The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry on Thursday recommended strengthening monitoring to check power pilferage and severe illegal power connections, reports BSS.
The recommendation was made at the eighth meeting of the committee held at Sangsad Bhaban in the capital with its chairman Md Shahiduzzaman Sarkar in the chair. Committee members – State Minister for Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Nasrul Hamid, Md Abu Jahir, Md Aslam Hossain Sawdagar, Khaleda Khanam and Begum Nargis Rahman were present, an official release said.
During the meeting, they discussed the ongoing green initiatives taken to bring the country’s all off-grid under electricity coverage. The committee was informed that 21 solar mini-grids, 1,374 solar irrigation pumps, 5.8 million solar home systems were installed in the country’s rural and off-grid areas. Besides, a process is underway to install six solar mini-grids and 232 solar irrigation pumps.
The meeting was told that 1,069 off-grid villages, which are yet to be brought under power coverage, have been identified, while 620 villages would be brought under electricity coverage by June 2020. The committee suggested brining the whole country under electricity coverage by 2020.
Power Division Secretary Dr Ahmad Kaikaus and senior officials of the ministry and Bangladesh Parliament Secretariat were present at the meeting.