Prime Minister’s Information and Broadcasting Affairs Adviser Dr Zahed Ur Rahman on Tuesday briefed journalists on Prime Minister Tarique Rahman’s visit to New York for the UN General Assembly and the government’s ongoing initiatives, while defending the recent fuel price hike.
Dr Zahed Ur Rahman disclosed the plans at the government’s weekly briefing at the Press Information Department (PID) on Tuesday.
He also briefed journalists on the prime minister’s UN visit, Bangladesh’s position on the Rohingya crisis and climate change, and the government’s ongoing activities across several ministries.
PM to address UNGA on September 24
Tarique Rahman reached in New York to attend the 81st session of the UN General Assembly, with his official engagements beginning on Tuesday.
He is scheduled to address the General Assembly on September 24, with the Rohingya crisis, climate change, rising sea levels, global inequality, and maternal and newborn health among the issues receiving particular attention during his visit.
Zahed said on September 23, the prime minister is scheduled to attend a high-level meeting on global inequality, a meeting on climate action and just transition, and a side event on the Rohingya crisis jointly hosted by Bangladesh and Gambia.
At the Rohingya event, he will seek international support for the safe and swift repatriation of Rohingyas to Myanmar, Zahed added.
“International attention to the Rohingya issue has declined compared to the past due to various global crises. But the prolonged stay of a large number of Rohingyas in Bangladesh is creating not only economic pressure but also security concerns,” he said.
Titas well adds 12.5mmcfd to national grid
On the country’s gas situation, Zahed said the major supply crisis seen in August had improved significantly.
Titas Gas Field’s Well No 28 in Brahmanbaria was formally inaugurated on September 19 and is now supplying 12.5 million cubic feet of gas per day to the national grid.
The government plans to drill 150 wells by 2030 to reduce dependence on imported gas, he said.
The plan includes drilling new wells, carrying out workovers of existing wells and conducting two-dimensional and three-dimensional seismic surveys to identify new gas fields.
“Long-term, there are very limited sustainable alternatives to increasing domestic gas exploration and production,” Zahed said.
Defends Tk20 fuel price hike
Defending the recent fuel price increase, Zahed said international oil prices, transportation and insurance costs, and high LNG prices were putting significant financial pressure on the government.
From September 21, diesel prices rose from Tk115 to Tk135 per litre, octane from Tk145 to Tk165, petrol from Tk140 to Tk160 and kerosene from Tk135 to Tk155.
“We do not deny that people will suffer. The government’s job will be to minimize that suffering,” he said.
The government expects the Tk20-per-litre increase to reduce the annual subsidy burden by several thousand crore taka.
Zahed said the government would also monitor the impact of the diesel price increase on transport fares and essential commodity prices.
Govt explains public pay hike plan
Asked about plans to increase the salaries of government employees amid substantial subsidy requirements in the fuel and power sectors, Zahed said the government had to balance several priorities.
He said the last national pay scale was introduced in 2015 and that inflation had significantly increased the cost of living over the past decade.
The government is therefore moving towards implementing a new pay structure in phases rather than increasing expenditure all at once, he said.
First electric train planned for Narayanganj-Dhaka-Joydebpur route
The government has taken up a Tk3,822.51 crore project to introduce electric trains on the Narayanganj-Dhaka-Joydebpur route.
The project, already approved by Ecnec, involves installing an electric traction system along around 52km of railway track and procuring electric multiple unit trains, the adviser said.
It is scheduled to be completed by 2031.
Project estimates suggest operating and fuel costs will fall significantly compared with diesel-powered trains, while maintenance costs could decline by 35-40%.
Family Card rollout to prioritize vulnerable families
The government will initially prioritize landless and homeless families, families with members with disabilities, members from the hijra and Bede communities, ethnic minority groups and families owning half an acre or less of land under the Family Card program.
Door-to-door data collection and the creation of an integrated database are underway to identify eligible households, Zahed said.
Government employees, pensioners, large business owners and families owning cars, air conditioners or other significant luxury assets will initially not be eligible.
The policy is to issue one Family Card per household.
Hajj airfare set at Tk130,000
Airfare for Hajj pilgrims in 2027 has been set at Tk130,000, Tk24,830 lower than the 2026 fare, Zahed said.
He said the government had been gradually reducing Hajj airfares to make the overall cost of the pilgrimage more affordable.
Boeing meeting
Asked about Tarique Rahman’s scheduled meeting with Boeing Global President Dr Brendan Nelson and whether an agreement would be signed, Zahed said he had no information beyond what had been officially communicated to him.
He said discussions between Bangladesh and Boeing had already been publicly disclosed.
The published schedule for the prime minister’s New York visit includes a meeting with Nelson and a signing ceremony in the presence of Bangladesh government representatives.
Other initiatives
The government has also approved the reopening of Nilphamari’s Darowani Textile Mills and Magura Textile Mills through public-private partnerships, Zahed said.
He said 13,949 religious leaders and service workers had already received state honorariums, including imams, muezzins, khadims, priests and Buddhist religious service workers.
Meanwhile, a Ministry of Science and Technology project has completed the collection of marine baseline data from around 20,000sq km of sea area.
The data is expected to help identify potential mineral resources and assess microplastic and other pollution in coastal areas.
A 40-day residential training camp is also being held at Bangladesh Krira Shikkha Protishtan for young athletes selected based on their performance in various competitions.
