All rural households to get electricity: PM

FE Team | Published: February 07, 2014 00:00:00 | Updated: November 30, 2026 06:01:00

With much of rural areas still await electricity, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina said Thursday that her government would reach electricity to each and every household of the country to spur the rural economy, reports UNB.
"We've assumed office again with people's mandate and by the grace of the Almighty Allah, we'll be able to maintain the pace of development and reach electricity to each and every household of the country as per our goal," she said.
The Prime Minister came up with the remarks in her introductory speech before the high officials and chiefs of different organisations under the Ministry of Power, Energy and Mineral Resources at the ministry's conference room at the secretariat.
This was Sheikh Hasina's first meeting with the high-ups of the Power Ministry since she assumed office as the Prime Minister for the third time.
PM's Power and Energy Adviser Dr Towfiq-e-Elahi Chowdhury and State Minister Nasrul Hamid Bipu and Secretaries of Power Division and Energy and Mineral Resources Division were present.
The Prime Minister said that in her immediate-past term, the country witnessed power generation capacity of 10,000 MW surpassing the target of 7,000 MW envisioned in the election manifesto of Awami League.
Referring to a new slogan of the power sector 'Jolse Alo Bhasche Des, Ghore Ghore Alor Resh', Hasina said, "We'll provide power to each and every household, this is our pledge and we'll ensure it in various forms.''
Apart from increasing power generation, drilling of newer gas wells, purchasing power from the neighbouring countries, Hasina said, her government would import LNG and take effective steps to meet the demand of gas as well as put due emphasis on renewable energy.
"We'll make the country well-lit through ensuring power supply as per our ability," the Prime Minister said adding that the socio-economic development of the country largely depends on power generation. "The more there will be power generation, the greater there will be economic development."
About his first meeting of the new government at the Power and Energy Ministry, the premier said the already accomplished works in the sector, future plan, reviewing the overall situation, immediate solution to some problems, farsighted plans and how to implement the mega projects came up at the meeting for discussions.
The Prime Minister noted that once there was a huge crisis of power in the country and people had to lay down their lives in police firing for demanding power at Kansat during the misrule of BNP-Jamaat.
Hasina said that her government then enacted a law and allowed setting up power plants in the private sector during the 1996-2001 period. The power generation then reached 4,300 MW-mark from 1600 MW.
But, in the passage of seven years in the successive BNP-Jamaat government and army-backed caretaker government, the power generation marked a downtrend.
After assuming office in 2009, the PM said, her government then took prompt steps to augment power generation through enacting a new law, drilling newer gas wells, setting up more transmission lines and distribution lines. A total of 69 power plants were set up in the last five years helping the country attain power generation capacity of 10,000 MW.
The Prime Minister was also a bit critical about a section of media and a quarter of people who always try to find some negative things in everything.
"Whenever you go for any solution, then some newspapers, media and a section of people try to find errors in everything and tend to highlight those. But, they hesitate to acknowledge any good initiative or work as they are immensely influenced by negative thinking," she added.
Hasina said even there are many people who find it very hard to praise the good works and hard labour that the officials of the ministry concerned put in preparing various paper works, negotiating with the parties, monitoring the implementation process, getting the works done and reaching power to every household.
"But, I acknowledge and praise those initiatives because boosting power generation and reaching it were the toughest tasks….even many transmission lines were in dilapidated conditions and those had to be improved," she said.
Hasina also said that whenever anyone says that the government officials and employees do not work, she protests.
In this connection, the Prime Minister extended her heartfelt thanks to the officials and employees of the Power Ministry alongside the cooperation of people from all walks of life for the overall success in the power and energy sector.