Every house will have power in Mujib Borsho: Nasrul

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By Syed Shukur Ali Shuvo

DHAKA, Feb 17, 2020 (BSS) – With a view to ensuring electricity for all during the ‘Mujib Borsho’, the government has started working to bring all off-grid areas under power coverage.

“Bangladesh Rural Electricity Board (REB) has been working to supply power to areas having grid facility by June 2020,” State Minister for Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Nasrul Hamid told BSS.

He said the BREB and its all samities will also bring some 1,083 villages without grid facility under power coverage with its own finance by December, 2020, as the nation will celebrate this year as ‘Mujib Borsho’.

Nasrul said that around 96 percent people of the country are now getting electricity which was only 47 percent in 2009 and the country’s generation capacity has already been raised to 22,787 MW from 4,942 MW in 2009.

Highlighting the time-befitting directives of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to make the country self-reliant in power production, he said every upazila would come under cent percent electricity coverage by the ‘Mujib Year’ (2020).

“As the power division has already announced ‘Mujib Borsho’ as Service Year, we are committed to providing electricity to everyone,” said the state minister.

According to the BREB, the number of consumers rose to 2.83 crore now.

Currently, the power distribution line is 4.86 lakh kilometers. Already, 410 upazilas, out of 461 upazilas, have been brought under 100 percent power supply. The remaining 51 upazilas will get cent percent electricity within the Mujib Year.

Besides, the Awami League in their manifesto said the GDP growth will be increased to 10 percent in the next five years. Bangladesh will be a middle income country in 2021, the year when the golden jubilee of the country will be celebrated.

There will be electricity for all by 2020 and by 2023, the power generation capacity will be 28,000 MW and 5,000 CFT LNG supply will be ensured.

Meanwhile, with the government’s sincere efforts Bangladesh has achieved the fastest growth rate of installing solar home systems in the world, at a rate of 70,000 systems every month. Over 3 million systems have already been installed with support from development partners.

Nasrul said the government, under the dynamic leadership of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, is working sincerely to make the country a ‘Sonar Bangla’ as dreamt by Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.