Information and Broadcasting Minister Zahir Uddin Swapon has said that it will take some time to restore the power and energy sector to a healthy state, and that the government is working towards that goal.

The minister said a deep cycle of corruption and looting had developed in the power and energy sector during the Awami League regime.

The minister made the remarks at a press conference on power and energy price hikes at the Secretariat this morning.

The Prime Minister's Information and Broadcasting Affairs Adviser Zahed Ur Rahman presented a written statement at the briefing. Deputy Chief Information Officer of the Press Information Department Mohammed Fokhrul Islam was also present.

Swapon said a massive subsidy of Tk 41,000 crore still has to be provided to the power sector. He added that, compared with the country's defaulted loans, money laundering, and the vast size of the informal economy, this amount is insignificant.

“Those who committed these crimes became owners of huge amounts of black money and laundered money abroad, and it is this burden of crime that today’s crisis-ridden management has to bear,” he added.

The minister also said that despite the power price hike, marginal people will face less suffering. He said that although the Bangladesh Energy Regulatory Commission (BERC) raised electricity prices for all consumers, the government appealed, ensuring that prices were not increased for marginal consumers who use up to 75 units of electricity.

As a result, these consumers will continue to pay no more than Tk 5.26 per unit, as before, he said.

The information minister claimed that, through this measure, 65 percent of the country's low-income electricity users will remain largely free from the additional burden of the price hike.

"If there had been a proper policy for energy resource extraction over the past 20 years, we would not have to be so import-dependent now," the information minister remarked.

Regarding the government's future plans for the power and energy sector, he said that initiatives have been taken for domestic gas exploration and offshore bidding, while solar and renewable energy production are also being prioritised.

In response to a question, Adviser Zahed said it is true that the power price hike will have some impact on the prices of goods produced in industries and factories.

At the same time, the government is expanding assistance for the general public through various social safety net programmes, and these initiatives will bring relief to the people, he added.