeting, Planning Minister MA Mannan said the government is managing the economy very well and all socio-economic indicators are looking very nice except for some minor indicators, such as inflation.

Prices of essential commodities are increasing in the country because of a robust hike in the international market. But the government has taken immediate action to protect the poor with subsidised food through TCB truck sales, he noted.

"It is not my own opinion. The entire Ecnec agreed that the country's macroeconomic situation is now stable. And, the meeting congratulated Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina for her immediate action in keeping inflation in check," the minister further said.

The Ecnec meeting was held at the NEC auditorium in Sher-E-Bangla Nagar of the capital. 

The planning minister said Ecnec also greeted the Premier for attaining 100% electricity coverage in the country alongside the inauguration of the Payra Power Plant.

Revealing some directives, the planning minister said the PM asked for expanding cultivation of soybean, sunflower and some other oil beans in the country to produce more edible oil to achieve self-sufficiency and meet the growing demand.

But more research is needed in this regard for which necessary funding will be ensured.

The minister also said the prime minister asked the authorities concerned to increase tree plantation in the coastal areas as well as expand the coverage of the mangrove forests.

The planning minister said there is some inflationary pressure on the economy due to the volatile international market. 

All other indicators, such as GDP growth, per capita income, life expectancy, export, import and remittance are performing very well.

He said the government has increased market intervention while essential items are being provided to 1 crore families at an affordable price.

"It is expected that the bite of inflation is reducing; and hopefully within the next few days, the inflation trend will be under control," he added.

Answering a question, he said the government respects the opinions and studies of others, including various think-tanks.

State Minister for Planning Shamsul Alam said that despite the global inflation trend alongside the war between Russia and Ukraine, the government has been handling the inflation situation nicely compared to what other countries are doing.

He informed that the general point-to-point inflation rate is 6.1% in Bangladesh, 15.1% in Sri Lanka, 12.2% in Pakistan, 10.4% in Brazil, 340% in Venezuela, 52.3% in Argentina, 54.4% in Turkey and 9% in UK.

According to the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics, Bangladesh's economy witnessed a 16.17% inflation in February this year.