PM Hasina orders to reduce subsidy in power and gas

Prime minister Sheikh Hasina on Tuesday ordered to reduce subsidy in power and gas sectors.

She also instructed to collect all arrears of gas and electricity bills at government and private levels or else disconnect the connections.

The prime minister gave the instruction during a meeting of the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC), held at the NEC Conference Room in capital’s Sher-e-Bangla Nagar area.

ECNEC chairperson and PM Sheikh Hasina joined the meeting virtually from her official Ganabhaban residence.

Planning minster MA Mannan briefed the newspersons after the meeting.

Sources at the meeting said electricity bills worth about Tk 90 billion (9,000 crore) and gas bills worth Tk 63.65 billion (6,365 crore) remain unpaid at the government and private sectors.

Addressing the media, MA Mannan said the head of the government ordered to look for alternative to subsidy and formulate strategy detailing the subsidy reduction in phases.

State minister for planning Shamsul Alam also spoke to the media. He said subsidy in agriculture would continue, but the subsidy in the industry sector would decrease.

The government no longer wants to provide subsidy in industrial and developed area and continue it in the agriculture and slum areas, he added.

Minister MA Mannan said subsidy is misused in some cases and many people could not enjoy the privilege of the subsidy. It is not acceptable economically that some people receive it, some do not, and that is unfair, he added.