Bangladesh suffers from global power, energy crisis: PM

Prime Minister Tarique Rahman said on Friday that the power and energy crisis facing Bangladesh was a result of the ongoing global crisis. 
“The power and energy crisis is a global issue, and its impact is being felt in Bangladesh as well. The government is making efforts to cope with the situation,” he said.
The prime minister made the remarks at a donation cheque handover ceremony at the BNP Chairperson’s office in the capital’s Gulshan area, according to PM’s Deputy Press Secretary Md Suzauddoula (Sujon Mahmud).
Tarique Rahman presented cheques worth Tk247,000 each to 28 mosques and Tk3 lakh each to 10 temples under his constituency in Dhaka-17.
Speaking at the event, he said the government is trying to explore 130 gas wells as part of efforts to address the energy crisis.
“Some unscrupulous people are engaging in illegal activities involving gas, as they do with oil and electricity,” he said. 
The prime minister urged everyone to work in unity to take the country forward. 
“Resistance must be mounted against those who commit illegal acts or wrongdoing. No one will be allowed to illegally take state resources,” he added.
Noting that state resources have been used for personal gain in the past, the prime minister said the government is making every effort to ensure that no one can use state assets for private interests.

He also said that 4.1 million families will be issued family cards this year.
Earlier in the day, Tarique Rahman visited the Combined Military Hospital (CMH) in Dhaka to see an army officer who was critically injured in an accident during a field firing exercise in Hathazari, Chattogram.
Suzauddoula said the prime minister visited the CMH around noon and enquired about the physical condition of the injured officer.
He also spoke to the injured officer and his family members, offering them courage and reassurance, the deputy press secretary added.
The accident occurred on Wednesday during a field firing exercise of the Bangladesh Army in Hathazari.
Two army personnel were killed and an army officer was critically injured when an accident occurred while a tank was firing shells. The injured officer was airlifted to the Combined Military Hospital (CMH) in Dhaka for advanced treatment.
The prime minister also expressed profound grief over the deaths of the two army personnel and conveyed his sympathy to their bereaved families.