Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Wednesday said the government will be able to provide electricity to every house during the announced ‘Mujib Year’, which will be celebrated from March 2020 to March 2021.

“God willing, we’ll be able to provide 100 percent electricity within the Mujib Year. No-one will be left in dark,” she said.

The Prime Minister said this while inaugurating newly-constructed power plants and launching cent percent power coverage in 23 upazilas under 10 districts through video conferencing from her official residence Ganobhaban.

The power plants are: Anwara 300MW Power Plant, Rangpur 113MW capacity Power Plant, Karnaphuli 110MW Power Plant, Shikalbaha 105MW capacity Power Plant, Patia 54MW Power Plant, Tetulia 8MW Solar Power Plant and Gazipur 100MW Power Plant.

The 23 upazilas which came under cent percent power coverage are: Gabtali, Sherpur and Shibganj in Bogura district, Lohagara in Chattogram, Madhukhali, Nagarkanda and Saltha in Faridpur district, Fulchhari, Gaibandha Sadar and Palashbari in Gaibandha district, and Madhappur and Nabiganj in Habiganj district. Besides, Kaliganj and Maheshpur in Jhenaidah district, Karimganj under Kishoreganj, Baraigram, Lalpur and Singra under Natore district, Barhatta and Mahonganj in Netrakona district, Bhandaria, Kaukhali and Indurkani under Pirojpur district are also coming under cent percent electricity coverage from today.

Sheikh Hasina said that apart from electricity production, the transmission and distribution are also important and the government is implementing various projects for that.

She requested the people to maintain austerity in using electricity as the government provides huge subsidy in this sector to give people electricity at cheaper price.

The Prime Minister said the government adopts all of its plans to provide the fruits of development programmes to the grassroots people.

“We’re implementing all our programmes keeping an eye on that matter. That means we don’t want to keep our development in urban areas or capital city, we want to change the fate of the people living in the rural areas,” she said.

She said the government wants to develop the socioeconomic status of the people of the rural areas, provide employment and ensure all kind of facilities including healthcare and education.

“We have given highest priority in ensuring food security, and we have ensured that. Now we are trying to make the people aware of food nutrition and have taken various programmes in this regard,” she said.

In this connection, she said everyone has to preserve arable lands for ensuring food security. “Because we have to provide food to our people, we will not beg anyone for food, we want to stand on our feet by producing our own foods, we will be self-dependent and keep our heads high in the world arena,” she said.

The Prime Minister said the government is implementing various programmes to ensure basic rights of the people.

Later, she spoke to various sections of people from Faridpur, Natore, Pirojpur and Netrokona.

Deputy Speaker Md Fazle Rabbi Miah, Prime Minister’s Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Affairs Adviser Tawfiq-e-Elahi Chowdhury, State Minister for Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Nasrul Hamid and Chairman of the parliamentary standing committee on Ministry of Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Md Shahiduzzaman Sarker, were present on the dais.

PM’s Political Affairs Adviser HT Imam, Railways Minister Md Nurul Islam Sujan, State Minister for Civil Aviation and Tourism M Mahbub Ali, State Minister for Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Division Zunaid Ahmed Palak and State Minister for Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock Md Ashraf Ali Khan Khasru were present on the occasion.

PM’s Principal Secretary Md Nojibur Rahman moderated the function while Senior Secretary of Power Division Dr Ahmad Kaikaus gave a presentation on the overall development of power generation capacity.