PM holds special meeting on fuel situation, no decision on price hike

No decision has been taken on rising fuel
prices, Information and
Broadcasting Minister Zahir Uddin Swapan has said.
While briefing the
media on the activities of the government today (25 March), he added,
"There is no shortage of fuel in the country, nor do we think we will
face a shortage."
Swapan spoke with
the media after a special meeting, chaired by Prime Minister Tarique
Rahman, on measures to address the fuel situation in the country.
The meeting was held at the prime minister's Cabinet Division office in the
Secretariat this morning.
Following the
disruption at the Strait of Hormuz amid the US-Israel war with Iran, a fuel
crisis arose across the world, especially in countries which depend on imports
for energy generation, said Swapan.
He said the minister and state minister for power, energy and mineral
resources, on the direction of the prime minister, are handling the situation
and have not given any directive to raise prices.
Even the prices in
Bangladesh are lower than in neighbouring countries, he added.
However, due to misinformation being spread on traditional media and social
media, panic buying has begun in the country. This is creating pressure on the government,
said the information minister.
He urged the media
personnel to raise awareness against panic buying.
State Minister for Information
and Broadcasting Yeaser Khan Choudhury, adviser on the ministry Dr Zahed Ur
Rahman and Information and Broadcasting Secretary Mahbuba Farjana were present.
Speaking at the press
conference, Swapan said according to the latest census, there are 4.1 crore
families in the country and the government has planned to provide a 'family
card' to the head of each family, reports BSS.
He said more than 37,000
families have already been received family cards under a pilot project.
These families will receive a
cash assistance of Tk2,500 per month, he said, adding that all eligible
families will be brought under this programme in phases.
Mentioning the steps taken for
the welfare of those involved in religious works, the minister said an
honorarium has been introduced for imams, muazzins and other religious
staff.
"Already, 4,908 imams, 990
priests, 144 Buddhist monastery principals and 396 church pastors have been
brought under coverage of this allowance. All religious institutions in the
country will be brought under this programme in the next four fiscal
years," he said.
Swapan said on the occasion of
Eid-ul-Fitr, sarees, three-pieces, lungis and cash have been distributed among
the poor.
In addition, he said,
initiatives have been taken to institutionalise the zakat system.
Focusing on the progress of the
agricultural sector, the minister said the government has already taken an
initiative to launch the 'Farmer Card'.
"From the next Pahela
Baishakh, this card will be distributed to 21,014 farmers in 11 upazilas of 8
divisions on an experimental basis. Through this, farmers will get an incentive
of Taka 2,500 per year," he said.
He said the government has
planned to excavate 20,000 kilometres of canals across the country.
As part of this, work has
already started in 54 districts, the information minister said, adding that a
target of digging 1,200 kilometres of canals has been set in the first 180
days.
Giving the example of the
government's frugality and discarding the VIP culture, he said members of
parliament have decided not to take tax-free car and plot facilities.
At the same time, Swapan said,
VIP protocols have been cut and initiatives have been taken to ensure austerity
in government expenditure.
Regarding the energy situation,
he said despite the pressure of the global situation, the government has not
taken any decision to hike fuel prices so far.
He called upon all to prevent
rumors and refrain from 'panic buying' of fuel.
He also mentioned that the
requirement of prior approval for repatriation of investments up to Tk100 crore
has been lifted to encourage foreign investment.
Informing about the
government's steps to prevent worker unrest, the minister said about Tk2,500
crore has been allocated to ensure the payment of arrears of salaries and
bonuses to workers before the Eid-ul-Fitr.
As a result, he said, there was
no unrest in the industrial area.
Highlighting the progress in
the health sector, the information minister said initiatives have been taken to
launch e-'health cards' and recruit one lakh new health workers in which 80% of
them will be women.
In addition, he said, advance
measures are being taken to prevent dengue outbreak.
Regarding law and order and
social security, Swapan said special measures have been taken to contain
extortion and ensure the safety of women.
Initiatives have been taken to
launch 'pink buses' to make travel easier for women passengers, he said.
He also said to develop sports
as profession, the government has a plan to make sports education mandatory
from the primary level and to appoint sports teachers in every upazila.
He mentioned the government's
initiatives regarding loan waiver for small and marginal farmers, enactment of
the Expatriate Welfare Foundation Act and introduction of free WiFi at
airports.
The minister said the government
has relaxed the conditions for providing loans of up to Tk10 lakh through
Probashi Kallyan Bank for those wishing to go to Japan on language student
visas.
He also said arrangements will
be made to provide loans of up to Tk10 lakh to students for higher education as
proof of bank solvency or financial capacity.
Swapan said the government is
working on a comprehensive plan to ensure the overall development of the
country.
These initiatives will be
successful with the active cooperation of all, he added.
















