Fuel prices may be adjusted if crisis prolongs: Adviser Zahed

The government might adjust fuel prices if the ongoing Middle East crisis continued, said Prime Minister's Information and Broadcasting Adviser Dr Zahed Ur Rahman on Wednesday.
Addressing a press briefing in the Press Information Department (PID) conference room at the secretariat in the capital, he said the current global situation, especially instabilities, was putting pressure on Bangladesh's fuel subsidy system.
At the event, he disclosed the progress of various government activities in the first two months of governance.
He said the government would not be able to continue fuel subsidies for a long time if the situation did not improve. However, he assured that fuel prices would not be increased in April, as announced earlier.
The adviser said the government was closely watching the global energy market and would make decisions to balance fiscal pressure with public interest.
He said adjusting fuel prices might become necessary if the crisis continued.
Presenting a paper, Zahed said the supply of fuel, including diesel, octane, and petrol, was 0.44 million tonnes in March, down from 0.48 million tonnes in the corresponding month of 2025.
On agriculture, he said marginal, small, and medium farmers would receive Tk 2,500 per year in incentives, and Tk 11.50 billion had been allocated from the development budget for this purpose.
He also said the distribution of farmer cards under the Ministry of Agriculture had started.
As a pilot project, 21,014 farmers in eight divisions would receive the cards. If successful, the programme would be expanded in the next fiscal year, said Zahed.
The card would also help farmers get agricultural loans, he said.
Regarding the Ministry of Land, he said discussions were going on to formulate the Jalmohal Act 2026 to protect the rights of fishermen and marginal communities.
He said there were plans to abolish the lease system of waterbodies.
On religious affairs, he said 78,800 pilgrims would perform Hajj this year.
Hajj flights had already started, and necessary preparations had been completed to ensure smooth travel, he added.
Speaking about the health sector, he said vaccination efforts had been strengthened to tackle the measles situation.
He added that it would take some time for the vaccines to be fully effective.
On disaster preparedness, the adviser said a list of 145,000 volunteers had been prepared to deal with possible earthquakes.
A task force had been formed under the prime minister's leadership, and steps were being taken to enforce building codes, he said.
He also said the government had adopted a zero-tolerance policy against extortion to maintain law and order.
Drives against illegal structures were also ongoing, he added.
He said the use of soil from agricultural land in brick kilns had been banned to protect the environment, and strict monitoring had started against hill cutting.

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