Tk 46,000 Crore Subsidy for Electricity in Eight Months, Government to Buy Rooftop Solar Power: Minister in Rajshahi

The government has had to pay Tk 46,000 crore in subsidy to supply electricity in the country over the past eight months, Power and Energy Minister Iqbal Hasan Mahmud has said. He gave the figure as chief guest at a discussion meeting with government officials in the conference room of the Rajshahi deputy commissioner on Thursday noon, November 5.

The minister said war has made the electricity and energy crisis acute across the world. In this situation, he said, there is no effective alternative to increasing the use of solar power to tackle the country's energy crisis.

The minister said the government is turning to solar power to cope with the energy crisis in the world market and the pressure of higher electricity generation costs. A target has been set to generate 5,000 megawatts of electricity from solar systems before next summer, he said.

To reach that target, the government will also buy electricity produced from solar panels installed on rooftops, the minister said. He said if the target is achieved, it will be possible to continue the development of the agricultural economy alongside tackling the electricity crisis.

The minister encouraged everyone to install panels on rooftops to increase solar power production. He said initiatives also have to come from individuals to produce renewable energy.

The minister said the government will buy electricity produced from personal solar panels at Tk 10 per unit. Government officials at all levels have been instructed to take the necessary measures in this regard, he added.

The minister also said increasing the use of solar power will reduce dependence on conventional fuels. At the same time, it will be possible to cut the government's cost of generating electricity and its subsidy pressure. Government officials and ordinary people must come forward to implement the initiative, he said.

Land Minister Mizanur Rahman Minu attended the discussion meeting. Members of parliament Abu Said Chand, Professor Nazrul Islam Mondal and Mohammad Shafiqul Haq Milon were also present.

Rajshahi City Corporation administrator Mahfuzur Rahman Riton and government officials of different levels of Rajshahi district were also present at the meeting.